"SOMEHOW," MY MUM was musing as she regarded us over the dining table, "I always somewhat saw this coming."

  I didn't look her in the eye, too busy furiously blushing as I glanced down at my lap. But Orion reached over and squeezed my hand under the table, flashing my mum a brilliant smile. "Well, you must have the power of precognition, Auntie."

  "Ha! No, I am just old and have seen too much. Well, I don't know what you see in my little Yam-yuet, but I am not going to complain."

  "Oh please," Auntie Ip huffed. "What he sees in Yam-yuet? You should be asking what Yam-yuet sees in him? Yam-yuet! What did this silly boy say to you to make you agree to this?"

  "Auntie..." My face still felt red when I looked up, and besides me, Orion let out a laugh.

  "Ma, don't speak so lowly of me."

  "Aiya, stop harassing them—when did you two start liking each other anyways?" my father asked, eyes narrowing. "Why weren't any of us told?"

  Orion looked amused. "I started liking her after she came to university, Uncle. It had been so long and she'd grown so pretty and sweet... Salome, on the other hand..."

  I squeezed my eyes shut. Opened them again. "I've had a crush on him since I was five."

  Somehow, not a single one of them looked even mildly surprised. My mum shrugged. "Honestly, I saw that one. I just didn't think it would stick with you for so long. I always thought you would grow out of it, you know?"

  "Well," Orion said with a smile, "I'm thankful she didn't."

  "Well, at least he finally has a girlfriend," Uncle Ip remarked. "Yam-yuet, dear, if he's ever bad to you, tell me and I'll beat him up."

  "I don't think that's necessary." I paused for a moment, tilting my head. "I can do it myself, Uncle."

  "Of course you can," he beamed. "And feel free to."

  "Excuse me?" Orion asked, blinking.

  "But I won't. I trust him."

  Auntie Ip shook her head. "Ah... young love. And tsing mui zhuk ma too! Childhood friends to lovers! Isn't it absolutely wonderful? They could make TV shows over this. I'm pretty sure they have, I swear I've watched some Chinese dramas just like this one..."

  "Well," I murmured, "I think it was a bit less dramatic than that."

  "It was dramatic enough," he remarked, glancing at me. Leaning into my ear and in a volume only I could hear, he whispered, "Almost thought I'd lost my chance completely, you know."

  "Aiya, the little couple have their own little secrets to talk about. Eat! Eat the food before it's cold, aiya." Auntie Ip waved her hand in the air and with laughter, we all began to dig in once more.

  We didn't immediately go home afterwards. Instead, we headed to the garden in our estate, at the roof of the mall, taking our seats on one of the benches lying around. I laid my head on his shoulders and he wrapped one hand around me.

  "Happy one month anniversary," I whispered.

  Orion glanced down at me, amused. "I didn't think you cared about these things."

  "I don't," I told him honestly, "I was just looking at my calendar today and it reminded me."

  "One month, huh?"

  "Yep."

  "The first of many."

  We'd gone home for the Easter holidays, of course, which was why we were here now. And we both agreed we should just tell our parents, because we didn't think we'd be able to hide it well anyways. They were usually too perceptive for their own good.

  So why not just be honest?

  They'd be overjoyed anyways. They'd all probably been secretly praying for this day since we were young.

  "Still feels kind of incredible," I whispered. "Are you actually real?"

  "Of course I'm real. Don't be ridiculous."

  "You're not going to just disappear, right?"

  "Never."

  "I'll take you on that."

  "Salome," he whispered, low laughter rumbling in his voice, "I'm not going anywhere. I'm here to stay with you forever, if you'd have me."

  "Of course I'll have you. I've wanted you for fourteen years."

  "It still feels absolutely ridiculous when you say that, you know? Fourteen whole years. And I hadn't a single clue."

  "I dreamt of this a lot when I was in Arrington. I think Fifth Form was when I was at my worst."

  "I don't know if I should be glad you kept it in or not. Because if I must be honest, I'd never have agreed back then."

  "I know." It wasn't his fault. Two years didn't feel like much now. But when I was fourteen and him sixteen? It wasn't that simple.

  But all that mattered was that I got him in the end.

  I didn't care about anything else.

  But then, he changed the conversation. "Dean wants to move in with me next year. I said yes."

  "Wait, what?"

  "His place is going to hell again. He has some like, magnet for bad housing, I swear to god. And it's not worth the price he's currently paying. He asked if he could move in with me since I have a spare bedroom anyways, so I said yes."

  I winced. "Cami's not going to like that."

  "At least they're on different floors...?"

  "They'll still run into each other. Whatever, she'll get over it eventually. If she doesn't, well, it'll sort itself out somehow. We don't need to worry about it. How long is this for?"

