The crowd stayed back, forming a circle around them both. Among them, Sophia caught sight of her parents, both of whom looked utterly aghast at what they were seeing. Her father especially, she had no doubt it took him all the self-control he possessed not to storm forward and snatch her away.
He did no such thing, of course, because that would create a scene. And her father would rather die than be found on the wrong end of a scandal.
“That was the irony,” Gabriel continued, still looking right at Sophia. “This false belief that I created around my persona, that I was one who cared about nothing. So apathetic was I to the world that it did not matter what people thought of me. That I…” He shook his head. “That I enjoyed the way people dismissed and judged me.”
“I still think that you do,” she said coyly.
He laughed. “The truth is that I care too much. The reputation that I have spent my life creating is one that I needed for myself like a shield or a piece of armor. It became a part of me, and I was desperate for it to remain so. And it is because I was so determined for people to think this way of me that I refused to accept that I could change. Dammit, I was convinced that changing was a bad thing, something I should admonish.”
Her heart started to race as he crept closer to his point. Sophia breathed deeply, careful not to get ahead of herself.
“That was why I pushed you away,” he continued. “In an effort to prove that I did not care, I proved the exact opposite. I do care what people think. I do care about the people in my life. I care so much that just the thought of returning to who I once was…” He shuddered. “That’s not me, and I don’t think it ever was.”
Behind Gabriel, the orchestral music lifted its pitch such that Sophia was certain the entire park could hear it.
“You, Sophia… you made me realize what matters in this world. You made me realize that it’s not a bad thing to change. Youmade me realize that I have been lying to myself for so long, living as a fraud because I was scared of the truth. I’m not scared anymore.” He squeezed her hands a little tighter and took a deep breath. “That’s why I came here today. That’s why…” He gestured around them. “That’s why all of this is here.”
“Big romantic gestures,” she grinned. “You really have changed.”
“I wanted to show you that I do care what people think. Just as I want to show them how I feel about you – my actions proving the point for a change. It is one thing for me to say it, but to show it, to prove it to you and everyone else, is another entirely.”
“And how do you feel about me exactly?”
His smile grew and his eyes sparkled in the sunlight. “I love you, Sophia. I have loved you for some time, longer than I am proud to admit because I should have told you so as soon as I knew it as a truth. I only hope that I’m not too late.”
“You…” Her chest tightened. “You love me?”
“I do.”
Sophia beamed and looked around them, checking that everyone heard what he said. A few people gasped. Many gushed. There were watery eyes in the crowd, and some clasped their hands over their hearts.
Sophia’s parents still looked mortified. She made sure to look right at them, almost as if she was daring them to try and stop her. Then she turned back to face Gabriel.
“I love you too, Gabriel. I probably shouldn’t. Was it the old Gabriel who stood before me, I certainly would not. But as you said…” Her smile grew. “Change is a good thing, and where you have changed, so have I.”
A few people in the crowd clapped and cheered. Sophia and Gabriel continued to hold hands. This was not what she was expecting. Nor was it something that Gabriel needed to do. Had he simply come to her and told her in front of her parents how he felt, that would have been enough.
But by announcing it in front of all these people, he was giving himself nowhere to hide. This was more than just admitting his feelings. It was about admitting how much he had changed, accepting that change, and being prepared to live with those changes from now until forever.
“Well…” She raised her eyebrow at him because there was one thing missing from his declaration. Her heart thundered. Her limbs tingled. Excitement made her body shake and she could not believe what she was about to ask. “Is that all?”
He frowned. “What more do you need?”
She licked her lips. “What were you saying about actions speaking louder than words…”
He grinned and stepped into her. He dropped her hand and rested a finger under her chin. He looked into her eyes as he raised her chin, bringing her lips closer. And then, finally, in full view of the crowd, he kissed Sophia on the lips.
And she kissed him right back.
A few people cried out. Many gasped in shock. She heard her mother exclaim something, but it was lost in the white noise that wrapped around Sophia and Gabriel and blocked them from the world. As far as she was concerned, it was just herself and him in that moment, nothing mattered, save for their kiss.
She kissed him fully and with passion. He kissed her with love and desire. Their lips parted softly, their tongues played gently, they smiled the whole while, and Sophia felt that kiss not just on her lips, and not just through her body, but in her heart.
When they pulled away, she was thrilled to see that Gabriel was still smiling.
“So…” He took her hands again. “Will you come home with me?”
“I will,” she said. “Our home, I think.”
