Today was the day Rose could finally come home. You were ecstatic, quickly signing the discharge papers and waiting impatiently in the waiting room for the doctors to do last-minute checks with her before they brought her to you. When they finally did, you pulled her into a long and tight hug, which she reciprocated joyfully. The two of you walked outside, where Ethan was waiting with the car. He drove out of the parking lot, and you heard Rose sigh in the backseat.
You looked at her through the rearview mirror. "Happy about leaving?"
She nodded. "Yeah. I hate hospitals."
"So do I. They're so bland, and they feel almost like prisons."
"Exactly! People need to liven them up."
"Totally agree."
The rest of the drive was silent, and you almost didn't realize it when Ethan pulled up to the house. Rose got out of the car as soon as he parked, running up and into the house. You grinned, thankful that she was as happy as you were that she's home.
"Babe?" Ethan asked quietly. "Can I talk to you about something?"
You turned to him. "Of course." He got out of the car, and you followed, joining his side and walking up to the house together.
"So... do you remember when you were in the hospital, and we talked about marriage?"
You nodded. "Yeah, what about it?"
"Well... I mean... you know how much I want to do it, right? You know how much I want to marry you?"
Your eyes widened. "Ethan, that's a big step-"
"And it's a step I'm willing to take. I love you, (Y/n). I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
"Ethan, we're not ready for that!" You stopped in front of the door and took his hands, turning him to face you. "I love you, too. And you know that. And I want to marry you, too. But... we've only been together for a month. We just got a house together. Your fans don't know about us. We still need some time before we start talking about getting married."
"(Y/n)-"
"No, Ethan. We can't... we can't talk about it. Not right now. Please, just..." Your eyes began to fill with tears. "Just stop." You ran inside the house before Ethan could stop you, pushing past Rose in the entryway and sprinting upstairs.
Ethan stood on the porch, staring after you until Rose joined him. She looked up at him. "What happened?"
Ethan sniffed. "We were just talking."
"About marriage?" He nodded. "Ethan... has she ever told you why she doesn't want to get married so early?"
"She only says we need more time."
Rose bit her lip. "I really shouldn't tell you this, but it might explain some things." She took a deep breath. "My mom and dad were only dating for a week before they had sex They were both seventeen. When Mom found out she was pregnant with (Y/n), her parents told her to either have an abortion, or to marry Dad. I think you can guess what happened."
"Is that why she wants to wait?"
Rose shook her head. "Not just by itself. I know she really wants to marry you, but... she's basing a lot of fast-moving relationships on what Mom and Dad had. They weren't exactly happy with each other. They had a lot of problems together, but they never separated. They thought they loved each other in the beginning, but they didn't. They fought a lot, and (Y/n) witnessed it all. They blamed their unhappiness on each other, and the fact they were married so early on. They tried setting it aside to support her, but eventually they couldn't, and she had to move away after high school. She really does want to marry you, but she doesn't want what happened to Mom and Dad to happen to you."
"Oh... I didn't know... I need to talk to her-"
"No. I'll go talk to her. She's pretty scared about it. It'll be okay."
Ethan slowly nodded, and Rose walked upstairs, finding you in the bedroom you shared with Ethan. You were sitting in the window, hugging your knees to your chest and wiping away your tears.
You looked at her when she came in. "Hey."
She stared at you. "He's not going to treat you like Dad treated Mom."
You shook your head. "I don't want an early marriage. They always end like that- I don't wan that to happen to us-"
"And it won't." She sat in front of you, taking your hands. "Dad didn't love Mom. Ethan does. He adores you. He worships the ground you walk on. Plus, they got married because they had to in order to keep you. Ethan wants to marry you for you."
You sniffed. "Do you really think so?"
"It's obvious how much he cares about you. Think about it- he never left you while you were in the hospital. That's the hardest position to be in, and he did it. He lives with you. With us. Here. He can take anything and everything he wanted. He can take all of the money in your bank account. He can leave now and never come back. But he's not, and he won't. He's downstairs right now, thinking about you and your future together."
"I... I don't think I can do it."
"Yes you can. I know you can, because you love him just as much as he loves you. You won't end up like Mom and Dad, I promise."
"How do you know?"
"Because they didn't have what you have. They didn't have the spark. And they didn't try." You fell silent, and she stood up. "I'll let you think about it." She left the room, closing the door behind her.
