I was unloading his guitar case and checking the inventory of his strings when he came wandering up to grab me. Just like he did most nights.

"You're distracting me," I sighed, tilting my head so he could pepper my neck with kisses. "Don't you want to sound good tonight?"

He sighed a happy sigh. "It's our last show before we head to Europe," he said. "It doesn't much matter any more, right?"

I turned and glared at him. "Of course it matters."

He held up his hands, laughing. "I'm just trying to get a rise out of you, darling. You know I love the way your eyes gleam when you're pissed at me."

"I wish they didn't do that," I complained grumpily.

"I'm so glad they do," he said, brushing his lips against mine.

I sighed against his mouth and he took the opportunity to slip his tongue against mine. I felt the headlong, tilt-a-whirl dizziness that was as familiar and welcome now to me as the emerald green of his eyes. "Distracting," I mumbled against his mouth.

He chuckled and pulled back, then walked out onto the stage slowly, looking around. "Wait," he said as he came back over. "Why does this look so damn familiar?"

I laughed. "You know," I said, punching him lightly in the arm. "If I were a normal girl, I would totally be pissed at you right now for not remembering the place we met."

His eyes widened and he looked around sharply. "Holy shit, it totally is." And then, almost as if by instinct, he craned his head to look straight up at the place where that wayward spot had hung.

I laughed. "Now, don't worry," I said. "I won't let anything fall on you."

He shoved his hands in his pockets, hunching his shoulders up towards his ears, looking for all the world like a scared little boy. "Could you, could you just go check or something? Just to be sure?"

I took a step back and looked at him quizzically. "Are you really that scared?" I asked, trying not to sound as incredulous as I felt.

"You want the honest truth?"

At that my heart melted a little bit. I reached up and touched his face. "Of course I want the honest truth," I reminded him.

He nodded a little, tilting his cheek so that it fit into my cupped palm. "Okay then, just a little. Maybe? It was a rather traumatic event."

I sighed. "Fine," I said. One of the lampies had left a harness slung over Ewan's amp, so I grabbed that and clipped in. "You're being a big old silly person," I told Niall. "But I'll just check to make sure."

"Yeah, check for him," came Jules' voice.

I looked over to see Ewan and Hudson following Jules onto the stage. "What are you guys doing here? You never come onstage this early." I clenched my teeth a little. The rest of the band and crew knew this by now. This was our time. Mine and Niall's."

"We're worried about that spot too," Hudson said quickly.

Too quickly. I eyed him suspiciously and then shook my head. "Fine," I said. I turned to clip myself into the trailing safety line, and kicked out with my legs to hoist myself up. But when I did, I felt something give underneath my foot at the same time that Niall yelled, "Oy!" He staggered back.

"Bullshit!" I cried, hastily I unclipped my harness. "Did really I get you? Are you okay?" He was still reeling, then fell down...

On one knee.

"Woo!" shouted Jules.

"Shut the fuck up!" Hudson hissed.

I stared down at Niall as he glared at his bandmates and then looked up at me with the ring in his hand. "Reese Bailey?" he said. "I can't keep this a secret any longer. I love you. I want to marry you."

I clapped my hand to my mouth and I did it. I squealed. So much for 'one of the guys.' "Oh my god yes! I want to marry you too!" I shouted, leaping into his lap. I wrapped my arm around his neck and kissed him as he slipped the ring onto my finger. Ewan whooped behind us and I heard the pop of a champagne cork, but I wasn't even paying attention because Niall had pressed his forehead to mine. "You want to marry me?"

"I just said yes."

"Soon?"

"Right now, if you'd like. I fucking love you, Niall."

He grinned. "Well not right now. But soon, yeah?"

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Where?"

I looked at him. "You want to have it in England right? At your home?"

He pressed his lips together. "Do you have something else in mind?"

I cupped his face in my hands. "No, that's a brilliant idea. I can't wait for you to show me where you're from. It's important I know these things about you, don't you think?"

His eyes widened and then he shook his head. "Cheeky girl," he smiled.

"Wait, Niall?"

"Yes, darling."

I shook my head as I looked down at the ring. "You totally knew this was the place we met, right?"

"Course I knew that. This is where you became my angel."

"And sending me up to check the spot?"

He pulled a face. "I thought you'd see right through my terrible acting, but you fell for it."

"And I didn't kick you over?"

"Now that was some truly terrible acting, darling. No, you didn't touch me at all, even though I tried to get underfoot. I wanted to recreate the whole scene."

"And you told the band before hand you were doing this and they kept it from me? No fair keeping secrets like that," I complained.

He shook his head and kissed me. "Not a secret," he said. "A surprise."

I looked down at the diamond on my hand and shook my head. His proposal was the three hundred and fifty seventh surprising about Niall Penrose.

I'd kept track.

THE END