We walk in silence for a bit, the good kind that only happens with people who know you to your bones. As we near the Pineapple Fountain, it glistens in the day’s last light, water spilling in soft, steady arcs that catch the fading sun like strands of gold.

A street musician nearby starts playing something familiar and low—a string cover of “Can’t Help Falling in Love.”

I pause, eyes drifting toward the sound. “God,” I whisper, the notes tugging at something deep in my chest. “That’s beautiful.”

Alex squeezes my hand and slows.

Right there in front of the Pineapple Fountain, he stops walking altogether. The music floats around us—haunting, gentle, familiar—but everything else falls quiet.

Alex turns to face me, still holding my hand, and something in his eyes makes my breath catch.

He stops in front of the fountain and turns to face me, both of my hands held in his like they’re something sacred.

“Two strangers. A wall between us. No names. No faces. Only voices. A connection that made no sense while making complete sense at the same time.”

My lips curve, even as my heart thuds harder in my chest.

He lifts my other hand, holding both of mine in his, his thumbs brushing over my skin.

“We spent three months chasing something neither of us could say out loud. And when you left, it felt like someone cracked my ribs open. Every version of life without you felt hollow—off, like the world was tilted sideways. But as awful as it was… I think we needed that time apart. Because it gave you the space to see what you wanted.”

He draws in a breath, eyes locked on mine like I’m the only thing that exists in this entire city.

“I’ll never part from you again. No walls. No distance. No maybes. I don’t know where life will take us, where we’ll end up, but I know one thing without a doubt…” He lets go of one hand and lowers himself to one knee, pulling a ring from his jacket pocket. I gasp—quiet, breathless. “…wherever it is, we’ll be there together. Always.”

“Magnolia Elizabeth Steel. Favorite.” He looks up at me, eyes shining. “Will you marry me?”

For a second, the world blurs. The fountain, the music, the golden light—it all sways around me like a dream I don’t want to wake up from. One hand flies to my mouth, covering the tremble in my lips. My heart is thudding so loudly I can barely think.

Tears fill my eyes, and my voice shakes.

“Yes,” I whisper, then louder. “Yes. Yes, Alex. I want to be your wife more than anything.”