🖤
For a moment she couldn't speak not because she didn't know the answer but because it was too big, too real. Everything they had been holding back. Everything they had carefully managed. Everything they almost lost, it all led here to this moment, to him.
On one knee looking at her like there was never another choice.
Cassy's breath trembled slightly. Her hand lifted almost instinctively like she needed to steady herself.
"…You really don't do things halfway," she whispered a soft attempt at control but her voice gave her away.
Caleb's lips curved faintly. "You knew that already." A pause. "I just finally stopped pretending I could."
That broke whatever was left of her restraint because this wasn't sudden this was everything they had been building toward without saying it out loud until now.
Cassy stepped closer slowly but certain closing the last bit of distance between them. "…Do you know what you're asking?" she said softly.
Caleb didn't hesitate. "Yes." A pause. "I'm asking for all of it."
Her chest tightened because that was exactly what this meant. No more controlled distance, no more careful lines, no more choosing halfway everything.
"…That's not simple," she said.
Caleb shook his head slightly. "It was never supposed to be." Another pause. "But it's worth it."
Silence because that was the truth she couldn't ignore. It had never been simple but it had always been worth it. Every risk, every moment, every choice and now this was the biggest one of all.
Cassy looked at him, really looked not as a colleague, not as someone she had to manage around but as the person who had stood beside her through everything. The one who never let go even when it would've been easier. The one who chose her over and over again.
And suddenly the answer wasn't complicated. It was clear.
Her hand moved reaching for his. "…You don't wait for perfect timing," she said quietly.
Caleb held her gaze. "No."
A faint breath escaped her. "…Good." A pause then, "I don't either."
And just like that everything aligned. Cassy's fingers tightened around his. Her voice steady now.
"Yes." A beat then stronger, "I'll marry you."
Silence filled the room but this time it wasn't heavy, it was… full, complete.
Caleb exhaled, a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding and then he stood closing the distance completely. The ring slid onto her finger perfectly like it had always been meant to be there.
Cassy looked down at it for a second then back at him and for the first time there was no hesitation left, no holding back, no second-guessing just certainty.
He pulled her into him and this time there was nothing careful about it, nothing measured just real.
She held onto him just as tightly because now they weren't choosing in between. They weren't managing anything, they weren't balancing risk, they were choosing each other fully, completely and whatever came next they would face it the same way together. No more lines, no more limits just them always.