He wasn’t looking at the party, though. He was looking at her. Elena stood near the fountain, laughing at something a cousin had said. To everyone else, she was just the guest of honor, but to Andrei, she was the person he had nearly lost a dozen times over.
As the chorus peaked, Elena didn't need to say a word. She simply reached out, pulling him into a dance as the old song promised that true love always finds its way home. He wasn’t looking at the party, though
He walked down the stairs, the music swelling as the singers traded verses about devotion and the trials of the heart. When he reached her, the world seemed to quiet. To everyone else, she was just the guest
"I was thinking about everything it took to get here," he whispered, pulling her aside. Elena looked at him, her expression softening. "And?" He walked down the stairs, the music swelling
He reached into his pocket and felt the velvet box. His mind raced through the last five years—the long nights working abroad, the arguments over distance, the moments where silence felt heavier than words. He had a thousand reasons to doubt they would make it this far.
"I have a thousand reasons why we shouldn't have worked," Andrei said, finally pulling out the ring. "But I only need one reason to stay. I love you, and I’m not going anywhere."
