Rain's POV
The sky was lavender tonight. Fitting. Always fitting with her.
She loved this time of evening—when the day exhaled, when the world softened just a little. She was standing there barefoot in the garden, spinning slowly in that sundress I once said reminded me of soft sunsets and wildflowers.
And I was standing behind her, heartbeat louder than bullets.
Because tonight, I wasn't The Ghost Emperor.
Tonight, I was just Rain. A man in love.
And she—was my everything.
---
"Where's Ren?" she asked, twirling again.
"Hiding in the bushes. Ready to play violin," I said dryly.
She laughed. "You're lying."
"Only slightly. He wanted to be close by. You know, in case I faint."
"He would."
She turned to me, eyes wide, lips already curled into the kind of smile that shattered me.
"Sky."
"Yes?"
My voice almost cracked. "Come here."
She padded closer, barefoot, trusting, like she always was with me—even after everything. I took her hands. My palms were shaking. Mine. The hands that once held knives without flinching were trembling for her.
Only her.
"I've been yours since the moment you dragged me to that cursed mall and made me wear a 'Best Girl Ever' friendship bracelet," I whispered.
She smiled.
"And every moment since, even when you hated me. Even when I hated myself."
She blinked quickly. "Rain…"
I dropped to one knee. Her breath caught.
No crowd. No fireworks. Just us. And a ring I chose with Ren after two hours of him yelling that "she's a princess, don't you dare pick something basic."
"I'm not good with words," I began, "and I'm worse with feelings. But if there's one thing I'll always know—"
Her hands flew to her mouth. Her eyes were already wet.
"—it's that I want every morning, every fight, every stupid girls' day and every messy, glitter-filled, dangerous, stupidly perfect moment of this life with you."
I opened the ring box. Her gasp cracked the sky.
"Sky, marry me?"
---
She tackled me.
Literally jumped into my arms, laughing and crying and nodding over and over again.
"Yes," she whispered into my neck. "Yes, yes, yes, Rain."
Ren whooped from behind a tree. Then tripped and fell face-first into a bush. I didn't even care.
Because she was mine.
---
Later, when she was trying to text everyone with shaky fingers and Ren was yelling that he deserves credit as best man-slash-brother-slash-matchmaker supreme, Sky tugged on my sleeve.
I leaned in.
"Hey," she said softly.
"Yeah?"
She kissed my cheek. "Thanks for being brave enough to love me again."
My voice cracked this time. "Always."
The end.
Signing off.
Siddhii Singh.