𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐬, 𝐝𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐢𝐭?

JALEN: Jalen never settled. He was sure everyone knew that about him. He put his everything into his career, knowing that even if he performed at his best, there was always room for improvement. When it came to his love life, he was never with someone just for the sake of having company, for the sake of a cheerleader in the stands as he scored a touchdown. And when it came to Sabrina, it was as if everything surrounding him was on pause, his entire focus on her, his love pouring out of him in simple gestures — holding doors open, a secure arm around her small frame, allowing her the lead. Going back in season, he knew he had to do one thing before he was locked down, unable to travel. It was special to him to take one last trip with her, enjoy all of her with no distraction. They packed up and decided on returning to the Turks and Caicos islands — well, Jalen did, keeping it a secret from the blonde as they boarded a jet and flew back to the destination they had sweet memories in once before. They had been there a day, most of their time spent relaxing, and Jalen was out with a plan. He met up with his team to gather everything needed, appreciative of their help to keep it confidential. It was almost as if this year, coming close to the Super Bowl wasn’t even the prize he looked forward to the most. Not if Sabrina said yes. He had thought of proposing for weeks, maybe even months — but the timing was never what he envisioned, knowing he wanted to be extravagant, to meet all of Sabrina’s expectations, everything she deserved and desired, then amplified ten fold. He set up candlelight and a illuminated sign when it got closer to the evening, before sunset, using some excuse that he had to step out to the hotel’s business center to take a call from his agent; just to be scattering flower petals over the grains of sand. Another thing about Jalen, was that he was rarely nervous. He usually knew just how to deal with it, never letting anxieties come between his successes. Now, he felt his heart pound a little faster, a thump in his chest as he returned to their room, hoping his display would remain picture perfect down at the beach as he exhaled and swiped his key card. “Back, babe,” he called out, the ring suddenly feeling like a weight in his pocket as he turned the corner and locked eyes with Sabrina. "You wanna hit the beach?"

SABRINA: Sabrina wanted to spend as much time with Jalen as she could before both of their jobs would be keeping them busy. He started training camp soon, the season was less than two months away, and Sabrina's new album was coming out in about a month. She couldn't have been more excited for both things, but knowing that they'd be spending more time apart because they'd both be busy this time around during football season, it was a little disappointing. Sabrina barely missed a game last season and she wasn't even sure how many she'd be able to go to this year. But that didn't mean she wouldn't try to go to as many as she could. Right now, though, she wasn't going to think about it. All she wanted to do was relax in whatever country he was taking her to, eager to spend one-on-one time with her boyfriend. When they eventually arrived in Turks and Caicos for a second time around, Sabrina could not have been more elated. They'd been here once before earlier in the year before she went on tour again and they made so many great memories there the first time around. A beach getaway was exactly what they both needed before the craziness ensued. They'd only been there for a day, but Sabrina had been doing nothing but spending time on the beach with Jalen, sipping away at endless fruity cocktails and margaritas. And obviously, making sure to have as much sex as possible. She truly couldn't have asked for anything more. But when they came back to their hotel room to end the day of spending time in the sun, Sabrina quickly washed away the day in the shower while Jalen told her he had some things to tend to. It was odd, sure, to be working on vacation or whatever the hell he was doing, but she didn't question it. She had just finished blow drying her hair, styling it to her liking, and adding on some light makeup on her face just in case they went out to eat later when she heard him come back into the room. The blonde poked her head out of the bathroom to greet him, "Hi, baby," she said, a smile on her face. "Wait, didn't we just come back from the beach a couple hours ago? I thought we'd grab dinner or something."

