SEBASTIAN’S POV
I found myself watching Sasha across the table, captivated by the way her gaze softened as she listened, by the way her hands lay still, resting on the tabletop between us.
This wasn’t the first time I’d watched her like this; every time I did, it felt like discovering something new.
Yet tonight, there was an urge, a need, rising within me, a desire for more than these moments snatched between other demands.
A silence grew between us as her attention focused on me, her eyes reflecting the soft, warm light above us.
“Sebastian?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. “What’s on your mind?”
I didn’t answer at first. The idea had been playing in my mind for days, weaving in and out of every thought, growing stronger with each quiet moment. I looked into her eyes, feeling that pull between us,
a feeling that had shifted, strengthened, maybe even settled. My lips parted, words lingering before I finally said, “Sasha, I know we’re… where we are now.”
“We’re not the same people we were when we first started. And I think, after everything, after everything we’ve been through, I want to ask you if we can… do it right this time.”
A flicker of something unreadable crossed her face, her brow furrowing just a fraction. “Do it right?” she repeated, the question almost tentative.
I nodded, my voice firm. “A real wedding. Not the one arranged because of a contract or the one wrapped in secrets.”
I paused, a strange nervousness tightening in my chest. “One where it’s just us, with nothing between us but how we feel about each other.”
She stilled, her gaze fixed on me, unreadable as her hands rose to her face. She didn’t say anything, not immediately, and the silence stretched between us.
A part of me wanted to retract the words, to reach across and tell her to forget it. But then she finally spoke.
“You… you really want that?” Her voice was so quiet, almost as though she didn’t believe it.
“Yes, Sasha.” My voice softened, and I reached across the table, taking her hands in mine.
“More than anything. I want you, Sasha. I want to show you, show the world that this is real.”
She turned her head slightly, her lips pressing into a thin line as her gaze dropped. For a heartbeat, she looked as though she were fighting something inside, something private.
When she finally looked back at me, there was a brightness to her eyes, a shine that made my heart twist.
“Sasha, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.” The words tumbled out, unplanned. “I… I just thought”
“No, Sebastian.” She shook her head, her voice cracking as she brushed the back of her hand against her cheek. “No, it’s not that. I… I’m just…”
She took a shuddering breath, and a faint, trembling smile broke through as she met my gaze again. “I’m just… happy. I’m happy to hear you say that.”
Her words hit me in a way I hadn’t expected, an intense relief rushing through me. I squeezed her hands, letting her see in my eyes what I hadn’t managed to say yet.
“Then… is that a yes?” I couldn’t hold back the hope in my voice, and I couldn’t help the way my own breath caught, waiting for her answer.
A silence lingered as she looked away, staring off as if gathering her thoughts. She pulled her hands from mine slowly, her fingers tracing the edges of her glass before she finally spoke again.
“I… I would love that, Sebastian.” She looked down, her voice softer. “I would love a real wedding, with you, like you said.” Her voice trailed, and a new tension flickered in her gaze.
“But… I want my father to be there. I want him to walk me down the aisle, to be part of that day, fully. So…” Her voice grew hesitant, as if the words were delicate. “So maybe, we wait… until he wakes up.”
There was no hesitation in her tone, yet her eyes searched mine, perhaps bracing for resistance. But how could I argue? After all, this wasn’t just about me or even just about us.
It was about the lives we wanted to build together, with those we loved. Her father had been a barrier in the past, true, but now… now he was simply a part of her life, a part of the love she held for her family.
I nodded, watching the way her face softened with relief. “When he wakes up,” I said, my voice as steady as I could make it, “then we’ll make it happen. We’ll have our day, and we’ll have it with him there.”
A smile broke through on her lips, one that was brighter than any I’d seen in some time.
Her fingers found mine again, weaving between them, and this time, the silence between us was filled with something deeper, a certainty, a promise that didn’t need more words.
She brushed another tear away, laughing softly. “I didn’t think you could make me this happy. Not like this.”
I leaned forward, my voice lowering. “Well, I wasn’t going to just stop surprising you now, was I?”
She shook her head, a little laugh escaping. “You always have to have the last word.”
“Maybe,” I said, my grin widening. “But I think this time, it’s because I mean it.” I lifted her hand to my lips, kissing it gently.
“I want forever with you, Sasha. However that looks, whatever we have to face first.”
She didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned in too, her gaze never leaving mine as she whispered, “Then let’s do this. Let’s face everything together.”
Our hands clasped together on the table, and that moment, the one where everything felt aligned, right, wasn’t something I wanted to end.