The Seasons Of Us

THE SKY IS CLOUDY, BUT THE MIND IS CLEAR

(This night is the one I have awaited most of all. He is finally here with me, and he even asked if we can be together forever. If this is truly a dream, I never want to wake up. I just want to live a long, beautiful life with him.) - Galassia's thoughts.

(She agreed to be with me. I need to be completely focused now, making sure everything is taken care of for her before the thought even crosses her mind. I also want to make a few more changes to my villa so she feels entirely comfortable and at home there. I don't want to rush things, but can I really ask her to marry me this soon, or should I give her more time? The thought is exhilarating. I cannot wait to marry her and spend the rest of my life by her side.) - Celio's thoughts.

The night was restless, yet both of their minds and hearts were perfectly serene. After a decade of waiting, their paths had finally converged into one.

REACHING THE OWNER

When I woke up, seeing her first thing in the morning was the perfect start to my day. She handed me a tailored suit that she had bought during her trip to the art competition, confessing she had purchased it hoping to see me wear it one day. She also gifted me the old, molded clay model of our first handshake that she had crafted in our childhood and kept safe all these years. Afterward, she went to the kitchen to help Uncle John prepare breakfast.

I was secretly a bit embarrassed because she had also bought me essential undergarments. She giggled slightly when she handed them to me, but the most awkward part was that they were my exact size. I couldn't help but wonder how she could possibly know that.

Once I got dressed and looked in the mirror, I saw the suit was a perfect fit. I looked sharp. Down at the dining table, while we were eating breakfast, I quietly leaned over and whispered to ask how she had guessed my correct sizes.

She giggled and replied, "The last time we ran into each other at the mall, the outfit you bought came with a 'buy one, get one free' pack, but you left the second item behind. The cashier there is an acquaintance of mine, so she handed the extra items to me later. When I was packing for this trip, I just tossed everything into my bag without checking. Do you honestly think I'm a pervert who memorizes a man's undergarment sizes?"

"No, of course not!" I stammered, blushing. "It just fit perfectly, and since you said you bought the suit during the competition, I was just a bit confused."

"Don't worry about explaining, I was just teasing you," she said with a bright smile.

Just as we finished our breakfast, Uncle John walked into the room accompanied by my aunt, who had been away for the past week.

For the first time in all these years, my aunt stepped forward and wrapped her arms around me in a warm embrace. She looked deeply embarrassed by how harshly she had treated our family over the years. Tearfully, she admitted she finally realized that my father wasn't the only one at fault for the accident; she shared the blame for letting a young child drive alone. She expressed how deeply grateful she was for the financial help my father and I had provided, noting that without it, her son's medical bills would have been impossible to pay. Her son was doing wonderfully now, and his long treatments were almost complete.

A NEW MORNING

We stood on the platform, waiting for our train back to the city. I leaned my head gently against his shoulder, feeling as though a massive, heavy burden had finally slipped off my chest. My heart felt free and completely secure. The last ten years felt like nothing more than a long, dark nightmare that was finally giving way to dawn. A fresh morning was waiting for us.

"Will you always stay with me?" I whispered.

Celio looked down at me and smiled.

"I will always be with you. I'm not going anywhere. From now on, you're stuck with me every single day; morning, noon, and night. I promise."

Once we settled into our seats on the train, I called Enzo to explain everything. He was incredibly happy for me, offering his genuine congratulations and promising that he would handle his parents so I wouldn't have to worry about the fake engagement anymore. Throughout the entire phone call, Celio sat next to me looking incredibly restless. He glared at the phone as if he wanted to tear Enzo apart, simply because I was smiling while talking to him.

"You should get some rest now," Celio said protectively after I hung up the phone. "Neither of us got any sleep last night."

(I know down to my core that this Enzo guy doesn't have romantic feelings for her, but I still can't help but feel incredibly annoyed whenever I see or hear them interacting.) - Celio's thoughts.

When the train pulled into our destination, we headed toward the station elevators to go up to the ground floor. However, halfway up, the lift suddenly groaned and ground to a halt due to a technical failure. Panic seized me. I instantly flashed back to that horrible news story from a few years ago, the one where five people got trapped in this exact station when the lift failed. They didn't make it out.

Terrified, I threw my arms around Celio, burying my face in his chest. "If these are my final seconds alive, I only want to spend them with you," I cried out.

Celio held me tightly, rubbing my back to calm my trembling. "We are going to live a long, beautiful, and happy life together, sweetheart. Don't be scared. The station management updated all the safety codes after that old incident; this is just a minor glitch."

I squeezed him with all my remaining strength, as if the sheer terror of losing him after waiting a decade was trying to break me. I refused to let him go. He held me fiercely to calm my panicking state.

After a few tense minutes, the elevator doors smoothly slid open, and I practically dragged him out into the fresh air. He gently guided me to a nearby bench and made me drink some water until my breathing evened out.

Looking around, Celio noticed a street vendor selling toy bubble-blower guns. He walked over, bought one, and brought it back to me. Watching a bunch of shiny bubbles drift across the busy station platform looked so ridiculous that it actually made me laugh. The lingering tightness in my chest finally faded, and I took a real breath.

While she was looking out the car window, I quickly texted James, telling him to grab the nicest gifts he could find for her parents. I even begged Charlotte to run ahead and prep them for our arrival so they wouldn't be totally blindsided.

When we pulled up to the estate gates, James handed Celio the gifts, and Charlotte gave us a reassuring nod, telling us it was safe to go inside. Galassia's parents were standing in the living room, their faces lighting up with pure joy the moment they saw us walking hand-in-hand.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at my mother and father. "Mom, Dad... if everything goes well, we want to get married as soon as possible. We have decided that we want to spend every single one of our coming years together."

To our absolute delight, my parents immediately and wholeheartedly agreed.

The next few hours were absolute chaos. Since we wanted to get married the very next day, my parents went into full planning mode. We spent the entire afternoon running between boutiques, trying on wedding clothes, and arguing over details while laughing the whole time. I sat out on my bedroom balcony, looking up at the night sky, deeply craving a look from my own personal moon, my Celio.