Let’s get married.

I stare at the text, bewildered by the three simple words. Nick and I sit in the airport by our gate, waiting to be called for our flight. Most of the bands had a flight last night right after all of the sets, but Nick and I weren't able to catch one of them due to Nick still being sick. After some ginger ale and about two bottles of Pepto, he was feeling well enough to stand and make the two hour flight from Brisbane to Sydney on this early morning.

What?

I reply, still staring at the screen. Did he really just say what I think he just said?

My phone rang shrill with a reply: Let’s get married once we’re state side. We’ll just go to the City Hall and get married. We don’t need a ceremony right now. That can be later.

I just continue to stare. Nick leans over, curious as to why my expression is frozen in surprise, and then he wears his own.

“Whoa.”

I’m thinking the exact same thing. Is he out of his mind?

Are you crazy? Did you get enough sleep last night?

And Austin’s reply, which I sat anxiously awaiting since it took almost five minutes, almost made me swoon.

Yeah, crazy in love with you.

He was drunk, he had to be.

Austin always knew what to say to make me putty in his hands, and I was a sucker for sappy little things like that. Throughout our whole time together he would randomly say things like that to me, or send me texts while I was at work, and I would always coo at them and boast to the girls that worked beside me and when I saw him next, sometimes it wasn’t for a week or a month because of touring and studio work, he would get a kiss for each text. I think he figured it out somewhere down the road since I would get two or three almost every day.

Nick gave a low whistle and leaned away, fiddling with his own phone. “That boy means business, Zoe.”

I snap out of my stupor and simply nod. I don’t reply because it would more than likely have to be my reply to his “let’s get married” comment and I didn’t know how to answer. Austin didn’t text me again between our wait on the plane and the ride to Sydney. He was probably giving me my space so when we saw each other again we could take more seriously on the matter of marriage. It had come up before, but that was before everything that had happened.

The two hour ride was nerveracking, and not only from my hatred of airplanes, but also from my fear of seeing Austin again. Things were going to be slightly awkward because I was scared. Even when he first proposed I was scared. Was I ready for that commitment? No, not really, but I had just under a year to get ready. Now I barely had two weeks. I pulled out my phone again and stared at the text. It screamed at me, screamed "yes" and "no".

Let's get married.

I stared at the screen for so long that my phone automatically cut off the screen. I opened it up again and kept staring until it was cut off again. For a good hour I did this, and soon my phone got to the point where I only had a small percentage of battery left. I wouldn't be able to charge it until we got to the hotel later that night, since Nick and I had to go straight from the airport to the venue to do a few interviews. I already had the All Time Low guys and the Pierce boys done, but there were close to ten more on the list of "Must Do Or Brad Will Go Ape Shit".

Speaking of Brad, I should probably call my boss. Then again, it is nine in the morning, which is close to midnight stateside. I best not.

When the captain comes over the intercom to announce we're making our decent, I take one deep breath and reply to Austin's text, finally.

Okay, we'll get married.

Then, I turn off the device before the battery can be completely drained and stuff it back in my pocket. Nick looks over at my knowingly, but I ignore the look and watch the screen in front of me on the back of the seat. I watch as the estimated time of arrival lowers from thirty-eight minutes to thirty-seven, and from thirty-seven to thirty-six, until the screen changes to the weather report of Sydney, to the weather report to the rest of the week, and then back to the time of arrival. Thirty-one minutes, thirty minutes...

Twenty minutes...

Bing. "Passengers, we are now making our arrival into the Sydney area. If you look out your window you can see the beautiful coastline. Please make it a point in your journey to visit our clean beaches and take a walk through Downtown Sydney. Thank you for choosing Australian Airlines, we hope you had a pleasant trip." Bing.

Ten minutes...

The descent begins and the pressure is back on my ears. I let head fall between my knees as I tried to pop my ears the best I could. The pressure grew, the pounding on my head got worse, but I was too much in a high to be cranky about it. I had plans to get married as soon as I got back to California and it made my heart soar so high that it floated in outer space.

The plane's wheels dropped down, and the landing was a bit bumpier than usual but we were on the ground and in Sydney and I could finally find a proper way to pop my ears. The pressure was there but definitely no where as bad as it had been when we first landed in Brisbane.

"Hey, Zoe?" I barely hear Nick through my cotton-filled ears, but turn my head to look at him and just barely hear the click of a camera as my picture is taken. I glare at him before flashing a delicate middle finger in his direction and go back to trying to sooth the ache in my head. I feel the plane begin to slow until it fully stops and the engines of the wings to the side of us no longer vibrate from being on. The front of the plane slowly trickles out and then the middle, Nick and I, follows with the back behind us.

