Say Yes

The wind was calmer than usual that afternoon.

That alone made you feel like something was on your side, but you didn’t trust it enough to relax. The kind of silence this place sometimes had wasn’t empty; it was waiting. 

The ocean below rolled endlessly against the cliffs, steady and unbothered, like it had seen every kind of human decision made at its edge and refused to care either way.

The cliff wasn’t easy to get to, it never was, but that was part of why it mattered. The narrow path, the uneven stone, the way you had to watch every step or risk slipping into distraction or worse. 

You and Asa always came here when the world got too loud. When schedules, expectations, and everything in between started pressing too tightly against your ribs.

Out here, there was only the ocean stretching endlessly below and the sky wide enough to make everything else feel small. It never fixed anything, but it made things quieter inside your head, like someone had turned the volume down on life just enough for you to breathe again.

Today, though, it wasn’t just a place to breathe.

Today, it was the place you were going to change everything.

“Careful with that,” Johnny called out, hauling a box of fairy lights over his shoulder as he stepped carefully over the uneven rocks.

“I’m careful,” you muttered automatically, even though you were clearly not being careful at all, adjusting the floral arrangement that Ruka had insisted needed “more height and emotional balance.”

Ruka snorted. “That means it looks prettier from far away. Don’t overthink it.”

“That’s literally what overthinking is,” you shot back, but you still adjusted it anyway.

Pharita was already laying out a soft blanket near the edge, where the cliff curved just enough to frame the sunset perfectly. She smoothed it down with deliberate precision, like she was making sure time itself wouldn’t wrinkle it.

“Asa’s going to cry,” she said matter-of-factly, as if it were a weather report.

“I’m trying to make her not cry,” you said, though your voice wasn’t very convincing even to yourself.

Pharita glanced at you over her shoulder. “You’re planning a proposal. Crying is part of the package.”

Ahyeon was untangling ribbons with Rami, both of them moving quickly and efficiently like they’d done this a hundred times before, like chaos was just another thing they knew how to organise into something beautiful.

“You’re definitely making her cry,” Ahyeon said without looking up. “But like… good crying.”

“Is there a difference?” you asked.

Rami nodded seriously. “One is panic. One is love. You want the second one.”

Rora and Chiquita were in charge of the final touches, candles in glass holders, photos of you and Asa clipped along a thin string between two rocks, small details that somehow made the whole thing feel alive. Not staged. Not artificial. Just… honest. 

“This is a proposal not a retirement party you grandma” Chiquita said to Rora. 

“I am a couple months older than you.” She retorted. 

Everyone just ignored them and moved on to finish setting up.

Johnny clapped his hands once. “Alright. Timeline check. She’s still thinking this is just a normal ‘we’re going to the cliff for a break’ situation?”

You nodded. “Yeah. I told her I just wanted to watch the sunset with her after work.”

“Perfect,” Ruka said, stepping back to inspect the setup like she was judging an art exhibition. “So she has no idea she’s about to get emotionally ambushed.”

“Romantically ambushed,” Pharita corrected automatically.

“Same thing,” Ruka replied.

There was a brief pause.

Then Johnny added, “Honestly, worse.”

You let out a short breath that almost turned into a laugh, but didn’t quite make it. Your fingers brushed over the edge of your pocket without thinking, checking, grounding, reminding yourself it was there. Still there. Real.

The ring.

You exhaled slowly and looked out at the ocean.

Three years.

Three years of Asa falling asleep on your shoulder during late-night drives when neither of you had the energy to talk anymore. Three years of her stealing your hoodies and pretending she didn’t know where they came from, even when she wore them more than you did. Three years of her laughing at your worst jokes, correcting your worst habits, and staying even when staying would’ve been easier to question.

Three years of arguments that ended with quiet apologies, soft touches, and forehead presses that said more than words ever could.

Three years of choosing each other, again and again and again, without ever actually calling it a decision.

And now. Now you are going to make it one.

Your phone buzzed.

Asa 

I'm finishing up now. i’ll meet you there 💙

Your stomach flipped so hard it almost felt like falling. “She’s on her way,” you said.

The entire atmosphere shifted instantly.

It wasn’t panic, it was focus. Everyone moved faster, sharper, like a scene snapping into place.

Johnny adjusted the last set of lights, checking the angles like they mattered more than gravity. 

Rami crouched to realign a candle that was already perfectly straight.