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Megan Skiendiel decided she wanted to marry Daniela Avanzini while folding baby laundry at two in the morning.
Not because of some dramatic life-changing moment.
Not because of a movie-worthy realization.
Mostly because Daniela walked into the living room half-asleep wearing one of Megan’s old hoodies while Indie balanced on her hip, hair messy, looking exhausted and beautiful and deeply annoyed at existence.
“Why are you awake?” Daniela mumbled.
Megan held up a tiny sock.
“She owns clothes smaller than my hand.”
“That’s because she’s a baby.”
“That still feels fake.”
Daniela smiled sleepily.
Then Indie sneezed directly onto Daniela’s shoulder.
Daniela sighed.
“Wonderful.”
And for some reason, watching Daniela casually survive motherhood while looking like she wanted to fistfight the universe made something in Megan’s chest settle permanently.
Oh.
That’s it.
That’s my person forever.
Which was terrifying.
Because Megan had just turned twenty.
Twenty.
That was barely an adult.
She still got carded buying energy drinks sometimes.
And yet somehow she had a baby and a girlfriend she wanted to legally emotionally attach herself to forever.
Insane.
Still.
The feeling wouldn’t leave.
Especially not after one random Tuesday when Daniela fell asleep against Megan’s shoulder during a movie while Indie snored softly in her bassinet nearby.
Megan looked down at both of them and thought:
Yeah.
Done.
Ruined forever.
The actual planning started horribly.
Because Megan was bad at secrets.
Tragically bad.
She accidentally almost proposed three separate times just trying to “test the vibe.”
One time she stared at Daniela too long during breakfast and blurted:
“How would you feel hypothetically about commitment?”
Daniela looked up slowly from coffee.
“Megan.”
“What?”
“You look like you’re about to ask me to join a cult.”
Another time Megan opened TikTok and got emotional over wedding videos.
Which led to this exchange:
“Why are you crying at strangers?”
“The bride said her wife felt like home.”
Daniela blinked.
“…You need sleep.”
Eventually Megan realized she needed help.
Unfortunately the only available adult was Sophia.
Which was risky because Sophia treated emotional vulnerability like a sport.
Megan cornered her in the kitchen one afternoon while Daniela was out grocery shopping with Indie.
Sophia immediately narrowed her eyes.
“Why do you look guilty?”
“I need advice.”
“Oh no.”
“It’s serious.”
Sophia leaned against the counter dramatically.
“This better not be another diaper rash emergency.”
Megan lowered her voice.
“I think I want to propose.”
Silence.
Sophia stared at her.
Then:
“…What?”
Megan immediately started panicking.
“See, this is why I didn’t want to tell you.”
“No, hold on.” Sophia pointed at her aggressively. “You’re serious?”
Megan nodded nervously.
Sophia looked genuinely stunned for once in her life.
“You’re twenty.”
“I know.”
“You own two plates.”
“We have more plates now.”
“That’s not the point.”
Megan sat down heavily at the kitchen table.
“I know it sounds insane.”
“It does.”
“But also…” Megan laughed weakly. “We literally already have a child.”
Sophia paused.
Fair.
Megan rubbed both hands over her face.
“I know we’re young. I know this is objectively ridiculous. But every time I think about the future, she’s there.”
Sophia’s expression softened slightly.
“And you think marriage changes something?”
Megan looked toward the hallway instinctively, like Daniela might magically appear.
“No,” she admitted quietly.
“I think it just makes official what already happened.”
Well.
That was disgustingly sincere.
Sophia looked uncomfortable immediately.
“Okay. Ew.”
Megan rolled her eyes.
“But,” Sophia continued, “that was weirdly sweet.”
Megan groaned.
“I’m being emotionally vulnerable and you’re bullying me.”
“That’s our dynamic.”
Megan leaned forward anxiously.
“So?”
“So what?”
“Do you think she’ll say yes?”
Sophia stared at her for a long second.
Then snorted.
“Megan. Daniela got accidentally pregnant by you and still decided you were worth keeping around.”
“That’s true.”
“She’s obsessed with you.”
“She yells at me constantly.”
“She yells at everyone constantly.”
Also true.
Megan bit nervously at her sleeve.
“I want to do it somewhere nice.”
Sophia’s eyes narrowed immediately.
“Oh no.”
“What?”
“You have a plan.”
Megan smiled slowly.
“…Paris.”
Sophia nearly choked on her drink.
“PARIS?”
“Dani loves Paris.”
“She’s never even been to Paris.”
“She loves the idea of Paris.”
“That’s somehow worse.”
Megan grinned despite herself.
“I already looked at tickets.”
“You’re insane.”
“Probably.”
Sophia crossed her arms.
“When exactly are you planning this?”
Megan hesitated.
“…Next month?”
“Oh my God.”
“And I need you to babysit.”
