as you read the words i wrote i couldn't speak, Annie!

This was the moment. This would either be perfect or go horribly, horribly wrong. He knew he had been gone for a while, for a long while, but that didn’t play a factor in his feelings. Whether he was with Annie for the past decade or not, he still knew he needed her around. Gunner didn’t always believe in the whole ‘marriage’ thing. Maybe believe wasn’t the right word. Trust? He didn’t trust in marriage. He trusted Annie, he trusted her with his life. But a piece of paper shouldn’t tell people that, his own actions should. A ring on his finger shouldn’t be the thing that breaks the news, it should be his own words. However, he knew women always viewed that differently. They needed a symbol to show everyone that someone loved them with all their heart and loved them enough to go through an entire wedding. If he had to wear a ring, he would. If that ring meant that he could belong to Annie and she could belong to him, he’d do it.

Smiling to passing strangers as he walked down the sidewalk, Gunner slowly approached Town Hall. Town Hall was the home to Vow Inc. A company that made this town he now lived in riddled with strangers married to each other. And if Annie rejected him, he would be thrown into one of those marriages himself. See, he made an application, but it was only because he knew that Annie would see it. She looked through all the applications for this company, or at least he hoped she did. If not, they probably just looked at his turn-ons and turn-offs before throwing him into an appointment at the chapel with God knows who. Or maybe Annie already submitted herself into the pools. Unless that would be against the rules. He really wouldn’t be too surprised if she got a letter saying he was matched with a stranger, just to show up at the chapel and get matched with her. She could pull strings. And she’s just clever enough to do that. But that’s why they would work so well together. She would be clever enough for that, just as he was clever enough to make that application. Or so he thought.

Gunner always had the most convincing smile. Even when he was younger, his parents couldn’t punish him for very long. He always thought it was normal, until he heard about what kind of punishments his friends got. From then on, he used his contagious smile and persuasive words to get his way. It wasn’t always with bad intentions, however. Sometimes it was as simple as raising his grade from a B to a B+, or getting out a parking garage when he was just a dollar short. Little things. Negligible. It felt innocent enough to him. He never felt guilty. Although, if it came to it, he might have to pull out the Gunner charm on Annie. He never did use it on her, not on purpose anyway. Opening the big front door to the Town Hall, he was immediately in a huge echoing front hallway. A black board with floors and room numbers directed him to the Vow Inc headquarters. Where all this ‘magic’ supposedly happened. The elevator ride seemed to take forever to rise up only a couple floors. The doors opened slowly and he was greeted with huge fancy signs indicating that he had really found the Vow Inc. Clearly, they made a shit load of money off all this stuff. Maybe that’s what made Annie get into this business. Honestly, he had never seen her as this wedding planner type, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t see her that way. Sometimes you even surprise yourself at what you’re good at. It was a little nerve wracking thinking about money at the moment. The last bit of money he really had went to the Vow with his application. He had no job, no idea what he was going to do for a job, and really hadn’t thought about it. One thing at a time. He’d make his scene with Annie and then worry about all that other shit.

Walking through the main door of Vow Inc, he almost felt nauseous. Pictures were everywhere. Couples, all married obviously, babies, birthday parties, anniversaries, couples on dates with other couples, you name it and it was there. Distracted, he just stood there looking over each and every pictures that graced the walls of this place. It wasn’t a big place, and it seemed even more claustrophobic with these pictures surrounding him. Following the line of pictures, his eyes finally landed on Annie. Her back was turned to him, doing something with papers, and he walked up to the counter behind her and leaned on it with his elbows. Gunner glanced around, taking note of the few people in chairs filling out applications, and one other worker buzzing around in the back. He simply cleared his throat with his fist over his lips and couldn’t help but smirk a little bit. This was going to be a trip.

When Annie arrived to work, she wasn't entirely sure that the day would be anything irregular. In fact, she was fully expecting that today would be like every other day. In this town, weddings were pretty commonplace. They happened nearly every day. With a service such as The Vow creating a rather large community, wasn't it really any wonder at all? If a wedding wasn't occurring, there was at least a wedding in the making, so Annie had her hands full from the moment she first arrived in Evergreen.

