For two days, the glow of Adrian's proposal lingered like a dream Elena never wanted to wake from. Every time she looked at the ring on her finger, her heart fluttered, as though the universe itself had aligned for them.
But dreams have shadows, and theirs came sooner than expected.
They were still in Adrian's apartment that evening, the quiet between them not as soft as before. Elena sat by the window, gazing at the skyline, while Adrian sorted through the notebooks piled across the coffee table. The silence felt heavier this time full not of promise, but of something unspoken.
"Elena," Adrian began carefully, his tone more hesitant than usual. "Have you thought about… us telling people? Our families, our friends?"
Her gaze shifted toward him, uncertain. "So soon?"
"Why not?" he asked, brows furrowing slightly. "We're engaged. Hiding it doesn't make sense."
She turned fully to face him now, her expression tightening. "It's not hiding. It's… just ours for now. I don't want people rushing in with opinions, questions, doubts."
Adrian set down his notebook, leaning forward. "But keeping it a secret feels like… like you're not sure."
Her chest constricted. "That's not fair. Of course I'm sure. Do you think I'd have said yes otherwise?"
He ran a hand through his hair, frustration flickering in his eyes. "Then why does it feel like you're holding back? Like you're afraid to claim this?"
Elena's voice rose, sharper than she intended. "Because I am afraid! Adrian, this" she lifted her hand, the ring glinting in the lamplight "this is everything I've ever wanted, but it's terrifying too. What if we're rushing? What if people don't understand? What if…" She trailed off, her throat tight.
The silence that followed was thick, almost suffocating. Adrian's jaw tightened as he studied her, his own fears slipping through the cracks of his calm.
"So you are doubting," he said quietly.
Her eyes stung. "No, Adrian, I'm doubting myself. Not you. Never you."
But the words didn't seem to soothe him. He leaned back, crossing his arms, his gaze pulling away from hers. For the first time, the distance between them felt real, heavy, like a constellation breaking apart in the night sky.
Elena stood abruptly, pacing near the couch, her heart pounding. She hated the sharpness in their voices, the wall rising between them. They had survived so much silence before, so many unspoken words but now that words had finally come, they cut deeper than silence ever had.
Finally, she stopped, her voice softer but trembling. "Adrian… I love you. That's the only thing I'm certain of. But I need time to breathe. Can't we just… exist in this joy for a little while, before we let the world in?"
He looked up at her then, and something in his expression softened, though the tension still lingered like smoke after a flame. He wanted to pull her into his arms, to erase the sting of the argument, but pride kept him still.
Elena sank back onto the couch, her eyes glassy, her voice almost a whisper. "I don't want this to be the thing that comes between us."
Adrian swallowed hard, his hands clenched against his knees. "Neither do I."
The quiet that settled afterward was uneasy, fragile, a reminder that love even theirs was not without its shadows.
Above the city, the stars continued to shine, scattered across the night like a constellation only they could name. But for the first time, it felt as though one star had shifted just out of place, waiting to be set right again.