Sophia burst out laughing instantly.
“There it is.”
“I’ll pay you.”
“You’ll have to.”
“I know.”
Sophia pointed toward the baby monitor sitting on the counter.
“That tiny creature screams like she’s fighting demons.”
“She’s expressive.”
“She’s loud.”
Megan smiled.
“So?”
Sophia sighed dramatically.
“You owe me money.”
“Yes.”
“And food.”
“Yes.”
“And emotional damages.”
“Deal.”
Sophia narrowed her eyes.
“You really love her, huh?”
Megan looked startled by how easy the answer came.
“Yeah.”
No hesitation.
None.
Sophia noticed immediately.
And something softened in her expression.
“Alright,” she said finally. “I’ll watch Indie.”
Megan nearly collapsed in relief.
“Oh thank God.”
“But if your child has a meltdown at three a.m., I’m sending you a bill.”
“That’s fair.”
The hardest part was keeping the trip secret from Daniela.
Because Daniela noticed everything.
Especially weird Megan behavior.
Which unfortunately increased dramatically.
Megan kept checking her phone nervously.
Double-checking hotel bookings.
Staring at ring websites at three in the morning like a Victorian widow.
Daniela caught her once.
“…Are you buying drugs?”
Megan looked horrified.
“What?!”
“You’re acting suspicious.”
“I’m not acting suspicious.”
“You just slammed your laptop shut like you work for the CIA.”
Megan laughed too hard.
Which made it worse.
Eventually she just blurted:
“I booked us a trip.”
Daniela blinked.
“A trip?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
Megan shrugged casually with the energy of someone absolutely not casual.
“Thought it’d be nice.”
Daniela narrowed her eyes immediately.
“You’re being weird.”
“I’m literally always weird.”
Fair.
Then Megan said:
“It’s Paris.”
And suddenly Daniela forgot to be suspicious because she started screaming.
Actual screaming.
“No way.”
“Yes way.”
“Megan!”
Daniela launched herself at her so fast Megan almost fell over.
“You booked Paris?!”
“Please stop shaking me.”
“Oh my God.”
Daniela was glowing instantly.
Actually glowing.
Which made Megan briefly consider proposing immediately in the kitchen next to the microwave.
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Instead she kissed Daniela quickly before she accidentally ruined her own surprise.
“You deserve something nice,” Megan said softly.
Daniela looked at her for a second too long.
Then smiled.
And Megan’s stomach flipped so hard she nearly confessed everything on the spot.
The airport morning was chaos immediately.
Indie was fussy because she somehow sensed abandonment.
Sophia looked exhausted already.
Daniela cried while packing for absolutely no reason.
“I’m gonna miss her.”
“You’re leaving for four days,” Sophia said.
“That’s years in baby time.”
“She literally will not remember.”
“She’ll feel abandoned emotionally.”
Megan snorted while dragging suitcases toward the door.
Indie sat in Sophia’s arms wearing a tiny duck-print onesie looking deeply judgmental.
Sophia bounced her lightly.
“Your parents are dramatic.”
Indie sneezed.
“See? She agrees.”
Daniela kissed Indie’s tiny forehead approximately fourteen times before finally stepping back.
“Call me if anything happens.”
Sophia looked offended.
“I have kept her alive this long, haven’t I?”
“That’s not reassuring.”
Megan checked her phone nervously.
“We’re gonna miss our flight.”
“We can’t miss our flight,” Daniela gasped.
“Then shoes. Now.”
The Uber ride to the airport was a disaster because Daniela kept suddenly remembering she had left her baby behind and looking emotional again.
Megan held her hand the whole way there.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Normal no or emotional no?”
“Both.”
Megan kissed the back of her hand softly.
“She’s with Sophia.”
“That’s what scares me.”
Fair.
____
The airport was hell immediately.
Not cute romcom airport chaos.
Not aesthetic travel influencer airport chaos.
Real airport chaos.
Bright lights. Crying kids. Rolling suitcases attacking ankles at high speeds. A man yelling into his phone like he was negotiating world peace. Somebody coughing directly into the atmosphere.
Daniela stopped dead the second they walked inside JFK.
“Oh,” she said blankly.
Megan adjusted both backpacks on her shoulders.
“Yeah.”
“This is evil.”
“It’s six in the morning. Everyone here is fighting demons.”
Daniela grabbed onto Megan’s hoodie sleeve automatically as people shoved past them.
The airport somehow smelled like coffee, stress, and burnt pretzels simultaneously.
Megan checked the departure board nervously.
Their flight was technically on time.
Which felt fake.
Daniela looked around miserably.
“I already want to go home.”
“You said that before we even got through the doors.”
“I stand by it.”
Megan smiled tiredly and leaned down to kiss her forehead quickly.
“You’ll survive.”