She appreciated it. She appreciated the fact that she stayed busy. When she didn't, she had idle hands. And when she had idle hands, she had time to think about everything between her and Gunner. She had time to think about the application he'd submitted, more or less begging her to be with him. Annie had felt a surge of so many emotions, reading those words on the page. For one, they were just that. Words on a page. But he'd gone through all of the trouble to create it, submit it… and Annie couldn't just pretend as though that didn't exist. Then, there was a bit of anger and annoyance. Why couldn't he just have the guts to pick up the phone and call her? Why did he have to leave it up to chance? It was very likely that someone else could have picked up his application, processed it, and that would have been that. Annie might not have ever known about it.

But then again, there was something so grossly romantic about this that Annie had almost completely passed out. Cold. Gunner had always been something of a romantic at heart, even when they were just teenagers together, so really… she shouldn't have been surprised. And yet, oddly enough, she was. She hadn't responded to the application yet. She hadn't had the time, and she most definitely had not yet found the words. If he'd waited so patiently, taken such a grand romantic gesture, then he could wait a little while, while Annie figured out what the heck she was going to say and do.

She went to work without much expectation for what would happen. In fact, Gunner was the furthest thing from her mind. Until she started discussing with clients the details of their impending nuptials. What kinds of flowers did they want? What flavor of cake? Gunner liked cake, she thought to herself, little polite smile edging over the corners of her lips. Her patrons only assumed that she was being encouraging about their weddings… which, she was. But they had no idea. Some of the other employees of The Vow knew about the application Gunner sent. How could they not? And though some had encouraged her to action, attempted to inspire her, nothing really worked. She needed time. She needed…

Annie's desk was an absolute disaster. She was planning a wedding with the man color in pastels, and another with a deep autumn colors… and the pages were intermingling. She cursed under her breath as she attempted to un-shuffle them, distribute each page with its rightful companion, when all of a sudden, a shadow loomed over her. "I'm almost finished," she said, assuming it was her boss. "Not almost, but I've… I'm trying to organize here, and it's just not…" With a little breath of frustration, she looked over only to see… him. Gunner.

He was still wearing his boyish grin, his shaggy hair… he looked better than Annie could have ever remembered. All thought rushed from her, her lips parted, and she could feel butterflies churning in her stomach. It was a rush seeing him here, at work, as though he belonged to be there. In many, many ways… he did. "What are you doing here?" she asked, grinning now. She didn't allow him time to answer; she propelled forward, arms wrapping around his shoulders, holding him tightly against her. His muscles felt the same, his smell was the same… everything about him was exactly like she'd always hoped it would be. And so very much more.

There was so much more Annie could say, but for the moment, she was completely struck dumb. She could feel tears almost stinging her eyes, her grip around him tightening, her body pressing firmly against his as though to tuck herself up into him completely. "Oh my god," she finally whispered, dumbfounded. "You're here. You're actually here."

She seemed busy, and just a little bit stressed out. Gunner smiled wider when she spoke. Her voice always resonated through him in that warm way. It was comforting and familiar. She, obviously, had no idea it was him behind her and not her boss, but that just made it a little more fun. She finally looked over her shoulder and his eyebrows raised just slightly to accompany his smile. He loved surprising her. Surprises were the best. It was all part of his draw towards the spontaneous, the unplanned, and the random. That's what made him kind of admire the Vow company. For how many evil things he had heard about them, he kind of understood it. People signed up randomly, they didn't live their lives thinking 'I can't look for a partner, I'm going to have Vow find one for me.' It was a last resort. It probably would be his last resort if Annie didn't accept him. Or if she just didn't see the application to begin with. That would be a whole different slew of problems.

Gunner was confident. Growing up, he didn't have a confidence, in every definition of the word, but now he was much closer. He had a confidence in his actions and his words. The things he said, wrote, and did to persuade others were all done in an extremely confident fashion. They had to be in order to be that persuasive. A confidence in self-esteem was a little different. He wasn't quite sure where he stood with that. He didn't have a problem with himself, and was usually generally pretty happy with himself, sometimes too much so. But one thing was for sure, when Annie smiled at him like that, he felt like the king of the world. He could do anything, say anything, be anything, and it would all work out. All because he had an Annie Larosa smile all to himself.

His foot stepped behind him, catching the both of them as Annie lunged herself towards him. His hands instantly wrapped around her as well and he let out a quick laugh. He glanced over to the guys filling out applications for the Vow's services and gave them a quick thumbs up. He could tell they were staring the moment she started to speak. She had an addicting personality and it would instantly show through with the first couple words she ever said. People were drawn to her, and he loved that.

