But then his voice softens. “The truth is, while you were so focused on coming in first… you didn’t notice that you had already won something even bigger.” He pauses, swallowing deeply. “My heart.”
My heart thuds. As the crowd goes silent.
“I fell for you a long time ago, E. And honestly, I can’t remember a single moment in my life where I wasn’t in love with you. Everything before you feels like a blur, not just because we were so young,” he laughs softly. “But because it was just a moment in time before my life really started.”
He takes a shaky breath, squeezing my hand.
“Life hasn’t always been kind to me. There were days,a lot of days,I thought I wouldn’t make it through. Days I felt small, or broken, or like I wasn’t built for this world.” He glances out at the lake, like he’s remembering flickers of his dark childhood. The side he held in the dark. “But then there wasyou.”He looks back to me with glistening eyes.“And you saw me…all of me…and you loved me anyway.” As his eyes stare into mine, I canseehim thinking about all that we’ve been through. I know because I am too. “Loving you… has neverhurt.It’s neverbeenhard.It’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done.” A tear drips down his cheek and I make fast work at wiping it clean, before I realize I’m crying too. Tobias smiles at that and wipes my face too.
We’re both just a mess.
“You are…embodiment of my strength. When you thrive, I thrive. Every single time something huge or massive has ever happened in my life, you havealways been right thereand I want nothing less than that for the rest of my life. I love who I am when I’m with you, E.” He squeezes my hand, reminding me to breathe.
I swallow deeply.
“I may never be the best person in the world… but the best personchose me. I’ll never stop trying to be worthy of you.” He nods slowly.
I blow out a heavy breath, wiping my cheeks off. “Oh wow. How am I supposed to go afterthat?” I laugh nervously.
Tobias bites his bottom lip, looking at me likeI’mthe dream. Huh, imagine that.
I look into his beautiful big blue eyes and the words come to me as easily as ever.
“T, you’ve always been my better half.” I begin, my voice trembling just slightly.
Tobias shakes his head, but I cup his cheek, holding him steady. “No… listen. In the moments I’ve felt weak, you’ve been my strength. When fear has tried to hold me down, you’ve been my courage to keep pushing. You are my anchor, my pillar, the reason I keep standing in moments where all I want to do is fall. You’ve been there without meeverneeding to ask…because that’s just who youare.Kindness. Caring. Unwavering, selfless love. I’ve admired you since the moment I knew you.”
I squeeze his hand tightly, feeling the warmth of him against me. Pressing a kiss to his fingers, I breath in deeply. “And I vow, from this day forward, to be the same for you. When darkness surrounds you, I will be your light. When you need to float, I will carry you. When youneed to lean, my shoulder willalwaysbe here. With me, you will never feel alone. With me, you will never feel unloved.”
I pause, letting the words sink in. “I promise you this, with every piece of my heart. You are myhome, T. And I am always,always, yours.”
A soft murmur escapes his lips as he wraps his arms around my neck, pressing a tender kiss to mine.
A flood of love rushes through me and I forget everything else as he holds my face in his hands.
“Oh! Yes, uh, you may now kiss the groom.” Gwen excitedly claps her hands.
I hear everyone else join in as the music starts to play, but it all turns to white noise as all I can hear is the love pounding in my chest.
My Tobias.
He’s alwaysbeenmy Tobias.
And now, he always will be.
***
Tobias
I crash through the cool surface, the water wrapping around me like glass.
Bubbles rise past my face as I sink, staring up at the light above — shimmering, distant, calling me home.
But this time… I’m not alone.
A hand breaks through the surface — reaching for me.
His dark hair floats like ink in the sunlit water. I reach back, gripping him tight.
