I'll never forget the first time I saw him.

He was six foot gorgeous and had a rustic sense of style. His face was minimal, with nothing more needed.

"Can I help you with something?" I'd asked him. I was soon to be sixteen, and working at a small cupcake shop inside the mall.

The doors were closing soon, seeing as it was getting late. Fortunately for me, it was the day before Valentine's day, and the owner, as well as most of the other employees had plans for the whole weekend. I was given the key and instructions to work a double on making cute heart shaped cupcakes with one of the other employees.

I wasn't that disappointed. Extra money meant more future gas money.

"E, you mind covering for me?" He flashed a smile that lit up his face and lit up my world.

"No problem." I half smiled, and brushed a strand of blond hair over my shoulder.

"Thanks. My girlfriend will be ecstatic."

I bit my lip, and the light went dim.

Maybe next year. I remember him leaving, and me emerging myself into painting stupid little pink hearts onto red cupcakes like the job was a life or death process.

For the next few hours I sang along quietly to the bullshitty lovey dovey Valentine's Day songs making themselves known across the speaker, blasting throughout the full food court.

The next time I'd looked, it was 10:30.

Well damn, I'd thought. I grabbed the whisks and frosting and brought them back to the back to store in the fridge. When I returned there was a beautiful biracial boy, flexing his lean arms across the counter.

I frowned, "We're closed."

"I realized. Do you need any help cleaning up?"

"How do I know I can trust you in here?" I bit my lip.

"Well, I've been sitting around the corner there for the past two hours, if I wanted to steal from you, I'd have done it a long time ago."

"Elle." I introduced myself.

"I know." He smirked and taps my name tag.

I blushed.

"Adrien." He responded.

We became friends that day, Adrien and I.

It started with visiting everyday after my shift, then led to me decorating a cute cupcake for him once a week.

"Let me make one for you for a change." He smirked at me, before letting himself behind the counter, as he did nearly everyday for the past month after the other employees leave.

That day was my favorite day. I left feeling not so lonely. He might've been months to late to make Valentine's Day, but at the time, I was sure he'd stick around until the next one.

Adrien slowly became my favorite person. He gave me an outlet to vent, when I was mad at Parker, or Mason, or Jared. He gave me support, throughout all of the Myles business. And he didn't judge me, but understood me. He was someone solid in my life that listened.

I told him things about myself that no one else knew. He did the same. Him not having a home, the most important. I started bringing him food more and more often, but he'd refuse it, saying to leave it for the paying customers. He was a good man, Adrien.

Still is.

Mason, Parker, Lexa and Jared are great, don't get me wrong. But I need Adrien in my life. He's my rock. There's no one quite like him. He's my bestfriend, and the man I love.

Mason can't take his place because he doesn't do love, Parker can't for obvious reasons, I like dick's, and Jared is head over heels for Lexa.

I sigh. Thank god for Adrien.

There's another memory I want to share, might as well while I'm at it.

Adrien asked me a question a few days ago. The way he went about asking it was adorable, he lined up cupcakes, in remembrance of my first job, I mean, how we met. On each cupcake he had a letter and they formed the question.

If I'd still worked at the cupcake shoppe, I'd have been a little concerned that he may have used to much sugar, and my boss would see, or that the frosting wasn't put in the wrong spot, but my concern now related to neither of the things.

My struggle was how to respond.

What did a girl have to say?

I remember glancing down at the display of cupcake's and his smiling face grinning up at me, as his lips parted and breathed out five simple word's I'll never in my lifetime forget.

"Elle, will you marry me?"

A/N: happy valentine's daythanks for 293k reads
question of the chapter: what do you think Elle's response was and why?