JALEN: Jalen held back the curse under his breath as Sabrina answered him, alluding to the idea of going beyond his set up, furthering the chance of risk that things wouldn’t go just as he planned them, just as he imagined them. Even the slightest of things being off had him wanting to put up a fight, to perfect every little thing to the musician’s liking. He shrugged his shoulders, as if he was pondering choices for dinner, but was in fact wondering just how he could turn this around, to get her to believe that he just wanted to be back out by the water; that there was nothing to be suspicious of as he offered her a soft smile. “We could, but how ‘bout a little walk first?” The suggestion was alright at best, but he figured it was at least different from the lounging in the sun they had done earlier that evening. They had got their relaxation in, or at least, Sabrina had — Jalen left secretly harboring some worry that things wouldn’t meet his girlfriend’s expectations. He thought that if it were anyone else, maybe he would have done something quiet, something small and personal, instead of going all out, flying to the island that housed beautiful memories as they readied to make some more. But the woman he was looking to spend forever with wasn’t ordinary. She wasn’t someone who deserved something miniscule. The athlete knew in his heart he wanted to make the most of this, to sweep her off of her feet and to fulfill every fantasy. He walked past her to grab his wallet and room key, left on the bedside table as they joined the pocket adjacent to his phone, “I was gonna text you,” he started, pulling it out and tossing it on the bed, “But got no juice.” It was a blatant lie, but at least a white one at that… trying to make up an excuse as to why he was out so long with no follow up. He turned to face her, pulling her out of the doorway to the bathroom by picking her up in his arms with ease. “Don’t make me carry you out there.”

SABRINA: Sabrina’s eyebrows shot up in question at Jalen’s reaction to her suggesting going to dinner. “You say something?” She asked, running her fingers through her loose blonde waves. Though, he completely ignored her which only caused her to playfully roll her eyes as she went back to putting the finishing touches on her makeup. “We can take a walk, sure. I don’t mind. Maybe also walk to a restaurant around here.” Sabrina took a step back to get a good look at herself in the mirror, a satisfied sigh leaving her lips as she turned to leave the bathroom, but was caught off guard by Jalen swooping her up into his arms before she could even get a word out. “I said okay, Jalen Alexander! Put me down! I need to get dressed!” Sabrina protested through a fit of soft giggles. When he finally set her back down on her feet, she quickly brushed past him, but not without sticking her tongue out at him first. She had no idea where they would end up eating, so she wanted to opt for something that was a little dressy while still casual at the same time. And she had the perfect dress in mind — it was a cute floral pink sundress that accentuated her curves perfectly. After she slipped it on, she grabbed a pair of dressy sandals and easily slid into them, then making her way over to the full-length mirror on the back of the door to get a full view of her outfit. It wasn’t anything too over the top, but it was also nice enough for a restaurant, no matter where they went. Finally, the blonde turned to face her boyfriend, a smile on her face as she met his gaze. “What do you think? Or is it too casual? Should I put on something more dressy?”

JALEN: Some things, Jalen only did to make her laugh. It was one of the sweetest sounds in the world, if you were to ask him. This time was no different, picking her up as if she were as light as a feather. He set her down as she protested, laughter of his own echoing hers as he playfully rolled his eyes at her as she walked by him to finish readying herself. For a brief moment, he wondered if he looked the part, brushing his fingers over the fabric of his shirt to smooth it out as she came into view. Jalen was lucky, lucky enough to witness a lot of beautiful things — in his career, in the lavish life he tried not to take for granted, but the most breathtaking of them all had to be the blonde standing right in front of him. He studied her look as she asked, brown eyes gazing over every inch of her from head to toe. He was silent for a moment, as if lost in a train of thought, or as if he was thinking of how to answer her question; yet truthfully, it was that the view of her merely came as a distraction, reaching his hand out to envelope hers in his grip. “You look gorgeous, baby girl,” he replied, shaking his head at the need for her to change clothes. “You could wear nothin’ and still be more stunning than anyone else on this damn island.” Jalen spoke with confidence, intertwining his fingers in hers as he grabbed her bag from the bed and handed it to her. “Got everything you need?” He asked, knowing it wouldn’t have been much… dinner was on him, when they ever made it there, but it didn’t hurt to fool her into thinking she’d need her belongings, as if their walk had no real plan ahead. Once he got her approval, he lead them out the door and down the hall, pressing the button to the elevator and pulling her inside. He stole a kiss as the doors closed behind them, knowing now more than ever, he was ready for this.

