"Today was fun," I muse as we casually walk along the shore.

As we stare at each other with hearts in our eyes, the host runs up the small staircase to the stage and I become aware of where we are. I had turned off everything around me while we sang the song, the focus was only on the two eyes shining with devotion. His warm hand rests still on my cheek, his thumb brushing over it as the host runs around us.

"Wow, that performance was absolutely one of the best I have ever seen in my career. Please give another loud round of applause for our talented lovebirds!" he shouts into the microphone and I look to the audience who are clapping loudly.

I smile sheepishly just like last time, but this time I stand a little straighter as Jungkook gives me the reassurance. I can get my strength from him that radiates so strongly from him. I've always admired his confidence and how little he worries about other people. He always chooses to go his own way, whether others judge him or not.

"Can I know your names?" the host asks, full of enthusiasm and expectation, and just as I'm about to answer, Jungkook jumps in.

"Bonnie and Clyde," he says quickly and before the host can say anything, Jungkook grabs me by the hand and pulls me off the stage. The host looks after us with his eyes wide open as we run down the stairs and to our seats.

I can't quite grasp what's happening, but Jungkook grabs my purse, which I've not-so-smartly left at our table, and proceeds to pull me behind him.

"Wait! Where are we going?" I ask, struggling to keep up on my high heels as we run through the rows and on to the exit.

"Somewhere," he replies as he glances back at me for a brief second.

"And why are we running like we're criminals?" I breathe heavily, cursing his stamina under my breath.

"I don't know. It feels like we're in a movie. It's exciting." he laughs, pulling me past the guide at the entrance but not before accidentally bumping him with his shoulder. "Sorry!" he exclaims still laughing as we jog out of the bar and to his car.

"Yes, it was. Actually, it still is because technically today isn't over yet." He laughs as our hands gently swing back and forth between our bodies. 

"Yeah, that's right." I smile as I look at his profile before lowering my gaze to my feet and watching as we walk in synchronized steps. "Why did we come here? I mean, I love the park, but we were only in the bar for like an hour."

"The purpose of the bar was to sing a song together with you and we accomplished that. I wanted to be alone with you for the rest of the evening." he squeezes my hand reassuringly and my insides warm up at his words.

"Romantic." I tease, nudging him with my shoulder as I catch him pouting adorably. "I'm sure we would have won the prize if we had stayed longer. The host was ecstatic."

"Of course he was. Who wouldn't be ecstatic to hear a beauty like you sing?" he grins, laughing when he sees me roll my eyes dramatically. "Besides, I've already won the prize of a lifetime."

I draw my eyebrows together. "And that would be?"

We trudge along the shore, our shoulders brushing against each other with each step, forming an electrifying effect on my entire body. His eyes find mine because I've been looking at him the whole time, and I see the spark in them. He looks at me for a moment before the corners of his mouth pull up and his eyes smile with them.

"You."

I feel a blush settling on my cheeks and my breath quickens. He manages to make my heart race despite all the months we've been together, even if he only has to say the smallest of words. But it's not only the words but also the honesty behind them. I can literally feel it, the truth lingering in his soft voice that despite its raspiness caresses me like silk.

"Stop," I murmur as I lower my gaze in embarrassment. "You're making me blush."

"What?" he grins. "It's true."

We keep walking, the waves of the sea crashing against the asphalt and the clicking of my high heels audible. I don't know exactly how to respond to his words, so I leave them hanging in the air. It makes me tongue-tied every time he says similar things and it makes me wonder how a man can love like Jungkook does. How can his heart be so boundless that he can adore me and make me happy like that every day? And it makes me wonder what I have done right in my life so that I deserve him with it.

I have never met a man like him who considers my opinions and feelings as much as he does. He treats me with the utmost respect and shows me his love with the smallest things. Even though he utters the three magical words every chance he gets, he makes sure to show it. It is in the details with what I see the passion.

I hear him take a deep breath and when I look up at him, his mouth is open as if he wants to say something. He then presses it back into a straight line and we keep walking until we pass the familiar playground again. We both stare at it and I'm sure he's thinking exactly the same thing as me right now. I can see the memories whirling by in both of our heads and it brings a smile to my face knowing that we have healed each other of the wounds of the past. The scars may remain forever, but they have stopped bleeding and hurting.