She seemed so flabbergasted that he couldn't help but giggle a little bit. "I really am." He skipped right over that 'why are you here' question. He'd get to that. Hopefully she knew why he was there, or he had a huge favor to ask her. "This place is... intense." He ran a hand through his messy locks and smiled back down to Annie. "You look so cute in your work clothes, look at you." He held her out in front of him by her shoulders. She looked small and fragile, but professional and strong all at the same time. He took this time to blatantly look her up and down before locking his eyes on hers again. Another smile found its way through immediately. His arms slowly dropped from her shoulders and went straight into his pockets. Well, they went as far into his pockets as they could. Hazard of tight pants. "How do you like it here?" For her sake he hoped she loved it, but it just didn't really seem like her area. But what did he know? "Read through a lot of... interesting applications?" A devilish grin appeared on his face and his eyes almost twinkled at her.

Annie could feel Gunner's arms around her… familiar, sweet. She felt like she hadn't felt in years… it was exhilarating. It was a rush that she hadn't felt in so long. The fact that he was there, in her place of business, to be with her… it was almost more than she could ever dreamed. In a million years, Annie Larosa would have never assumed that Gunner Kaufman would travel hundreds of miles… just to be with her. She'd heard about his adventures through the years… the places he'd been, the people he'd seen… but none of his stories could ever amount to what she was feeling right now. The excitement. The pleasure. The unadulterated thrill.

He was unkempt… a clear sign of his travels, the things he'd picked up over the years, and his personality… which was the thing Annie wanted to cling to the hardest. He'd always been a free spirit… he'd always done what he wanted, damn the consequences… and yet, oddly, those consequences were never to the detriment of others. That was rare as hell, that someone could go about their lives for their own benefit, but instead affected everyone with whom he came into contact. Annie realized now that she would never be "rid" of Gunner… of the feelings she'd developed for him so long ago… or the person he was today.

Annie let out a tiny bark of a laugh at his response, then nodded. "Yeah. It's pretty intense," she said, with a smile slipping against the corners of her lips. "Everyone just wants their soulmate. Someone to care about them. You know?" And so did she. She wanted that more than ever, and now that Gunner was here… well, she'd have that option. "How do you like it here?" he asked, and before she could answer, he continued, [i]"Read through a lot of… interesting applications?" Annie couldn't help but mirror his smile, eyes alive. He knew exactly what he was doing here, and she had fallen under his spell completely. She wanted nothing more than to stop everything she was doing, right then and there, wrap her arms around him, and pledge herself to him for the rest of her life.

But… she would let him sweat it out a little first. Though her smile betrayed her, she still squinted a bit, eyes moving off to the side, considering. "Hmmm…" she started, lip pouting as though she couldn't quite place what he was talking about. "I mean, I do read a lot of interesting applications. It's really amazing what some people will do in order to spend their lives with someone." Of course, she thought, she was talking about Gunner. Of course. That much was obvious. But playing dumb for a bit was going to be fun… though she knew she couldn't keep it up forever. She tilted her head, almost like a puppy, eyebrows narrowing a little. "Why do you ask?"

(OOC: Short post is short.)

Everyone just wanted their soulmate. That was an understatement. Gunner felt like maybe she was also hinting towards that little piece of paper that had his heart spilled all over it. So, did that mean she was cool with it? Or that she was making fun of it? He just wanted to know. He wanted to know whether he was going to be with her or some stranger. Fact was, he didn't entirely think the whole thing through. That whole stranger thing just came to mind after he submitted the application. The thought of Annie rejecting him didn't completely cross his mind. Anything else in his life he really thought through. He was spontaneous, but never this reckless.

That's why he had to ask. In as sly way as possible, of course. In return, she decided to be as vague as he was. What else did he expect? He smirked, bit the inside of his lip, but couldn't hold back the rest of his smile. His toothy grin showed itself as she pouted her lip, pretending to think. He could still read her like a book. She saw it. She had to have seen it. She wouldn't be acting so damn cute and innocent if she hadn't. She wouldn't have that look off to the side, that pouty lip, and that slight tilt to her head. His love life and future were in her hands and she knew it. But, Annie was such a good person, that even if she didn't want to be with him, she would probably still give him a chance. Or, he just knew, by his greeting alone, that she was going to be with him.

