ASTOR
Isee the glint of sea glass sitting on the veranda and frown at it. It wouldn’t be Rurik leaving it out here, would it? He’s always left it in places only I would find it. I don’t know why he does it, and we’ve never talked about it, but so out in the open seems strange.
I walk over to pick it up. Not hearing what my brother said. It looks just like the ones he leaves me.
“Astor?” Rain asks.
“Sorry. I’m listening. It was just—” I see another piece of sea glass on one of the steps. I bend down and pick it up and, in the process, see another.
“You’re not listening at all. It’s fine,” he says playfully.
“There’s a trail of these.” I follow them down the path towards the river.
Rain, bless him, doesn’t ask, just follows me as I pick up little pieces of junk like a gleeful child.
When I come around the trees, I see Rurik standing there wearing the huge smile he does and my heart melts. I continue picking up the little pieces, trying to figure out what game he’s playing.
“What is this?” I ask when I get near enough that he can hear me.
“I thought you might like to go on a sunset ride with me.” He doesn’t have our double scull out, instead, he has a white wooden row boat big enough for us to sit side by side. It’s darling and romantic. This guy.
“Were you going to wait down here all night if I didn’t find your little trail?”
He shrugs, acting nonchalant about it, but his smile tells me otherwise. “I knew you would.”
“Are you coming?” He gets in the boat.
“What kind of coming? Because this is not legally binding.”
“Not that kind!” Rurik laughs, holding out his hand. “Are you joining me?”
I glance back at Rain, feeling a bit bad about ditching him, but he’s probably in on it knowing Rurik. He nods for me to go and I take Rurik’s hand, letting him help me into the boat.
“What made you want to do this?”
“A guy can’t be romantic?” Rurik rows us down the river as the sun begins to set, casting oranges and pinks across the sky and water.
It gets dark quickly, but Rurik doesn’t turn back. He takes us further seemingly looking for something, and then little specks of light appear across the water. Like they’re blooming from the river itself.
“What are those?”
Quickly, we are surrounded by the light, and as they drift closer, I see they are paper lanterns, some floating in the air, others drifting. There has to be hundreds of them.
I turn back to question Rurik, and he’s down on one knee.
He holds up a little piece of sea glass. “Did you know penguins give their partners pebbles?”
“No? What are you talking about?”
“Penguins gift their partner little pebbles to build nests. They do it as a sign they want to build a nest with the other penguin. If the other penguin accepts the stones, they become a mated pair.”
“Where did all this come from?” I think of all the times I’ve found little pieces of sea glass on my windowsill or tucked into my things. He started soon after we met. He’s been leaving them for me for so long. Has he been pebbling me? I smile.
“I want to build a life with you. But pebbles weren’t right.
I couldn’t just leave you rocks. I’m not that out of my mind.
But you changed how I see everything, so when I found the little piece of glass on the river after we rowed one morning, I knew it was a sign.
You are the green-tinted glass that changed how I view the world.
I want to build our nest out of bright colors because you make my life brighter.
” He holds up another piece of glass for me to take.
“This is why you’ve been leaving me these?” I don’t know what I assumed it was. Just a thing he did.
He nods carefully. “I had to start small. Building our nest.”
“You are…” But I don’t even know what he is. Mental, but also the most thoughtful person I’ve ever met.
He gets out a tiny bag and holds it out for me to put in all the little pieces of glass I’ve been carrying. I add them in, trying to fight back tears.
“I want to build a life with you. I knew I had to bring you to the water. It’s where I fell in love with you all those mornings. To our place. Even if it is and always will be the worst time of day.” He hands me the bag, and I press it into my chest.
“You are so fucking romantic.” I wipe my eyes.
He grins. “You make it as easy as breathing.”
“How did you know all of this back then?”
“I’ve always known.” He pulls out a tiny ring box, and my heart stops. “Will you be my husband, Astor?”
It’s a band with little green stones inlaid in the textured silver like a river through the ring. It’s the most beautiful ring I’ve ever seen. It tied in the sea glass, and the river where we spent so much time.
I dive at him, crying while kissing him, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“Is that a yes?” he asks between kisses.
“It’s a yes.”
He breaks the kiss, growling at me when I try to attack him again. “Let me put the fucking ring on you!”
I reluctantly let him and clap a hand over my mouth. It’s perfect. He’s perfect.
Cheers sound out across the water.
I look around. “Who is that?”
“You don’t think I got all those lanterns on the water by myself.” Rurik kisses me again. “Everyone is here.”
I’m instantly red and embarrassed but smiling because I wouldn’t have it any other way. “Even Rain and my uncle?”
“Yes,” Rurik confirms.
The boats move in around us, and they are popping champagne and passing out glasses. I’m stunned, as they all congratulate us.
“You asked him?” I whisper as we settle into enjoying the cool breeze on the water and the view of the lanterns.
He nods.
“What did he say?” I keep my voice low, sure they can probably hear me, but I’m dying to know.
“He tried to tell me no.” Rurik’s joy doesn’t falter.
“Did he?” I can only imagine.
“At first. But I talked him around.” He winks and slips an arm around me.
“I’m not surprised.”
“He doesn’t want it public for a while, but you know I don’t care about that. So you probably won’t be able to wear the ring when you go out.”
I stick out my lip. “I don’t want to take it off.”
“Don’t worry. I have a contingency plan.” He closes something around my wrist and uses a tool to do something to it.
It’s a silver band with an identical inlay to my ring.
“It’s beautiful. But what did you do to it?” I bring it closer to my face to inspect it in the low light.
“It doesn’t come off. It’s collar-like, but less visible, so it won’t draw attention. It’s just for us.”
Heat spreads through my chest, and I’ve never been so happy in my life. “I love you.”
“I love you too.” He pulls me closer. “Plus, I can use it to chain you to the bed so you can’t drag me out to row in the morning.”
I sigh. “Maybe.”
“I know what that means.”
Thank you so much for reading.