After a few steps, I notice that Jungkook opens his mouth, but closes it again, causing me to wonder. "Is there something you want to say?"

"Um, no, I mean—" he stammers out the words, and when our eyes meet he smiles and scratches the back of his neck with his free hand. "Well, actually, there is something I want to tell you."

We come to a stop at the railing that separates the sea from the asphalt path and we look at each other, Jungkook now standing across from me and our hands no longer connected.

"Is something bothering you?" I ask cautiously, noticing his change in demeanor.

"No, don't worry. Everything is fine," he replies but avoids eye contact by looking at the waves. "Everything is perfect."

I lean an elbow against the railing, turning my upper body toward him and waiting patiently. A light breeze hits us, coming off the ocean, and I shiver unintentionally. Goosebumps form on my exposed thighs and I'm glad I at least picked a dress that has long sleeves. Jungkook seems to notice this as his facial expression changes with worry.

"Are you cold?" he asks.

I smile and honestly admit. "A little."

He quickly takes off his jacket, leaving him in just his black shirt. "Here," he says, holding it out to me. I accept his gentlemanly move and allow him to place his jacket over my shoulders, the warmth of it immediately brushing over my skin. He smiles lovingly at me as he notices that I am already feeling warmer. I look at his form and notice that the uneasiness is still evident in his features.

"Tell me what's on your mind," I say, taking his hand in mine that was resting on the railing.

"I've been thinking about us a bit the last few days and weeks," he begins. "It's been a year since I've known you. Time flies by as if in one swift puff."

"Yes, you're right," I agree with him. "We've experienced a lot in a whole year."

"We have. Thank you for everything. For everything you've done for me." he smiles softly as his eyes twinkle like the stars in the clear sky above us. The light of the full moon shines on his face, making it seem angelic. His hair lies neatly around his face, the fine curls caressing the soft skin that glows in the light. The black shirt hugs his broad form and I can't help but stare at how handsome he looks right now.

"You don't have to thank me. I'll always be there for you," I say and I laugh shaking my head as memories from that first night of karaoke flood my mind. "You know, it's kind of funny when I think about how I almost canceled on Nora. We might never have met if I hadn't let myself change my mind."

"I'm glad you did." he laughs with me, then gets more serious again as he looks off into the distance. "There's a saying that it's in the moments of our decisions that our destiny is shaped."

I let the words sink in and they hit me with their truth. Everything we decide in our lives shapes future events, whether they are good or bad. Many blame fate for not being good to them, but we ultimately decide for ourselves what we want to experience and what we do not. Of course, people run into us that we might not have wanted to meet, but they are also a lesson for us. And most of the time, through fate, we meet people who change our lives for the better.

Just like Jungkook.

I don't know what my life would have been like these past few months if I hadn't gone to the bar that night with Nora. I can't help but think if we might have met at a different time in a different place. If he was meant for me from the beginning, then sure, right?

Every event, every decision has led us to the present. If I hadn't gone to the bar, everything would have happened differently. Or if Jungkook hadn't decided to bring my phone over, if I hadn't invited him in for coffee, or if I hadn't gone to the workshop to talk to him. There are so many moments when everything could have turned out differently. A lot of things could have played out another way if we had made just a little bit of a different decision.

And that's phenomenal.

He changed my life for the better, he changed my mindset for the positive. I still remember the first time his eyes looked into mine. I chuckle at the thought of how badly I had misjudged him. He had only built a wall around himself, a hard exterior to protect his soft and broken heart. Underneath all the tough layers, however, lies a small child who has spent years searching for love. The hard blows of his past have made him long for true affection.

I am glad that I am the one who could help him to think clearly again. I am glad that I could show him that he is worth loving because his heart is pure and clean. And I am thankful that he showed me that I am worth it too and that I don't have to be afraid to love, because I know he will never break my heart.

I stare at his profile as he looks up at the sky. His eyes roam over all the stars and his lips form the most beautiful smile that I never want to forget. The round nose scrunches as if something has occurred to him and I nudge his shoulder to get him to tell me what he's thinking about.

