a whole year had passed since that night at the lake—a year of stolen glances, shared laughter, and the kind of love summer had only read about in books. life with chris was messy and chaotic, but it was also warm and full of surprises. and tonight, summer could tell he was up to something.

he had shown up at her door on foot, slightly out of breath, his cheeks pink from the cool evening air. "ready?" he asked, his usual grin lighting up his face.

"for what?" she teased, stepping outside and closing the door behind her.

"you’ll see," he said, holding out his hand.

they walked through the quiet streets together, their fingers interlaced. summer peppered him with questions, but chris dodged each one with a playful laugh. as they got closer to the lake, her heart started to race.

"chris," she said, her voice soft, "we’re going to the lake, aren’t we?"

"maybe," he said, his grin widening.

when they arrived, summer noticed something she hadn’t seen before: a small lake house nestled among the trees, its windows glowing faintly with the warm light of a few candles.

"wait," she said, stopping in her tracks. "what is this?"

"it’s a surprise," chris said, tugging her forward.

inside, the lake house was simple but cozy. fairy lights were strung along the walls, and there was a small picnic set up on the floor: a blanket, a basket filled with food, and a thermos of hot chocolate.

"you did all this?" summer asked, looking around in awe.

"of course," chris said, rubbing the back of his neck. "i mean, it’s been a year since, you know… that night. i figured we should celebrate."

they sat down together, the soft glow of the lights reflecting in the lake through the window. summer couldn’t help but smile as she watched chris fumble with the picnic basket, pulling out sandwiches, fruit, and even a slice of her favorite chocolate cake.

"you thought of everything," she said, laughing as he handed her a plate.

"well," he said, grinning, "you deserve everything."

after they finished eating, chris got up suddenly, brushing crumbs off his hands. summer tilted her head, curious.

"what are you doing?" she asked.

"just… wait," he said, his voice uncharacteristically nervous.

he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small box, his hands shaking slightly as he knelt down in front of her.

summer’s breath caught in her throat. "chris…"

"look," he said, his voice soft but steady, "i know we’re young, and i know this probably seems crazy, but this past year has been the best year of my life. and it’s because of you. you’ve made everything brighter, everything better, and i can’t imagine my life without you."

he opened the box, revealing a delicate silver ring with a tiny moonstone at its center.

"summer," he continued, his eyes locking with hers, "will you marry me?"

her heart felt like it might burst. tears filled her eyes as she nodded, her voice barely a whisper. "yes. of course, yes."

chris’s face lit up as he slipped the ring onto her finger, and then he was pulling her into his arms, holding her like he never wanted to let go.

"i love you," he murmured against her hair.

"i love you too," she said, her voice thick with emotion.

later, as they sat together by the window, watching the stars reflect off the water, summer rested her head on chris’s shoulder, her hand in his.

"so," she said, her voice teasing, "what’s next?"

"next?" chris said, grinning. "next, we tell everyone. matt’s going to freak out, and nick… well, nick’s probably going to make fun of me for crying just now."

summer laughed, squeezing his hand. "i think they’ll be happy for us."

"yeah," chris said, his voice soft. "i think so too."

and as the night stretched on, the two of them sat there, wrapped in each other’s warmth, knowing that this was only the beginning of their forever.