Chapter 14 – The Proposal
Winter came early that year.
The loft, usually bathed in warm evening light, now glowed softly with fairy lights strung across the ceiling. Outside, snow dusted the city rooftops. Inside, Elena stirred hot chocolate while Marcus paced quietly in the study.
She didn't know it, but he had been planning this for weeks.
After the job offer, after their decision to stay and build slowly, something in him shifted. He no longer wondered *if* she was the one—he began thinking about *how* to make it forever.
He'd sketched dozens of designs for the ring. Eventually, he settled on a simple, elegant band, adorned with a tiny engraving inside: *At first glance, and every one after.*
That evening, he invited her to the rooftop for "one last sketch before the snow gets too heavy." She laughed, grabbing a scarf and following him up.
The rooftop was quiet, just the hush of city snow and the hum of streetlights below.
"Feels like something out of a movie," she whispered.
Marcus didn't answer. Instead, he handed her a folded piece of sketch paper.
Curious, she opened it.
It was a drawing—of her, standing right here on this very rooftop, surrounded by snowfall, her face turned toward him.
And at the bottom, in his neat script:
*"Will you marry me?"*
She looked up.
He was already on one knee, the small velvet box in his palm, his eyes filled with both certainty and nerves.
"Elena," he said, voice steady, "I want to build everything with you. Not just homes, or memories, but a future. Will you marry me?"
Tears filled her eyes before she could speak.
"Yes," she breathed, then louder, "Yes!"
He slipped the ring on her finger, and she kissed him with frozen lips and a burning heart.
That night, as snow blanketed the city, Marcus and Elena held each other under a shared blanket, no words needed—only the quiet promise of forever.