"I just remembered you telling me that your grandma named you Elaine so you would shine like a light," he tells me and I nod. "And I told you that you came into my life like a shining light."

"Yeah, I remember too."

"I just realized that you are the light I had to get to in order to find my way out of the darkness. You burned through my darkest days," he says his gaze now fixed on me. "I would cross all the stars to keep you in my life."

My heart skips a beat as I let my eyes bounce between his. I want to cry because those words carry so much meaning and I smile to keep the tears from flowing. Instead, I take his hand in mine and realize it's cold and shaking a little.

"Why are you being so extra cute today?" I say with a laugh, trying to loosen the air with my teasing. I don't know how else I should have responded to his words, because I've never been as good with words as Jungkook. He always knows what to say to make my heart race and I always melt because he always says the right thing at the right moment.

"Actually, I have a whole speech prepared, but I haven't even said any of it." he laughs nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"A speech?" I ask, also nervous myself and not knowing what he has in mind. "For what?"

"Elaine, I've been thinking about this for a long time," he says, taking both my hands in his, turning me completely to face him so that we're looking into each other's eyes. "With you by my side, I feel so strong, like I could conquer the whole world. Your presence gives me strength and joy. You make me feel my walls crashing down. I forget all my problems and everything that weighs me down when I catch a glimpse of you smiling. When I see those dimples," he says, stroking my cheek with one hand. "I want to dwell in them. Every morning when I wake up and the first thing I see is your angelic face, I can't help but admire you until you open your eyes and look at me with their softness."

"Jungkook—"

"Shh." he interrupts me by running his thumb over my bottom lip, an electrifying sensation taking over my entire body. "When I kiss your sweet lips, I get a little more addicted to them every day, like they're my drug that I need to survive. I want to go to bed with you in my arms every night and feel your warmth. I want time to stop when we look into each other's eyes and reflect in them like a mirror. You make me complete. My heart swells with your love that it feels like it's going to burst at any moment. I wish I could look at us all the time."

"Why are you saying all this now? Are you trying to make me cry?" I sniffle, trying to bite back the tears that have formed in my eyes, but it's hard and my vision is all blurry.

"I told you that if you cried because of me again it would be tears of joy. And now I'm keeping my promise."

"Yes, you are." I laugh mixed with a sob as a tear runs down my cheek, but he is quick enough to wipe it away with his warm hand.

"Elaine, when we first met, I have never felt anything so intense in my life. I can't explain to you why or how, but I knew you were special. You are my best friend, you are my lover, you are my strength, my savior."

I lose myself in his eyes, which look at me with an inexplicable intensity. They are also glassy, making them seem even more sparkling as he cups my face with both hands. My gaze jumps from his eyes to his lips and back to his eyes again, waiting for his next words because I'm sure he has something else to say.

"But there's one more thing I want you to be," he says waiting for my reaction.

"What?" I ask in a soft voice, making it sound almost like a mere whisper.

"I want you to be my wife." He smiles and I gasp as he lets go of my hand and pulls out a black velvet box from his pants pocket before kneeling down on one knee. "Will you marry me, Elaine?"

My hands shoot to my face and I clutch my mouth as audible sobs escape from between my fingers. My vision is so blurry by now that I can't see his face clearly and I can already feel hot tears running uncontrollably down my cheeks. I'm crying like I've never cried before and squeezing my eyes tightly shut, not believing that he's letting me experience this happiness right now.

I'm overwhelmed with emotion so I don't even know how to react except to let the tears freely run their way down my cheeks. I hunch forward a bit as loud sobs leave my lips while Jungkook is still kneeling in front of me with a ring sitting in the velvet box which he is holding in his hand.

"Yes." I finally manage to say between sobs not having to think about any other answer.

"Yes?" he asks.

"Yes!" I cry in assurance and full of joy.

The next thing I know, he shoots up from his kneeling position again and wraps his strong arms around my waist, lifting me up so that my feet are dangling in the air. He begins to spin us in circles and I hold on tight with a squeal by clasping my arms securely around his neck. The jacket that was around my shoulders hits the ground but I couldn't care less.

I am over the moon.

