Epilogue

It’s been three days since I asked Lola to marry me, and I still can’t believe she said yes. Not because I ever doubted her feelings — she’s shown me a thousand times how much she loves me — but because hearing her say it out loud, seeing her whole face light up, watching her hands shake from excitement… it felt like the world shifted under my feet.

We’re back home now. The trip is over, the bags are unpacked, and life has slipped back into its usual rhythm. But everything feels different. Better. Brighter. Like the air itself is lighter somehow.

I keep catching her looking at her ring when she thinks I’m not paying attention. She’ll twist it gently with her thumb, smile to herself, and then glance up at me like she’s reliving the moment all over again. Every time she does, my chest tightens in the best way.

I’ve replayed that night at the waterfall a hundred times.

The blindfold.

Her nervous laugh.

The way she held my hand was like she trusted me with her whole world.

The sound of the water behind us.

The sky fading into soft colors, like even the sunset was holding its breath for us.

And then her voice.

Her “yes.”

Loud, unfiltered, overflowing with joy.

I’ll never forget it.

I didn’t know a single moment could change everything and still feel like the most natural thing in the world.

My parents keep asking when the wedding will be. Mya keeps calling Lola “my future sister.” Her dad hugged me so tight I thought he’d crack a rib. And Lola… she’s already talking about colors and flowers and whether she wants something simple or something magical.

But the truth is, I don’t care where we get married.

Beach, forest, mountains — it doesn’t matter.

As long as she’s walking toward me, I’ll be exactly where I’m meant to be.

Sometimes I think about who we were a year ago. Two people trying to figure out where we fit in the world. Two people who didn’t expect to find each other the way we did. She was healing. I was learning. And somehow, we grew into each other’s safe place.

Now we’re planning a life together.

It still feels unreal.

But when she curls up next to me, or laughs at something I say, or reaches for my hand without thinking — that’s when it hits me.

This is real.

This is ours.

This is the beginning of everything we’ve been building toward.

And I can’t wait for the rest.