Nina's grandma studied him with an unrelenting stare.

Max swallowed hard and smiled uneasily. "Sure, let's talk. I'd love that."

In cool tones, she remarked, "Nina tells me that you're a self-made man. What are your career plans if people stop watching your YouTube videos in the future?"

His Adam's apple bobbed. He tried to keep his voice steady, "I've actually been accepted to Washington State University. I'm planning to get a marketing degree so I can look for a regular job if ever there comes a day when YouTube no longer pays the bills."

Grandma narrowed her eyes. "What are your intentions with my granddaughter?"

"Nina knows that I intend to marry her someday. With your blessing, of course," Max answered nervously.

"Are you aware that Nina's grandfather passed away several years ago?"

Max didn't know exactly where this conversation was headed, but he nodded as agreebly as possible. "Yes, I'm aware of his passing, and I'm so sorry for your loss..."

Grandma waved away his condolences and continued, "Did you know that Nina was engaged at one point? The relationship ended poorly."

Max's expression darkened at the thought of Ethan.

That bastard!

He coughed. "Yes, I'm aware of her past engagement."

Grandma sighed and frowned slightly. "My granddaughter has been through more than her fair share of difficulties over the past few years. My only wish is for her to be happy. I have seen more than a handful of unpleasant articles written about you on the internet. How do I know that you won't hurt her like that other boy?"

This question caught Max somewhat by surprise. His mind blanked for a second. "I-I don't know."

Grandma's frown deepened into a scowl. Her tongue clicked in annoyance.

Max panicked. He began to ramble, "I mean, I definitely don't want to hurt Nina! I swear, I'd never do anything to purposely hurt her, but, like, I gotta be honest with you—I'm not perfect. Far from it, actually. I probably don't deserve a girl who is as amazing and smart and kind and beautiful as Nina, but... I'm so thankful every day that she chose me. And I intend to do right by her. In fact, I'm doing everything I can to become a better man for her. I'd hurt myself before letting anything bad happen to Nina, and, like, I just wanna make her as happy as she makes me—"

Grandma held up her hand to silence Max. Yet, much to his surprise, he noticed a faint smile resting on her lips.

"That's enough. I've heard enough. I'm old and tired, and I wish to go to bed."

Max blinked stupidly. "Oh, really? Uh... okay. Have a good night, then?"

"Thank you for coming to celebrate my birthday this weekend. You should go to bed soon as well, Max. You have an early flight tomorrow."

"It was a pleasure to celebrate with you. Thank you for having me."

Grandma rose from the couch and ambled away to her bedroom, leaving Max sitting in the living room with a dumbfounded expression. Max felt like he had fucked up his answer, but Nina's grandma didn't seem to be upset or angry with him, which made the whole situation all the more unsettling.

Had he failed the test?

This question troubled Max deeply. He could barely sleep that night.

Thankfully, around 2:00 am, Nina snuck out of her grandma's room to cuddle with him. As always, Nina's presence calmed his nerves.

She whispered against his chest, "Congrats, baby."

He mumbled, "For what?"

She smirked. "Grandma likes you."

He nearly fell out of bed in disbelief. "What? You're messing around with me, aren't you?"

Nina giggled and pecked him on the lips. "I was talking to her after I got out of the shower, and this is what she said about you: 'That boy is clumsy with words, but he seems to have a good heart. If you wish to continue dating him, then I won't say another word. For now.'"

Joy fluttered inside Max's heart. "Really?"

Nina smiled sweetly. "Really! See? I told you my grandma would like you!"

Max rained kisses all over Nina's face and exclaimed softly, "Oh, mami, you have no idea how happy that makes me!"

Max and Nina said goodbye to her grandma the next morning and flew back to LA and Seattle, respectively.

A few weeks later, Max officially packed up all his shit and moved to Seattle. It felt like coming home. His heart felt complete again now that he was able to see Nina, kiss her, talk to her, and hold her every day and every night. Max never wanted to be apart from her again. Nina was his other half. His better half. His everything.

Over the next few months, Max worked hard to better himself and managed to settle into his new life like a champ.

He set up a new network for his YouTube channel in the greater Seattle area.

He started therapy.

He went to WSU as a part-time student.

Max no longer saw any need to run from his past because the present was so fucking good. His future with Nina seemed even brighter. Days filled with love and laughter and mind-blowing sex became his norm. Their norm. Even when Max fought with Nina, the two never let the love between them die out. Their soul-deep friendship always came before romance, and this unspoken understanding grounded their relationship like the roots of an old oak tree. As their love grew and deepened, so did Max's desire to make good on his promise to Nina. He hoped to put a ring on Nina's finger within the next year or two.

At night, dark thoughts still visited Max from time to time, but he learned to better appreciate all the terrible, hurtful memories that had brought him to this point. Without these battering experiences, Max would've never uncovered this well of resolve within himself. His priorities had greatly shifted. At present, life revolved around understanding and strengthening himself in order to support and protect the ones he loved most.

Recently, Max's new therapist also helped him reach another very important realization.

Years ago, he had craved attention and approval from all the wrong people in all the wrong places. Max realized that he had been chasing after phantoms and illusions. There was no such thing as a permanent state of success or a finite finish line that led to infinite happiness. Everyone's journey was meant to be ongoing and ever-changing and filled with friction. Thus, even while his channel continued to gain thousands of new subscribers each week, Max cared much less about climbing to the top of the social media mountain.

In his spare time, Max began to discreetly shop around for engagement rings. Diamonds were even more expensive than he had ever imagined, at least, the ones he deemed good enough for his beautiful brown-eyed girl. Once Max dug a little deeper into his research, he learned that there was a reason for the insane price tags. Whether the stones were lab-created or mined from the ground, those carbon fuckers endured a hellish amount of heat in order to transform into a goddamn diamond.

It blew Max's mind.

Suddenly, the stone itself didn't seem to be as valuable as the grueling process that had created the diamond in the first place. The real value was hidden there.

In diamonds and in life, destinations didn't seem to matter much. It was the path a person took to arrive at each new point of understanding that mattered most.

It was the people Max had run into along the way that changed him.

Like his dad.

Like his mom.

Like Ryan.

Like Lexi.

Like Nina.

That evening, as Max gathered Nina into his arms, a sleepy, serene thought crossed his mind.

In the years to come, their ongoing journey might still be ever-changing and friction-filled, but Max looked forward to sharing both the ups and the downs with Nina.

He had faith in himself. Faith in Nina. Faith that they could get through anything. Together.

Because sometimes people, like diamonds, needed a little friction to shine, and Max had never felt brighter.