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Of how much I love feeling that explodes in my chest. Confidence and a hint of cockiness that I won and pride that I did itmy way. By cutting out the cancer and removing the stain it put on the sport for me.
I jump up and down, yelling excitedly, sword still in hand as the crowd erupts. They’re a blur, just a mass of people cheering and clapping, except for Tristan. I see him clear as day, his hands cupped around his mouth as he screams for me.
I rip the body cord off me and drop the mask he gave me to the floor along with my épée and then I’m running for the stands.
He’s in the front row but it’s elevated off the ground with no access from the floor as a security measure. Tears sting my eyes as I run up to him and put my hands out, wishing I could grab and hug him.
“I did it,” I say, breathlessly, giddily even. “I won.”
Tristan bends over the railing and reaches for me. His hands close around my upper arms and with almost superhuman strength, he pulls me up and into the stands.
When I clear the railing and he sets me back down on my feet, he crushes me against him, whispering frantically into my hair, “I knew you were going to do it, I knew it. Iknewit.”
I get on my toes and bring my mouth up to meet his.
Later when my flag is raised, when my flowers are handed to me, and when the medal is placed over my neck, Tristan is on the floor taking pictures like a proud boyfriend. He’s by my side like he has been since he decided I was his all those months ago.
His arm comes around my shoulders when I’m finally free of the press and attention.
“My girlfriend’s the best fencer in the world,” he says. “Phase one of the plan is complete. Thought I’d get a head start on the next bit and see if you’re feeling inclined to becoming my wife?”
“Tristan!” I say, smacking his chest playfully.
“Come on, what do you say? You’ll wear orange and I’ll wear stripes.” He leans closer to whisper in my ear, “I’ll bring handcuffs for after our guests have left.”
I flush pink but shake my head at him.
“Fine, I’ll try again tomorrow.”
“You can’t just ask like that,” I say with another giggle. “What if I had said yes? You wouldn’t have been ready.”
He cups my jaw with his hand and angles it up to face him. A dark, heated stare falls to my lips before dragging slowly back up to my eyes.
“What makes you think I’m not ready, hmm?” he asks, stroking my cheek with his thumb. “You know I went to see my mum in February. Well, we went through the family heirlooms when I settled into her new home. There’s a reason I told you I had a plan the day I came back.” He smirks at me with that same mix of playfulness and arrogance. “Believe me, baby, I have everything I need on me at all times. The moment you tell me you’re ready, I’m getting down on one knee and officially locking you to me for the rest of your life.”
“You’re serious?” I ask, my throat suddenly dry. “Show me.”
“Nope,” he answers. “You don’t get to see it until you’re ready to say yes.”
“Well then,” I say. “Show me.”
His eyes widen comically before narrowing. “You need to make sure you’re ready, Nera, because there’s no walking out of this once I ask. There’s no more running away.”
“I’m sure,” I say, nodding, and then he’s pulling something out of his inner jacket pocket and dropping down to one knee.
My breath catches in my throat, my heart beats wildly, and I already have tears in my eyes. I’m already nodding.
“You can’t say yes before I’ve asked, baby,” he says, with a fond smile.
“Then get to it so I can give you my answer.”
He grins, a sheen appearing in his own eyes, and emotion wells more explosively in my throat.
“I think I’ve said it all to you already, Nera, and I plan on telling you every day anyway, so I’ll keep it short and sweet. I am completely, hopelessly, irretrievably in love with you. I want to be there for your every high and your every low, to be the person you turn to for celebrations, to be the shoulder you cry on when you’ve had a bad day, to be the person you laugh with every day until we both leave this earth. I’d be hard pressed to find only one reason I love you – the reality is that I love everything about you. Your passion and dedication, your stubbornness, your sense of humor, your inability to make even a simple grilled cheese, the way you care about others almost more than you care about yourself. I never want to spend another day separated from you. We’ve got time to make up for, baby, and I want to do that with you as my wife. As the mother of my children. Make me the happiest man in the world and marry me?”
I don’t find out what the ring looks like until later. I don’t take the time to look at it when he holds it up between us, instead flinging myself into his open arms.
He laughs loudly as he catches and holds me. I’m sobbing openly now, nodding and pressing wild kisses against his mouth.