After a few turns and our shouts of happiness, Jungkook sets me back down on the ground only to cup my face with his big hands and crash his lips onto mine. We kiss under the stars and the moon that are the witnesses of our love. His soft lips move slowly and sensually on mine while my hands are on his chest. I feel under the tips of my fingers how fast and strong his heart is beating, exactly reflecting mine.

I can't remember another day when I was as happy as I am now. Never in my life would I have thought that this moment could be so beautiful, although I have seen it in many movies. It is indescribable and I have no control over my tears as if they had their own will and decided to flow.

We tilt our heads from side to side, intensifying and deepening the kiss. I feel the warmth of his lips and the familiar sensation of them on mine. It's as if his lips were made for mine. We are two parts of a whole and every time we meet in a kiss, sparks burst between us. His soul is the piece of the puzzle that mine was missing. We are like black and white, like fire and water. Even if we don't always agree, we belong together and are inseparable. One of us cannot exist without the other.

He slowly pulls back from the kiss, his lips ghosting over mine and a shiver runs down my spine at the tickling sensation. I angle my head upward, desiring his lips on mine and missing their taste. He complies with my craving and closes the small distance between us by placing his lips back on mine. I taste her sweetness, a sweetness that would make any honey or nectar in this world jealous.

So many emotions flow between us and I have to hold onto his shoulders because of the breathtaking kiss. My head is spinning from the feeling and I feel like I'm drunk with his love. I can't think straight because he is all I can think about.

Slowly he pulls back from the kiss, pulling my bottom lip in the process. When my eyes open again they are greeted by his beautiful ones. He looks down at me, so much adoration and passion hidden in his gaze and I find myself lost in his eyes all over again. That doesn't last long though before he presses me tightly against his chest and hugs me so close that I almost melt into his body. I listen to his heartbeat, which has now slowed down a bit and the melody along with his laughter are my favorite sounds on this world.

"She said yes!" he yells across the empty park and I giggle into his chest where I hide my face. "Wooh!"

"You're crazy!" I laugh as I look up at him from his chest and he laughs with me, eyes crinkling at the corners and his cute bunny teeth flashing.

"I know. May I?" he asks, still smiling as he asks for my hand to slip the ring on my finger.

"I'd be honored," I reply and he slowly slips the ring onto my ring finger, fitting delicately. The round diamond lies on a bed of many more small diamonds, shaped like a flower, shining brightly in the night like the stars in the sky. It fits perfectly and I look at how it sits on my finger promising a future together.

"You just made me the happiest man on earth, Elaine," he speaks in a soft voice and when I look up at him, his eyes glisten with tears. "I promise you that I will protect you with everything I have. I will work every day to make you even happier than the day before."

I stare at him with adoring eyes, nodding my head slightly. He already makes me happy, and I don't know if it's possible to go one step higher, but I know that nothing is impossible with Jungkook.

We met exactly one year ago and my life changed. And today we have reached a new level in our love. A new door has opened for our future and I await the days I will spend with him by my side with expectant anticipation. I look forward to every moment, every second that I can hear his laughter and hold him in my arms.

I await the day of our wedding, the days of watching our children play. I want us to grow old together. I want him to be mine forever.

"I don't doubt it. You make me happy just by being with me. I don't need more than just you." I smile and bring a hand that has been lingering on his chest up to cup his face. I caress the soft skin and he buries his face in my hand, melting into my touch. It feels surreal, like we're in a fairy tale, like we're in another realm where only the two of us exist.

"I love you." he finally says, opening his eyes again to look into mine, hopefully forever.

"I love you," I say back, with complete sincerity.

We both hold each other in the embrace, the cold breeze that surrounds us not affecting us, as all the cells and nerves in our bodies jump around and dance with joy. My warmth radiates to him and his radiates to me. Together we will face every up and down and not let anything or anyone break the pure and innocent love we have.

We will love and cherish each other no matter what.

Forever.

____________________________

A/N: I need to cry, I'll be right back🤧

Wow, this was a journey, guys. I want to thank every single one of you for supporting me in any way. I appreciate every vote, every comment and every message I've received from you guys. You made me the happiest and I hope you enjoyed reading this book just as much as I enjoyed writing it. There will be an epilogue and an author's note, so I would be happy if you don't remove this book from your library just yet🥺💕

Thank you, I love you all! 💕