Gunner didn't know what to do with himself. He kept doubting himself slightly before being completely confident that she was saying 'yes.' His hand rubbed the stubble forming on his chin. "Well." He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I know this guy." He looked off to the side, glanced around him, seeing a couple pairs of eyes fixated on the both of them. "He did something crazy." A small laugh escaped his lips and his arms dropped. His hands found her waist and slowly wrapped themselves around her. His hands and arms hung slightly lower than when he had hugged her before. Remembering her body, her ass, her curves, everything was distracting him. Wanting his rough hands to just drop one more centimeter, he resisted. "See, he heard that this girl worked at this place that organized marriages. The thing was, the only girl he ever, ever even considered possibly marrying, was this girl. Nuts, right?" He paused to smile, trying to gauge whatever reaction was there. "So, he filled out one of these applications to marry a stranger, but kinda made it obvious it was for her."

The contrast of his rough hands to her smooth skin was always something he would remember. Her smile was another thing he couldn't seem to live without. It was one of the biggest smiles, most sincere smiles, he'd ever known. He was making himself sick with all this lovey dovey stuff going on in his own mind. He took a deep breath in, "So now, he waits. And if she rejects him... well, he has a stranger to meet and marry." Was he overdoing this? He wasn't totally good at the whole romantic thing. Making huge life decisions, yes, but making huge life decisions that involved other people, no. Ones that required other people's input to even work and go forward? Not his forte. "What do you think I should tell him?"

((OOC: Late reply is late...))

It was Gunner's playfulness that Annie figured she'd missed the most. It was that constant boyish energy he wore, the bits and pieces that seemed so perfect on him, yet would have been completely out of place on anyone else. Gunner could get away with things that Annie could only dream of getting away with. And he got away with it because of his boyishness, his impishness, and his innocence that was somehow all Gunner. All she could have asked from him. Everything she would have ever needed.

And now, there he was, in all of his boyish glory, leaning over her desk, and smiling. Annie wasn't quite sure what the best way to go about this was. She could have answered him immediately, told him how much she loved and missed him, and that she was sorry for anything she'd ever put him through. Or she could play a little hard to get… pretend that she wasn't the girl who would drop absolutely everything to be with him, because it was all she'd ever wanted since she'd left high school. It was silly, to hold onto a high school love this tightly, to ignore the fact that she'd grown up substantially between then and now. She was a completely different person than she was back then, and yet, she couldn't seem to let the past go. She couldn't seem to stop holding so tightly, and all she wanted in the world was to go back to those days when she was happier than she'd ever been, when Gunner was her boyfriend and she wasn't a "mean girl," and she had her whole life figured out.

And maybe that's all this was. A struggle for some semblance of the life she knew she could lead… the one she'd had so firmly in her grasp in high school. She listened as he teased her, telling her the story of "this guy," who filled out an application for The Vow, that he'd wanted her to see it. That "this guy" was now going to wait around to see if she would reject him or not. Annie couldn't help but feel the corners of her lips twitch upwards in acknowledgement of what he was saying… the fact that he was spelling out their story in such an adorable and romantic way… it made her feel like that high school girl again… it was that feeling she was desperately trying to win back, everything she'd been waiting for. "What do you think I should tell him?" he finally asked, and Annie pressed her lips together.

What should she say? Part of her wanted to draw it out a little. To make him squirm, just because she could. She wanted to make him wait, make him see whether or not she would accept him into her life again, though they both knew with absolute certainty that she would give herself to him in an instant. All he had to do was ask. And yet, he'd given this grand, romantic gesture instead, and that left Annie stunned to the absolute core. "I don't know what you should tell him," she finally said, unable to wipe the smile completely from her lips. "He realizes he took a big risk, right?"

And then she closed the gap between them, her front pressing gently against his, fingers moving delicately over the collar of his shirt. "See, here's the thing. I haven't read anything from this 'friend of yours.' The only thing I've read is from you. So you can tell your friend that I'm not interested in anything he could throw at me. I don't know him. But I'm interested in you, and me, and what we could do with this. With us." She hesitated now, however, now that it was all out there… now that they were making hushed confessions and actually standing in front of each other. "Did you mean it?" she asked, sobering a little. "When you said that you were interested in marriage. It's a big step. Did you mean it?" She did, though that was something she was going to wait to confess to him, once he confirmed his intentions.

Gunner loved the fact that Annie was playing along. This wasn't really like him at all. Well, he was, but no one really knew it. He was that sort of closet romantic that kept it under wraps. So only his significant others, or Annie knew about it. And... these three other people in the waiting room. He was sure the guys were just rolling their eyes, maybe taking notes for something they should do, and the girls were swooning. It happened.

