The grief faded slowly, like fog lifting at sunrise. It didn't disappear completely, but it softened no longer sharp enough to pierce Crystal's every breath. And in its place, something new settled: clarity.
Losing her grandmother had forced her to confront the fragility of time. How moments could slip by unnoticed until they became memories. How love, if left unspoken, could be lost in silence.
So when Crystal looked at Justin now, it wasn't just with affection.
It was with knowing.
She loved him. Deeply. Fully. Irrevocably.
But something had begun to pulse beneath her ribcage a quiet, persistent question that followed her into her dreams.
Where is this heading?
They had dinner with friends that Friday night.an easy, laughter filled evening at a rooftop restaurant. Candles flickered, wine flowed, and conversation danced between careers, vacation plans, and relationship milestones.
And then came the question that cracked the peace.
"So," said Amelia, a friend of Justin's, swirling her glass. "When's the wedding? You two are practically glowing."
Crystal froze.
Justin chuckled. "Well, we haven't really talked about that yet."
His voice was calm. Breezy. Casual.
But something in Crystal's chest tightened.
Because she had talked about it in her mind, in her journals, in the quiet moments after he fell asleep. She'd imagined it. Wondered about it. Dreamed of the day she'd walk toward him in white.
And to hear him speak of it like it didn't even exist?
It stung.
Amelia noticed the silence and laughed. "Oops. Too soon?"
Crystal forced a smile. "Not at all. It's just… we're taking our time."
But her voice trembled at the edges.
Back at Justin's apartment later that night, Crystal brushed her teeth in silence, her reflection unreadable.
Justin leaned in the doorway, arms folded.
"You okay?"
She nodded, rinsing her mouth. "Yeah."
"You've barely said a word since dinner."
Crystal turned off the light and stepped past him. "It just caught me off guard. That's all."
He followed her to the living room. "Is it something we need to talk about?"
She hesitated. Then sat down.
"Yes. I think it is."
He joined her, expression softening.
"I love you, Justin. You know that."
"I do."
"And I'm happy. Genuinely. But sometimes I wonder…" She trailed off, then met his gaze. "Do you see forever with me? Or are we just existing in the now?"
Justin's brow furrowed. "Where is this coming from?"
"It's not about pressure," she said quickly. "It's about intention. I've spent so much of my life unsure of what comes next. I don't want to tiptoe around this."
He reached for her hand. "I get it. And I want you to know,I've thought about it. I do see a future with you. I just… I've never done forever before. I want to be sure I get it right."
Crystal nodded slowly. "So do I. But I don't want to wait until 'someday' becomes 'never.' I just want to know we're on the same page."
He squeezed her hand. "We are."
She exhaled, some tension falling away. "Okay."
Then, after a beat of silence, she added with a wry smile, "But maybe next time someone asks us about a wedding, you could at least look a little nervous instead of laughing it off."
He chuckled. "Deal."
Later that night, as she lay in his arms, Crystal whispered, "You're my home, Justin."
He kissed the top of her head. "Then I guess I better start building something more permanent."
Her heart fluttered.
And though he hadn't said the words outright, Crystal knew something had shifted.
The question had been asked.
And the answer?
It was beginning to bloom.
November melted into December, wrapping the city in festive lights and the scent of roasted chestnuts. Streets twinkled with decorations, store windows displayed hopeful messages, and the air felt charged with beginnings like the end of the year was handing out fresh starts, sealed with snowflakes.
For Crystal and Justin, the holidays were a welcome distraction. With every shared mug of hot cocoa, late night movie, or whispered joke in line at the Christmas market, they found themselves drawing closer again like their love was adjusting to a new, quieter rhythm.
But underneath the comfort, something stirred.
Crystal could feel it.
A signal. A shift.
Something was coming.
It began with Justin acting strange.
He was… distracted.
Not distant like before but cagey.
He'd duck out for meetings that weren't on his calendar. And one afternoon, when she surprised him at his office with lunch, his assistant, a sweet girl named Maya, fumbled over her words before saying, "He just stepped out… I think."
Crystal didn't push it.
Not right away.
But the questions buzzed in her chest like bees.
Had something changed?
Had he changed?
Then came the canceled dinner.
She had cooked. Lit candles. Worn the wine colored dress he once said made her look like magic.
And he called at the last minute.
"Something came up. I'm sorry. Can I make it up to you tomorrow?"
Her voice was calm. "Sure. Of course."
But after hanging up, she stood alone in the candlelight, the food growing cold, her chest heavy with a now familiar ache.
The ache of doubt.
Not because she didn't trust him.
But because she was terrified of trusting too much.
The next morning, she woke up to a note slipped under her door.
In Justin's handwriting.
Meet me at the rooftop at 7 tonight. Dress warm. No questions. Just trust me.
It wasn't signed, but she'd know his handwriting anywhere.
Her heart raced.
What was going on?
That evening, she followed the instructions.
Bundled in her favorite cream sweater and scarf, she took the elevator to the rooftop of Justin's building. The winter wind bit at her cheeks, but her breath caught as soon as the doors opened.
He had transformed the space.
Twinkling fairy lights wrapped the railing. A soft path of candles led toward a table in the middle set for two with a small fire pit beside it. Snowflakes danced in the air, but the scene was warm with light and intention.
And Justin stood waiting.
In a black coat. Hair tousled by the wind. Hands in his pockets.
She stepped out, stunned. "Justin…"
He smiled nervously. "Hi."
Crystal looked around. "What… is all this?"
He took a deep breath. "This is me making up for all the ways I didn't show up. For every dinner I missed. Every time I chose work over you. For making you question where we're heading."
She opened her mouth, but he shook his head gently.
"Let me finish?"
She nodded.
"I've been planning this for weeks. The meetings, the calls, the secrets it was all for this. Because I wanted it to be right."
Her breath caught.
"I love you, Crystal. You've been my peace, my challenge, my reminder that love isn't about perfection. It's about choosing someone again and again. Even on the hard days."
He pulled something from his pocket.
And knelt.
In the snow.
Her heart stopped.
"I don't want to keep making promises about 'someday.' I want to start forever with you now. Will you marry me?"
Crystal's eyes filled with tears.
She had imagined this moment before.
But this?
This was better than dreams.
Real. Honest. Flawed. Beautiful.
She dropped to her knees too, laughing and crying all at once, cupping his face.
"Yes," she whispered. "Yes. A thousand times, yes."
He slid the ring onto her finger, hands trembling. And when he kissed her, the world around them disappeared.
Just them.
On a snowy rooftop.
Saying yes to forever.