“Ah, now we’re back in the game.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your line when we first met here.”
A broad smile spreads across his mouth and reaches up to his beautiful amber eyes.
“What else did I say?”
“You asked me if I was a stalker.”
Jannis thinks for a moment. “Hmm, I guess I wasn’t so wrong. You’re still here.”
“You never sent me away.”
Shit, wrong words. This isn’t going in the direction I wanted. I had everything planned out so perfectly at home, and now it’s all messy. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Frustrated, I hang my head.
“No, I didn’t... huh?” Jannis stumbles over his words and looks over my shoulder in confusion.
A large sign with thick red letters floats above the hedge on the other side of the basketball court.“Just say yes.”
“Wait, is that Firas?”
Suddenly, another sign appears a little further to the left.“What are you waiting for?”
“Nael?” It speaks volumes that he can tell my brothers apart even through the hedge. Most people can’t even do that when they’re standing right in front of them. At school, it’s a disaster. I’ve lost count of how many conversations I’ve had with their teachers.
Jannis has simply known them both for too long and too well, and my heart warms at the thought.
“You never let go of my hand, even when things got really difficult.” Shit, my voice breaks.
“Same.”
In the background, the hedge moves again and the “Just say yes” sign rises once more, followed immediately by a red sign with“NOW!” written on it.
I seriously waver between thinking my brothers are impossible and just plain brilliant. I had imagined everything to be so romantic, but here we are.
“Is this what I think it is?” Jannis looks at me with a smile. My boyfriend isn’t stupid, so I admit defeat and nod.
“But they weren’t part of the plan, they snuck in. At home, I had so many great words...”
Gently, so gently, Jannis puts a hand on my cheek. “I don’t need great words, I just need you. We’ve both learned how quickly everything can be over...” I nod, thinking of Danny, my parents, Noah. “I want to spend the time I have with you. No matter what you ask me or how you ask me, there will only ever be one answer–yes.”
And with that word, his lips meet mine, sealing his answer, and I let myself fall into our kiss.
At least for a brief moment, until a voice roars from the hedge. “You forgot something!”
Oh, yes, shit, I have. Damn it. Frantically, I pull out the little box and open it in front of Jannis’s eyes. I can tell from his expression that he understands immediately.
“Wow, these are the most beautiful rings I’ve ever seen. But they are... I can’t accept that.”
“They’re custom-made, the ring will only fit you. If you don’t take it, the earrings will have been taken apart for nothing.”
He looks uncertainly between the ring and me. “Tell me about it.”
“It’s platinum, with a yellow gold inlay and an emerald. The stone and the yellow gold are from my mother’s earrings. So...” I swallow hard. “So she’s always with us, protecting us...”
A tear rolls down Jannis’s cheek. “She would’ve liked that,” he whispers. Jannis was like a son to my mother, she would’ve loved the idea, I know it. That’s why I don’t wait for his approval, but reach for my fiancé’s hand and slip on the ring.