SABRINA: Sabrina's brows furrowed in confusion as she waited on an answer from Jalen; it looked as if he was lost in thought or something, or maybe he couldn't find the words. When he finally answered, she let out a soft sigh and with a nod of her head, she'd had her answer. She was going to keep what she had on, though, she had half a mind to take it right back off after his next choice of words. "You better watch your damn mouth before I jump you right here. Because with the way you're talking, neither of us are leaving this damn room," Sabrina said with a click of her tongue. She couldn't help but to melt with the way Jalen always took charge, even with the smallest of things like grabbing her purse to hand to her, but still making sure to ask if she had everything to give her a sense of control, too. "Yeah, I got everything I need, I think." A smile pulling at the corners of her mouth, the blonde stood on her tippy-toes to give him a kiss on the cheek before settling back onto her feet. Before she could even blink, they were already heading out of the room and down to the hotel of the lobby. She wouldn't have minded fooling around in the elevator for a minute or two when he kissed her, if it weren't for the fact that there were other hotel guests that eventually joined them inside. Which, thank God, because Sabrina wouldn't have been able to control herself. "Where do you think we should go for dinner?" She asked, squeezing his hand gently as they walked through the lobby.

JALEN: Jalen flashed his smile as he took Sabrina’s hand and walked through the hallways, her words on his mind, thankful he even had the strength to step out after hearing her threatening promise before stopping at the nearest elevator to wait for it to reach their floor. It was comical, really, how plenty of people caught on to Jalen looking serious, hardly grinning when it came to business, but here he was, merely hand in hand with his lover and he couldn’t seem to wipe the smile. He briefly wondered what people would think of him then, how much of a simp he had become; but the thought didn’t last, fading as quickly as it came to him, knowing his nature wouldn’t budge because of opinions. They stood near in the elevator, stealing glances until it reached the lobby, and next they knew it they were on their way out. “I think I saw this little place at the end of the beach, if you wanna check it out,” — half of him was bullshitting, not even sure he recognized it as a restaurant as he readied everything together, not like it mattered much given the fact he had a cooler out with some of Sabrina’s favorites they could drink and munch on. Part of him felt a little guilty, blocking off part of the beach for other island goers, but he was a little more relaxed as they stepped out of their beachfront hotel and saw that the traffic of the day had began to die down. “Gotta work up an appetite first, don’t we? I’d race ‘ya, but I think we already know who would win that one.”

SABRINA: "Yeah, we can do that." The smile on Sabrina's face had never ceased to fade, even as they conversed and made their way down to the beach. Though, the blonde couldn't help but playfully roll her eyes as Jalen suggested that he'd beat her in a race. "First of all, I just got all cleaned up and I look super cute right now, so I am not getting all sweaty. Secondly, you and I both know I could kick your ass, thank you very much—" Sabrina could barely finish her sentence as they stepped foot on the sand, her vision landing on one thing and one thing, only. There was an entire area on the beach of what appeared to be some kind of proposal setup, causing her to stop in her tracks altogether. She wasn't sure if it was for her; it couldn't be, right? They were just here on the beautiful island of Turks and Caicos to enjoy a vacation together before work really picked back up for the both of them. Not because Jalen took her here to propose to her... Right? Surely, it had to be for someone else and they just happened to stumble across it while taking their walk on the beach. Sabrina continued to stand completely still, trying to piece together everything that happened before they left to come down here. The more she thought about it, the more she realized just how weird Jalen had been acting. Rushing her to get ready, being super insistent on taking a walk on the beach before grabbing dinner even though they'd already been here earlier soaking up the sun. It was all starting to make sense. She squeezed his hand, letting her eyes briefly flutter shut to let everything fully sink in before tugging them back open to look up at him. "Jalen...?" It was the only thing the blonde managed to get out because she was at an utter loss for words.

