#hallowds

        la vie en rose ... life was bliss for the two disbelieving souls who’d somehow found love in one another, never having conjured it possible. with their two year ‘anniversary’ nearing —discounting the few months they were apart — the perfect possible place to celebrate their unbelievable long term commitment to one another was none other than the city of love itself; paris. “— tourists and their pictures. i’m just trying to find that love bridge or whatever it was called. what did our tour guide say ? pont des arts ? i probably butchered that. don’t let our tour guide hear me, i don’t wanna be crucified, ” laughter fills the air as he playfully twirls her around before succumbing to yet another kiss, melting into her embrace. of course, this trip was going to be a milestone in their relationship. everything was going to change. maybe she could tell from his nerves, or maybe xara just mistook his nerves for his regular, antsy self. nick knew her like the back of his hand, but he couldn’t quite possibly guess if she had any idea about the proposal. worrying about her spotting the ring was stressful enough, and the thought had crossed his mind quite a couple of times — okay, maybe like a couple of hundred times — throughout the trip. he was going to purpose tomorrow night. a section of the eiffel tower secluded all for themselves. nick wasn’t a man of details; if it weren’t for xara, he wouldn’t pay attention to any. however, tomorrow night had to be perfect. anything for her had to be perfect. approximately 36 hours from now, he would be down on one knee, and like hell was he going to let anything get in the way. his thoughts were a blur, focused solely on the happiness he felt within — as though he’d escaped anything ever remotely considered ‘bad’ in his life only to find pure joy in a city thousands of miles away from her home. a city that they would recall to their children one day. nick rarely cared for onlookers, if ever, considering he’d been accustomed to it most of his life. however, he especially didn’t care now that he was in the arms of the woman he loved, without a care in the world. proposing on top of the tower wasn’t the problem — a possible rejection was. while their relationship was in the best state it had ever been, nerves were expected. towering over her, well and truly loaded with fresh pasta and dessert, nick manages to steady himself enough to look up at her with a assured expression. “ and yes ... i’m making you do the lock thing. no matter how cheesy it is. i know how much those jimmy choos are killing you, but c’mon. one more lock and we could go back to our hotel. ” what was nicolas fitzgerald besides a true diva ? in any case however, his words were laced with a smile. with xara, he’d yield to the idea of doing something as cheesy as writing their names on a lock and throwing away the keys over a bridge, just as every other pair of lovers did in a bid to declare their love — just as they would. softly caressing her cheek with his nose, he took a deep breath and sighed. “ let’s do the thing. but you might just have to make good on your promise to let me carry you there ...”