He scoffed a little when she mentioned that it was a big risk. To him, it wasn't a risk at all. Taking the chance that he could find anyone else that actually understood him and put up with him was a way bigger risk. Assuming she could wait around for him any longer was a bigger risk. Thinking no other guy was going to jump at the chance to marry her? Again, huge risk. Plus, she worked at the Vow. Seeing all these applications and marriages, who's to say she wouldn't throw herself into one? Annie was that type of person that would make that marriage work. She's easy to love and get along with, so the stranger would have no problem falling for her. He was sure of it. Gunner, however, knew he wouldn't do well in that situation at all. Hence, why Annie had to say yes. "Yep." He finally, confidentially said, knowing any risk.

With the way Annie was acting, Gunner felt like it was going in his direction, but you never really knew. She could be pissed. She could be leading him on. With her hands on his collar he smiled down to her. He just wanted to squeeze her and carry her off. His smile was even wider when she said two simple words. 'With us.' She wasn't interested in anyone else, even this imaginative friend he had just made up. Then, everything seemed to really sink in. He was there. She was there. They were actually talking about this. He took a deep breath and shifted his eyes as if he were thinking about it slightly. "Hmmm..." He looked down and locked eyes with her, "Yes." Actions always spoke louder than words. So maybe the applications wasn't exactly an 'action,' as much as it was just words. That's why he was here. But even that action still put Annie into some suspicion.

He couldn't entirely blame her. He had been overseas, studying at various places, living out of suitcases, cars, backpacks, you name it, for years. He was never in one place with his mind on anything solid. Gunner loved moving around and not being tied down, which was why this was almost completely out of character. The only difference was that Annie was the only thing that really stuck in his mind, that kept his attention for more than a year at a time. So, he needed to take action. He pushed her slightly away and lowered. His right knee hit the ground and his heart started pumping. He leaned on his other knee and grabbed her hand with one of his. He wasn't shakey, he wasn't insanely nervous, and that's how he knew he was doing the right thing. Plus, he had already basically proposed to her in writing. He was just securing it in person. "Annie, I know I love you, have loved you and always will. You have put up with my shit, you understand me, and even now, after all this, you greeted me happily when I show up out of no where." He laughed lightly, "So, here I am, in person, solidifying what I had on that piece of paper. I mean it." He stared up at her, finally getting nervous to actually say the next words. "I don't have a ring, and we've never really been the kind to do the whole ring thing, but, Annie, will you marry me?" The last four words made his heart skip a little bit. Hearing those words from other people, and seeing other engagements, he just never thought he'd actually have that moment. And, for once in his life, he actually had a back up plan if this fell through, knowing very well he wouldn't need it.

Annie was living a fairytale. Here she was, working at the freaking Vow, Inc. She created romance for people… she created their perfect wedding, crafted their perfect day, and made sure that absolutely everything was in order. She arranged flowers, dresses, made sure that each detail was perfect, and all for what? For other people who didn't realize that Annie's love life was nothing like they should have been expecting. Annie wasn't living the life that they were. She'd been unconcerned with love up until now, but it seemed as though it found her. Maybe it was because of the way she was raised. Maybe it was just the way her life had gone over the past couple of months… the past couple of years. All of it had been utterly unexpected. And though she'd dreamed of this moment with Gunner, though it had been something in the back of her mind, it was ten times better than she could have ever expected it to be. It was a true romance.

Gunner always had had a flair for the dramatics. If he was going to do something, the world was going to know about it. He was charismatic… he was great at allowing people to see what they wanted to see. He was even better at making people do what they wanted. And in many ways, Annie assumed, that's the angle he was playing here. That wasn't to say that Annie wouldn't fall for it. She would have given anything to be with him… that was no secret. She was pleased as hell that he was here, that he was drawing everyone into his big, romantic gesture. And he wanted to marry her. Despite everything they'd been through in the past, the trials and tribulations of any relationship -- though especially unconventional in their case -- they kept coming back together somehow, and now, Gunner was ready to make things official. God, Annie was a lucky girl.