I'm thoroughly surprised to find Austin waiting for us outside our gate. He's grinning from ear to ear, holding a small bouquet of soft violet colored roses. Nick chuckles beside me before going and walking toward the front of the airport where I know he's getting our bags. I shift the bag on my shoulder higher up slightly before pulling the other strap over my free shoulder to keep my hands free. Austin meets me in the middle and gently presents the flowers to me. I take them, and slowly begin to match his grin.

"I got your text," he says before wrapping his arms around me and almost sweeping me off my feet as he kisses me like a soldier that hasn't seen his pretty nurse in over a year after spending ninety-percent of his time on the hell-driven battlefield. It feels amazing. He straightens us back to our feet, perpendicular to the floor, and it's then that I realize I'm gripping his shirt and my flowers are being held up by our chests pressing so close together. "May I?"

At first I'm not quite sure what he means but then I see his eyes flicker down to my neck and I nod. I hold my flowers as he unclasps the silver chain from my neck, and with a grin, he takes my engagement ring off of it and slips the warm metal back onto my finger. My skin has missed its comforting weight. There's a round of claps around us. It dawns on me that this has happened in the middle of an Australian airport. My cheeks flush softly and I bury my nose in the bouquet so to hide it. Austin just continues to grin and takes my hand. He pulls me away from the gate and to baggage claim where Nick waits, checking to make sure the cameras and sound equipment was not damaged.

"The ride to the venue is about an hour and a half. All of the guys are already there setting up. Our time isn't until late afternoon again so it's okay if I'm a bit late."

I nod, and squeeze his hand in mine just to make sure he's actually still there and I'm not on the plane dreaming. When he squeezes back, and his thumb gently rubs over my knuckles, I smile and stuff my nose back in the bouquet of flowers. I'm still not quite used to this behavior anymore, so when Austin leans over to whisper in my ear, my body starts to heat up slightly, and not just from embarrassment.

"I hope you enjoy what I have planned for us tomorrow."

- RISE & RISE AGAIN UNTIL LAMBS BECOME LIONS -

"Ready, Nick?" I asked, fiddling with my microphone. I looked over at the band beside me. I wasn't all too-familiar with them other than the quick skim I did over the internet last night while waiting for my flight.

British. Young. Just finished working on their latest album and were going to release it within the next couple months, if I read right. I was nervous. I didn't do too many interviews where the band's accents were so thick I could barely understand them. I knew they kept their pronunciation in mind when doing interviews, just because some people hear one word when the person meant another word. God, put on your big girl panties, Zoe, stop being such a pussy.

"Kay, Zoe, let's get rolling." I take a deep breath, put on my usual smile and turn to the band. They quiet their chatter, and nod to signal they're ready, also. "Three, two, one..."

"Hey! Zoe X from Storm TV here, hanging with Bring Me the Horizon at the SoundWave Tour 2013!"

Nick pauses the camera for a moment, watching the intro back before flashing a thumbs up at me and pushing the record button again. I take a deep breath and turn to the three guys beside me.

"Okay, so I usually start with a couple rounds of This or That. You cool?" I get some nods and a shrug. "Okay, coffee or tea?"

"Beer," one of the answers without missing a beat and the rest laugh in agreement. I smirk, loosening up slightly, and nod.

"I'm more of a whiskey girl, but that's an acceptable answer."

One of them whistles, but I choose to ignore it.

"Summer or winter?"

"American summers are hot as fuck, but England's winter is pretty shitty too, so let's go with tour session," Oli, I think it's Oli - the lead singer right? - says, casually leaning back in his chair. I keep my smile, but it's forced.

"So you're not a big fan of Warped Tour then?"

"Oh no, we love Warped, but the weather is crazy." That gets a few laughs.

"Text messages or phone calls?"

A few of them mumbled texts, but one said phone calls.

"Why phone calls?"

Crap, what's his name? Last name is Fish, uh, shit, I hate when this happens. Oh, wait, he's answering, uhh...

"I have to agree with Jordan," that's his name! "Sarcasm is terrible to pick up when texting, and I already have a hard time picking it out from normal conversation."

It seems that we've gotten to a level of comfort that will help us all get through this interview without cringing. I don't think they like me very much, though.

"You have your newest album releasing in about a month. Any special guests we should be on the look out for as we listen to it?"

"Actually, it's just us," Matt, the drummer, says. I'm trying to process their thick accents. "We had a few friends from the band Immanu El come by and help us with harmonies, but the rest is all us."

The next ten minutes went by much too slowly. I still went through the interview as I had planned it, but I just went through the motions, I didn't give too much effort into it. Nick could tell, and he commented on it as he was packing up the microphones. We had to move to a different area to do our other two interviews. However, there's a window of two hours in between now and when Nick and I have to start setting up, and Of Mice's set is going to be in just under forty-five minutes.

I hadn't seen Austin, or any of the guys, since we just arrived, since he was busy with his own interviews and signings and I had told him I would be busy with all of my own interviews. Why not surprise my once-again fiance?