  "Until he finds somewhere else to live, I assume. I think he wants to rent an apartment in our building since he spends most of his time here anyways. I don't think he wants to live with me for the next few years, though."

  I frowned. "I have an idea. It's a bit weird, but it could work."

  "Which is?"

  I glanced up at him, inching closer. "I move in with you, he moves into my apartment."

  Orion's brows rose in surprise. "I don't know what your parents would feel about that."

  "They trust you."

  "We've been dating for one month, are you not scared we're going too fast?"

  "He isn't moving until next year, is he? That's four months from now. If it doesn't work out, then he can move in with you anyways and I'll stay put. We still have time to decide."

  "I'm not going to say no. But you should think it over first."

  "I wouldn't have not thought it over if I'm suggesting it to you now. Have you ever known me to suggest something I haven't carefully thought through? I know we haven't started dating for long, but our case is different. We've known each other since we were little kids, Orion. We know each other better than some couples who've been together for years, honestly."

  "If your parents say yes, then I'm fine with it."

  "Orion, we already live across from each other. I don't think they're going to stop us. We're both adults, and my parents trust you far more than they probably should."

  He leaned down and gave my ear a little nibble. "Why shouldn't they trust me?"

  I giggled, swatting him away. "Orion! We're outside."

  "It's dark and no one's around. Not like we're fucking."

  "Orion Ip!"

  "Fine."

  "My god, I never knew you were like this."

  "Well, I'll be like this now a lot. Get used to it."

  "I'm starting to wonder if moving in with you is the right idea after all..."

  "Oh, don't change your mind now, Salome Lam Yam-yuet. You've already gotten me invested in the idea. Think of all the possibilities..."

—

  AND IN THE end, I get the boy. The princess gets her prince, who finally loves her back. Eventually, all boundaries are passed and true love prevails.

  It was a long time in the making.

  It was a lot of heartbreak. A lot of tears. A lot of sadness. But in the end, I liked to think it was worth it.

  Because what was love without some pain on the way?

  It made me treasure our relationship a lot more. And it made him care more too. And he hadn't lied when he'd said he'd spent the rest of his life making it up for me, for all those years my feelings have been one-sided, for all those years I'd spent in a purgatory of my own making.

  Of course there were problems. All couples run into arguments and issues, but we always push through them. We always persevered. Both of us cared far too much about each other and this relationship to give up. And with his actions, he proved to me that his promises weren't empty. He had meant them.

  I did move in with him, by the way. And that caused a whole other series of trouble for Cami and Dean, but that's a story for another day. But those few years living with him in Redchester were some of the best in my life. I took his spare bedroom (though I rarely spent my nights there, but we don't talk about that), and we were separated for a year after he'd finished his Master's, with him going back to Hong Kong first. I had no intention of doing a Master's and went back the next year, where we moved into the same apartment together, not far away from where our parents lived. We'd wanted our personal space, far enough that our parents wouldn't come popping by every day, but close enough that we could still go conveniently.

  We married when I was twenty-five and him twenty-seven. It was a small ceremony, attended only by a few close friends. Nothing else was necessary. Neither of us liked grandiose displays and extravagant affairs. We were both quiet people who preferred each other's company and no one else's. Except Cami, Dean and a few other close friends, of course.

  The night of our wedding I stared into the mirror for a long time, thinking of the long path we'd taken to come here. Cami noticed, strolling over and grinning. "Contemplating life? Regretting your choice to be here tonight? It's not too late to call it off and run off with me, you know."

  "And what would Dean say about that?"

  She scoffed. "He can suck it up and deal with it."

  Some things never changed.

  "Yeah, no. I'm just thinking about all these years, you know."

  "Actually incredible." She leaned down, placing her head on my shoulders. "Look at you. A bride. About to get married. Could you imagine?"

  "I love you, Cami."

  "Not as much as you love Orion Ip Tsun-kit, though."

  "That's different."

  "I know," she laughed. "Don't be nervous. Everything is going to be okay. It's not like you have a raging crowd waiting outside or anything."

  "Is that what you're going to have for you and Dean's wedding? A massive crowd?"

  She pouted. "Don't tease me. He hasn't even proposed. Unless he's said something about that?"

  "I mean, it's a question of sooner or later."

  "Let's hope it's later. I quite like that tension between us right now, you know?"

  "You are insane."

  "Stability isn't for all of us, Salome. But it is for you. I hope you'll be happy forever, babe."

  "I will be."

  "Good. And I hope you never break that promise. Come on, it's time to go. It's time to get married, Salome Lam."

  And there was no better time.

THE END.

20/6/2023-28/11/2023