And then, he put the final nail in the coffin. His diatribe was romantic, almost tragically so, and Annie knew that she would be absolutely insane not to listen to him. She knew that he loved her. She knew that she loved him. Even though time had passed between them, they'd never given up on one another. They loved each other, and that was all that mattered. She wouldn't say that she put up with his "shit," because their baggage seemed to be the same. "I do it happily because I've always loved you," she said, feeling cheesy even as she said it. "It's not like I could stop myself if I tried. And I don't want to." Annie had to wonder if this was a proposal. Something official. After all, they'd known each other long enough. Both were relatively impulsive. And then, he asked.

"I don't have a ring," he started, his words thick with nerves, "and we've never really been the kind to do the whole ring thing…" Annie nodded in agreement. "…but, Annie, will you marry me?" It didn't matter how many times that played out in her mind. How many times her fantasies had taken over and she'd been transfixed by them. The fact that he'd said it now, the fact that he was asking, made Annie feel weak at the knees. She found her arms winding around his shoulders, found her lips seeking his, and she kissed him as hard as she could muster. This felt real. This felt right. This was everything she'd hoped for, and so much more. She wished, momentarily, that she could just freeze this moment and relive it again and again. Park of her was tempted to tell him "no," or not answer, just to hear him ask it again. But Annie couldn't prevent herself from pulling away and answering, with tears springing to her eyes, "Of course, dummy." When she kissed Gunner again, deeper this time, she realized that she'd never felt more alive in her entire life.

Annie had always been that one constant in Gunner's life, and no matter how many times people said that sort of thing, Gunner knew for a fact that this was most certainly the truth. She literally was the only thing that didn't change suddenly. Not in his heart, at least. Even when they split ways and he told himself he would find bigger and brighter things in the future, that he would travel the world and find some amazing girl in Europe, it never happened. He may have built Europe up to be a bit more than it actually was. He had such high hopes, so many expectations, and it all sort of fell flat. It wasn't a complete bust, but he thought he would look back and think 'Man, that was the time of my life.' Or that he would just settle down there and live there forever. But no, he was here. Of all places. You'd think someone would choose Europe, anywhere in Europe, Germany, France, England, Ireland, Scotland - he'd been to all of them - but, here he was.

Gunner flew by the seat of his pants and always managed to make a spectacle of himself and his actions. Honestly, he didn't always mean to. He didn't know these people would be in here today, but they did seem to put a little fuel to the fire. How he ended up on one knee, he would never know. He told himself he would never do that. Annie wouldn't want that. He didn't want that. But he was there. Even with Annie being a constant, getting her to be a permanent constant involved more spontaneity than ever. The move back to the states, the move to a small ass town in the middle of Indiana, the application, and the trip to see her in person. That's what he loved about her. She was a stable piece of his life that helped the rest of his life go according to plan, or lack thereof.

He couldn't hear her words as he droned on about his true feelings, which he had never shared with anyone before this point. In fact, he had just realized it himself. And as he was getting to the question, he wondered if an engagement was going a little too far. Maybe they needed to date a little bit more, get to know each other again, but he pushed those questions and doubts aside. They could do that while they were "engaged." There didn't need to be a ring for it to be official, did there? And since when was he giving a fuck what other people cared? Their engagement was real if they said it was. And hey, at least these few people behind him could vouch for it. See, sometimes it was a good thing he ended up making a spectacle of himself; witnesses. Finding Annie's arms around his neck, he was back on his feet. She kissed him hard, which he was assuming may have meant 'yes.' He didn't expect a different answer, but it was still possible. She could have been matched up already, but luckily, she wasn't. And with her confirmation 'Of course, dummy,' he smiled and knew he wouldn't have to go get matched to a stranger, either. Kissing again, there was a small smattering of applause from three guys behind them, while another just plain walked out. He may have just lost Vow a customer, but it was totally worth it.

Pulling away, Gunner ran a hand through his hair and flipped it back. There was a smile planted on his face, and it wasn't going to fade any time soon. Letting out a breath, he was glad it was all over. Trying to help her wipe away a few stray tears, he laughed. Why girls cried when they were happy he didn't know. "So, anything fun to do around here? Actually, I should probably find an apartment or something. I literally just got here and all my stuff is still in my car." Most people would know you can't find an apartment in one day, not easily or in a not-shady part of town, but Gunner didn't think that through. If he had to sleep in his car, it definitely wouldn't be the first time. He had lived in his car for weeks before, but he didn't think this small town would take too kindly to that. Now that they were engaged and all, he could probably stay with Annie, but thinking about asking her that very question seemed to shoot his pride in the heart.