JALEN: It was easy to distract her, to crack jokes — to make conversation flow so naturally that maybe Sabrina wouldn’t have even noticed right off the bat. Jalen was trying not to focus on it, to not center his eyes at the display for her to follow his gaze. He wanted her to catch on herself, and for a moment in silence, he wondered if she would. He pondered if it would have been a good thing, to catch her by complete surprise, or for it to be the opposite, for her to be so opposed to the idea of marriage that she couldn’t imagine all of this set out for her. As she said his name, he could feel warmth in his chest, turning to face her with a raise of his eyebrow as if he had no idea what she could have called out to him for. He didn’t speak back to her, just walked forward, forward until his feet reached the path flower petals laid out in the sand. He was thankful everything looked as pristine as how he left it, and he knew now, Sabrina must have been certain of it all. Funny enough, he almost craved the comfort of her hand in his, wishing he didn’t have to let go to turn around and slip a hand in his pocket. He pulled out a black velvet case, motioning for her to come closer with his free hand. As she stood before him, he got on one knee, and briefly, he thought about how he had always envisioned this moment for himself. He wanted it to be beautiful, with the focus entirely on his girl, and he tried to do just that. As he selected the ring, he kept nothing but her in mind, the price tag or the trends never nagging at the back of his mind. He paid attention to the jewelry she owned, and what she was styled in, taking in every comment about what she liked and didn’t like, and tying it back to the task at hand. Opening the case, he revealed a radiant band, encased in diamonds, handcrafted with a generously sized blush pink stone in the middle. “Sabrina,” he started, reaching up to finally fill the void of not having her hand in his, “I think part of me has been in love with you since the moment I met you. You make life brighter, and you make me a better man. You’re everything I’ve ever wanted wrapped up in one person, baby girl.” Looking up at her, brown eyes reflecting off the setting sun, he gave her hand a squeeze. “It’d be my honor to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

SABRINA: When Jalen didn’t immediately answer her and he started to guide her along the pathway of flower petals, it felt as if time began to move in slow motion. Tears of happiness filled Sabrina’s blue eyes, unable to truly comprehend that this was even happening to her. She never could’ve guessed that marriage was something her boyfriend had been thinking about, especially considering it was something they hadn’t discussed before. But that didn’t matter, none of it mattered. Sabrina had always known he was the one for her after so many failed relationships in the past. She had never found someone that loved her so unconditionally and passionately, even through all her little quirks and flaws. All her previous relationships were just a stepping stone, or a lesson, to this moment right here. It was a good thing she didn’t put on too much makeup because as soon as Jalen was on one knee, the steady flow of tears only increased. She felt like she was in a dream that she never wanted to wake up from. And to think none of this would even been happening right now if Joe Burrow hadn’t set them up together. She had so much to thank him for, but that would come later. Right now, Sabrina needed to focus on her boyfriend and nothing else. And when Jalen pulled open the small black box, she couldn’t help but to be absolutely floored by how beautiful the ring inside was. She brought her free hand up to her mouth in shock, keeping her attention and eyes on the man that was on one knee before her that began professing his love for her. When Jalen was finally finished, there were so many things she wanted to say, and yet, nothing was coming out because of how genuinely shocked she was by it all. She gave herself a solid few seconds before finally letting go of the only thing she could think of, “Oh my God.” And she said it through tears, through the biggest smile on her face as she squeezed Jalen’s hand. “Yes… Yes, yes, yes, absolutely one-hundred percent yes.” And finally, the words he’d probably been waiting so long to hear finally rolled off her tongue, her heartbeat going at a million miles an hour at the thought of getting to marry the absolute love of her life.

JALEN: Jalen had talked through his worries with Joe, the very person that set them up together. It felt like a full circle moment to be there at his phone, typing out the what ifs into their messages when it was the exact place he had copied her phone number from. He had the fellow athlete to thank after all of this, after he could say with a definitive answer whether or not Sabrina would accept his proposal. The smile on her face, the tears pooling in her eyes that cascaded down her blushed cheeks, could really only mean one thing. Even if she had yet to respond with her words, he knew her body language well enough by now to have his answer. He stopped speaking just to live in the moment, to have her ponder over everything as he squeezed her hand right back. He ran his thumb over her hand in soothing motions, ready to slide the jewelry onto her finger as soon as she gave the permission. After a silent moment, she did just that, a smile spread wide across the athlete’s face as he took the ring out of the box delicately and gently housed it on her fourth finger. He knew with their schedules the way they were, finding time for a wedding, let alone planning it, would prove to be difficult. The one thing Jalen needed now, however, was for Sabrina to look down at her hand and know that Jalen was right there with her, wherever the future months took them, that whenever they were physically apart his heart was hers, locked in the ultimate promise. “I love you, Sabrina Annlynn, more than I ever knew how to love before,” he said, looking down at her hand, briefly letting it go to lift himself up from his position on the sand and back on his feet. He took it once more to guide her up the path he’d made, up to the illuminated sign that would shine even brighter as the sun set. He reached over for one of the flowers in the vase perched on a pedestal, grabbing one for her to hold despite being surrounded by lines of white roses. “I know we never really had the talk about it, but, I always knew,” he said, twirling the rose between his fingertips before handing it over as if it sealed the oath. “I always knew you were it for me.”

