Forever and Always

In that moment, as he stared at her from across the cafe, he knew that it wasn't about what people thought about you or what they said in soft whispers to their friends. It wasn't about the heartbreaks and the moments of giving into fear. It wasn't about counting the number of scars and remembering them time and time again.

Instead, life is about finding the moments when you wouldn't mind it a bit if you were frozen in it forever. Life is about moments of happiness when you forget about all of the tears you've shed and all the pieces of your heart that were lost somewhere in the past. Life is about the kisses that stop time and cause your heart to skip a beat. Life is about waking up to the love of your life every morning and feeling like you are seeing them for the first time. Life is about living in the present, not in the past or the future.

"I'm sorry." It wasn't until everyone in the room, including her, turned to look at him in surprise that he realized he'd shouted it. But it didn't matter. The world needed to hear what he had to say. "I'm sorry, Brooke. For everything. I pushed you away because for the first time in my life, I wanted to hold on to you forever. I was afraid that you'd decide to walk away on your own and I knew I wouldn't be able to handle that, so I thought it'd be easier this way. I was wrong. It still hurts like hell."

He walked close enough to her so that he could smell her perfume, the same flowery scent he still smelt every night on his bed sheets, and knelt down on one knee. The room erupted in simultaneous sighs, including one from her. "Life is confusing. It's a bunch of winding roads and empty places, and it's sometimes so dark that I feel as if I can't find my way anymore. But with you, Brooke, it's so much more. You're my light when I'm lost, you're my shelter from the storm, and you're my favorite song. When I look at you every morning, I know I will look forward to the moment you open your eyes for the rest of my life. And when I hold you at night, I feel like there's nothing in the world that could top the feeling. I know that I've done a pretty lousy job at showing you that I'm in love with you, and I'm sorry for that, so I understand if the answer to this question is a no..."

Ethan stopped just a moment to reach into his jacket pocket. When he did, he pulled out a ring box and held it up to her. "Brooke James, you're my everything. I want you in my life forever, and I need you for eternity. If you let me, I will spend every second of the rest of my life proving to you that I love you. I'll never stop fighting for your dreams and I'll never, ever let you fall. I'll love you til the day I die, and long after that. So, what do you say? Will you marry me?"

"Ethan..." The room was dead quiet as she stared down at the ring and was sure he was going to have a panic attack at any moment. But then, something remarkable happened. She put her hands on both sides of his face and leaned in to kiss him, only pulling away to say one thing. "Of course I'll marry you, idiot. I said forever and always, right?"

Lost in the moment, he picked her up and spun her around. This, he thought absently, is what life is all about... Love is what it's about.