shoulder to cry on | ronance

EIGHTEEN

ROBIN AND NANCY have now been dating for two years. they've both graduated school, and ended up going to the same college so they never had to be apart. they moved into a small apartment close to the campus together shortly after graduating. robin was ready to get out of the house, and nancy wanted to go with her.

steve also moved to be close to robin, and decided to go to the same college. he luckily was able to get in after being waitlisted, and they threw a party to celebrate steve getting in. he got a place only ten minutes from nancy and robin, where he lived on his own, besides dustin stopping by almost every day.

robin and nancy were happier than ever. they were going on dates constantly, and if they weren't on dates, they were together in their apartment. they were barely separated, besides when they were in classes or hanging out with friends.

nancy had made some friends in college, since she joined a sorority. she would occasionally hang out with some of her sorority sisters, including her best friend, alexa. alexa was a kind girl with green eyes and black hair. she was engaged to her boyfriend, blake, and was in her fourth year of college. alexa and robin got along really well, and the three of them would hang out often.

robin had made a few friends from her classes too, though she wasn't as close to anyone as she was to steve. she had met a few girls that she hung out with on occasion- kate, rose, and cristal. they came over a few times every couple weeks, and they all got along with nancy as well.

since they were only an hour from hawkins, karen wheeler came to visit them every week, sometimes bringing holly or mike. nancy's whole family knew about their relationship, including ted. ted didn't seem to care much, which nancy was relieved about. mike and will were still together as well, and mike's parents knew about their relationship too. he decided to tell them shortly after nancy told them about her and robin, since they took it well.

robin hadn't spoken to her mom since she moved out. she had told her mom about her and nancy a month before the move, and they barely spoke after that. her mom's reaction to their relationship is what made her want to move out so quickly, since her mom couldn't even stand being in the same room as her anymore. after robin left, her mom never reached out.

not that robin was complaining. her mom and her were never close, not even when robin was little. then, once robin's dad went out of the picture, robin's mom changed for the worse. she began drinking, and neglecting robin even more. she had been dreaming about moving out since she turned twelve, and her dream had finally come true.

when she was 12, she never pictured herself moving into an apartment with nancy wheeler, her girlfriend of over two years. but, now, she wouldn't want it any other way.

nancy knew she didn't want to ever lose robin the moment that they started dating. she knew that robin was her soulmate from the second she met her. she had been discussing a secret with steve for the past few months, and she was very excited.

she was going to propose to robin.

she even went ring shopping and brought steve with her. she knew that if anyone was going to help her pick out the perfect ring, it would be steve. he's the only other person in her life that knows everything about her. they picked out a ring, and nancy planned to propose to robin on their next date.

she was nervous- incredibly nervous. she knew that robin would probably say yes, or at least she hoped she would. but still, she could feel her heart race any time she looked at the small box. she kept it hidden in a box under her bed, scared that if it was anywhere else, robin would find it.

their next date was on their 2 year and 5 month anniversary, and they decided to take a trip back to hawkins for it. they went back to the same movie theater they had their first date at, and then nancy announced she was taking robin somewhere else as well. she drove to the woods- the same woods they had declared their friendship in years ago.

robin and nancy walked around the woods for a while, talking and thinking back on old memories. at one point, nancy and robin stopped to look at a bush of flowers. nancy pulled robin into a kiss, her hands around robin's neck.

"i love you," nancy told her, smiling.

"i love you," robin replied, smiling back at her.

"well i'm glad to hear you say that because," nancy got down onto one knee, pulling out the small box. "i want you to marry me"

robin was speechless, her jaw dropped as she looked at the box, then at nancy.

"robin buckley, i have loved you for a very long time. we've been through horrible things together- things that can easily tear people apart from the inside out. but honestly, part of me is glad we went through all of that. if we didn't, i probably wouldn't have ever started talking to you. you are the best thing to ever happen to me, rob. you are my everything. i wake up every morning thinking about you and go to sleep every night thinking about you," she let out a small laugh, wiping a few tears from her own eyes. "you make me so happy- happier than i knew i could be. i would not be the person i am today without you- in fact, i don't even want to think about what my life would be like without you. i love you so much and i never want you to be out of my life. i want you to be mine for forever. we don't have to get married right away, we can wait. but i want to know that you will be mine, always and forever. robin, will you marry me?"

by the end of her speech, robin was fully sobbing her eyes out, nodding frantically. "yes!"

nancy stood up to kiss her passionately, her lips lingering on robin's. she took the ring and slid it onto robin's finger before kissing her once again.

and, in this moment, they were both happy.

END.