First

Faith
My heart was racing as I pulled on a pair of tan cargo trousers and a fitted short sleeved white t-shirt that had been left on my chair. I couldn't explain what was going through my head.
I sat for a moment, running my hands through my hair, thinking about everything that had happened. The love of my life was alive, we had the opportunity to truly be together till the end and I couldn't have been more grateful. My heart had been broken, and rebuilt all within a few minutes from reading the letter to seeing him again.
But there was a part of me that was unsure. As I twisted Newts ring in between my fingers, staring at the twisted pattern, I couldn't help but ask myself worrying questions that we're playing on my mind. What if something better did come around the corner when we eventually left the safety of the camp and he decided to leave? How would I cope? How could I just forget everything that we had been through to allow him to move on?
I sighed before standing up, I couldn't think about what might happen in the future, I had to focus on now, enjoying being with him again.

I slid the ring into my pocket before pushing my way out of the tent and came face to face with all of the boys. They all stared at me, with strange smiles, I frowned and looked each of them in the eye.
"What's wrong?" I asked and each of them immediately shook their heads.
"Nothing." Each responded.
"You guys are so weird." I laughed, holding out my arms.
We all held each other in a large group hug and I smiled at no one in particular as we stayed there. I think we all realised in that moment that we had made it. We had been through hell and gotten out the other side. Though not everyone made it with us, and we would grieve for a long time, we had to be thankful that we had made it, and we were together.
"I love you guys." I whispered.
"We love you." Thomas said and pulled my forehead to his lips.
"Promise we'll never leave each other?" I said looking into each of their eyes.
"I think after the hell we've been through, we'd never leave each other. Don't worry about that." Minho smiled and I nodded, "Now, I think this shank here wants to have a chat with you." Minho grinned, hitting Newt on the arm.
"Oh do you?" I smiled and he nodded holding his hand out for me to take.
I gripped onto it tightly as we walked away from the group and back down to the sand.

I couldn't help but keep stealing glances at him as we walked, almost having to convince myself that he was there and this was real.
He had a smile the whole time we walked. In fact, since I saw him, the smile hadn't faded. It had been there all day. The thought made me smile. I still couldn't really believe that we were both here, that we were both ok.
"You keep looking at me." Newt laughed and I held onto his arm.
"I can't help it. I just keep having to remind myself that you're here and this is real." I smiled.
He stopped in his tracks as we reached the far side of the beach and turned to face me. His hands held my upper arms as he spoke.
"I'm here. This is real. I'm alive. I think part of me, in the limbo where we met, realised that I couldn't leave you. There was something in me after that I think that wanted me to fight harder, for you. I couldn't leave you here. We weren't done." He said and I nodded, tears already threatening to spill, "I was ready for the flare to take me. I had accepted it. I knew that you would be ok, I knew Thomas would look after you. But I-I remember seeing you whilst I was still fighting for my life, on this beach, and you looked so beautiful. I knew I couldn't give up. I knew I couldn't wait to see you for however many years. I wanted to be with you. I want you, in this life."

I had to bite my lip hard to stop myself from crying. I had cried too much and this was supposed to be happy. But it was still so unbelievable, so overwhelming.
"I need to ask you something." He said, taking both of my hands in his.
I shook my hair out of my face and shuffled around on my feet. Newt laughed and rolled his eyes and I shrugged.
"Would you stand still?" He laughed and I nodded.
"I'm nervous."
"Why? It's just me."
"I know, but, I don't know what you're going to ask and it's scaring me." I smiled.
"Can I have the ring?" He asked and I nodded, pulling it out of my pocket with a shaking hand before dropping it into his grip.

Still holding onto my hands, he dropped to one knee and I couldn't help but let out a little laugh and had to bite my lip.
"Vince told me about how to do this ok, I don't know what i'm doing, don't laugh." Newt laughed and I couldn't help but laugh a little more.
"I'm not, I'm not. Did you ask Vince?"
"Well Janson was no good so yeah I asked Vince."
"That's so sweet." I said, bending down to kiss his cheek.
"I haven't even said anything yet."
"Oh, yes ok, sorry. Speak." I said and he rolled his eyes.
"So. We have been together since day one. You were the first person I trusted, the first person who trusted me, the first person I laughed with, the first person I kissed, the first person I fell in love with. I loved you first, and I hope to love you last. So, I made this ring, as a promise to you, that one day I will marry you, I want to promise that I will always love you, I will always protect you, forever." He said and I nodded.
"Ok." I smiled and he smiled up at me.
"Do you accept my promise?"
"Of course I do!" I said and fell to my knees, wrapping my arms around his neck.
He slid the ring onto my ring finger of my left hand and I grinned down as he did.
"I'll get you a better one for my actual proposal obviously." He smiled and I shook my head.
"This one's perfect."

When we got back to my tent we got ready for bed, both of us feeling exhausted from the rollercoaster of emotions we had both been through.
We lay facing each other on our sides, his hand running up and down my side, sending shivers up my spine. I ran my hand through his hair and occasionally placed kisses to his cheek.
"I like this." He grinned and I nodded.
"Good. Because this is forever." I smiled and he kissed me with more passion than I had expected, taking me by surprise, but letting me know where this night was going to go.
"Having you in my bed forever? Bloody hell, I must be the luckiest man on earth."