SABRINA: Sabrina was still in shock. Honestly, she probably would be for a while. She never could've guessed in a million years that Jalen getting her number from Joe would eventually lead to this moment. It was everything she could've asked for and more, not that she was even thinking about marriage in the first place. Everything came so easy with him that she didn't even have to think about it; knowing he was it for her was something she'd known since the very first day that he texted her. She was done searching, and didn't want anyone else besides him for the rest of her life. With tears still in her eyes, Sabrina watched with with nothing but love for Jalen in them as he effortlessly slid the gorgeous diamond ring on her finger. And it fit her like a glove. It might have been the most gorgeous ring she'd ever seen in her entire life and she couldn't believe it would be hers forever. "Oh my God, it's so gorgeous, Jay. Oh my God. I can't believe you did this," she said in disbelief through her tears, a small laugh escaping from her lips. And once it was secure around her ring finger, she instantly had to lift her hand up to get a better look at it, her jaw still practically on the floor as it glittered underneath the picturesque sunset. "I love you so much. I can't believe I get to call you my future husband." Once again, the blonde was still in such disbelief that she felt like she could barely form the words for how happy she was. When Jalen took her hand again and guided her closer to the massive illuminated sign, she couldn't contain the big smile on her face as she dried her tears with her free hand. "We didn't ever have to talk about it because I, too, knew you were the one I wanted to be with forever the first time you texted me. You're everything I could've wanted and more. I mean that with everything in me," Sabrina sighed happily, unable to contain her smile now as she accepted the rose from him before leaning up on her tippy toes, arms sliding around his neck to give him a long-awaited kiss.

JALEN: Jalen knew, in reality, he didn’t need a ring to showcase his love, and they didn’t need a piece of paper to give them reasoning to stay together. Everything they harbored for one another was because of themselves, their own doing and how deep their love grew; but he couldn’t deny that letting the world know she had been officially off the market in the shape of a diamond ring was something he craved having. He wanted to give her everything - the lavish, and the simple and sincere. He smiled at her words, as if they read each other’s minds, knowing they were it for each other. He watched as she dried her eyes, and he was soon replacing her hand with his fingertips, stroking over her tear stained cheeks. “I love you more than a ring could ever tell you, baby girl,” Jalen spoke with confidence now, the confidence that shriveled a bit in the beginning as he was down on his knee with worry of rejection. There were moments in his life where he was raised to believe that if it were too good to be true, there was a catch down the line, but Sabrina made his beliefs a myth as she wrapped her arms around his neck. “I packed a little picnic basket, some stuff I know you like, but if you’d rather go to the restaurant, you know it’s on me.” He gestured towards a blanket he had spread in the sand, held down by candles ready to be lit before he returned a kiss, one of passion, capturing all of his emotions as he swept her off her feet.

SABRINA: Sabrina pulled back from the kiss and turned around to the other setup Jalen had been talking about, the one where there was the most adorable little beach picnic waiting for them and it was taking all of her not to burst into tears again. She couldn't believe how perfect this was, how perfect he was, and the fact that he went to these lengths just to make her happy. It may not have been much to him, but to her, it was everything. Everything she could've dreamed of and then some. Turning back around to face him again, Sabrina's lips formed into a soft pout as she leaned up on her tippy toes again to give him a little kiss on the cheek. "Oh my God, of course I want to stay here and enjoy this. No way a restaurant could ever compare to all of this, especially when you put so much thought into it. It's so much better than anything a restaurant could give," Sabrina sighed happily, kissing Jalen one more time before taking his hand guiding him towards the small setup, then making herself comfortable sitting down on the blanket. Jalen said he brought all her favorites, which admittedly, had her curious, because she had no idea what all that could entail. Her favorite wine? Favorite foods? There was just so many possibilities and she couldn't wait to find out. "I really can't believe you did all of this and I had no idea whatsoever... Mostly just can't believe that I get to call you my fiancé now," the blonde was practically beaming with excitement, her blue eyes automatically admiring the gorgeous pink diamond that now sat on her ring finger. She was sure she would never get tired of staring at it; it was genuinely the most beautiful ring she'd ever seen before.