Daniela narrowed her eyes.
“You say that like you’re not also stressed.”
Megan was stressed.
Extremely stressed.
Not just airport stressed.
Proposal stressed.
She had the ring hidden in her backpack.
Which meant every TSA employee in the building suddenly became her mortal enemy.
Daniela noticed her weird behavior immediately.
“You’re twitching.”
“I’m not twitching.”
“You look like you swallowed a live bee.”
Megan laughed too fast.
“I hate airports.”
“You flew once and slept through most of it.”
“That’s not relevant.”
Security was worse.
Obviously.
Because TSA operated like a social experiment designed to humble people.
“Take off your shoes.”
Daniela groaned.
“My shoes are emotionally complicated.”
“Laptops out.”
Megan nearly had a heart attack.
Because ring.
Ring in backpack.
Ring potentially visible.
Ring potentially ruining the entire plan in front of a TSA agent named Rick.
Megan immediately started sweating.
Daniela looked over.
“Oh my God. Are you scared of airport security?”
“No.”
“You literally look ill.”
“I just hate authority.”
That was believable enough.
Then came the backpack scan.
Megan watched her bag disappear into the machine like it contained nuclear launch codes.
Her stomach dropped.
Daniela was already through the scanner waiting for her.
Then—
The TSA agent frowned slightly at the screen.
Megan almost died instantly.
The agent pointed vaguely.
“Bag check.”
Megan’s soul left her body.
“Oh no,” Daniela whispered dramatically beside her. “They found the drugs.”
“There are no drugs.”
“That’s exactly what somebody with drugs says.”
The TSA guy unzipped Megan’s backpack while Megan stood there visibly dissociating.
Daniela noticed immediately.
“You okay?”
“No.”
The agent dug around casually.
Clothes.
Chargers.
Snacks.
The small velvet ring box hidden under folded hoodies.
Megan’s heart stopped completely.
Then the agent pulled out—
A juice pouch.
“You can’t bring this through.”
Megan blinked.
“…What?”
“This is over the liquid limit.”
Megan stared at the juice pouch like it had personally betrayed her.
Daniela burst out laughing immediately.
“Oh my God.”
Megan grabbed her chest dramatically.
“I just experienced cardiac arrest.”
The TSA guy did not care.
“Throw it out or check the bag.”
Megan silently threw away the juice pouch like she was attending a funeral.
Daniela was still laughing as they walked away.
“You looked terrified.”
“You don’t understand.”
“No, I really don’t.”
Megan looked at her.
Then immediately looked away because she absolutely did not need prolonged eye contact while secretly transporting an engagement ring through federal security.
The terminal itself somehow felt louder.
People everywhere.
Announcements every six seconds.
A toddler screaming like he’d seen the face of God.
Daniela sat heavily beside the gate.
“I miss Indie.”
Megan sat beside her immediately.
“It’s been like an hour.”
“I know.”
Megan softened instantly.
Because despite the complaining and dramatics and emotional instability, Daniela had become so attached to their daughter it physically hurt her to leave.
Megan intertwined their fingers gently.
“She’s okay.”
Daniela leaned against her shoulder with a sigh.
“I know.”
Then quieter:
“It’s weird being away from her.”
Megan nodded.
“Yeah.”
A pause.
Then Daniela tilted her head up slightly.
“You’re still acting weird.”
Megan immediately panicked.
“What?”
“You keep staring into space.”
“I’m tired.”
“You drank two coffees.”
“That means nothing.”
Daniela narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
Megan kissed her before she could investigate further.
Which worked beautifully.
For about thirty seconds.
Then boarding started.
And suddenly everyone transformed into violent livestock.
People surged forward instantly despite assigned seating existing for a reason.
Daniela looked horrified.
“Why are they running?”
“They think the plane will leave without them.”
“It literally can’t.”
“Logic doesn’t survive airports.”
Megan grabbed both carry-ons while Daniela held onto her sleeve again so they wouldn’t get separated in the crowd.
Honestly?
Megan kind of loved that Daniela did that.
The instinctive reaching for her.
Like losing Megan in a crowd simply wasn’t an option anymore.
The plane itself was surprisingly calm.
Which felt unnatural after the airport disaster.
Dim lights.
Quiet chatter.
Soft engine noise.
Daniela immediately curled against the window dramatically.
“I forgive airplanes slightly.”
Megan settled beside her, exhausted already.
The second the plane took off, Daniela grabbed Megan’s hand hard enough to damage bone structure.
“You hate flying this much?” Megan whispered.
“I hate not being in control of gravity.”
“That’s fair.”
Ten minutes later Daniela was asleep against her shoulder.
Fully unconscious.
Like her body had simply powered down from stress.
Megan looked down at her carefully.
Messy hair.
Slight pout even while sleeping.
One hand still loosely holding onto Megan’s hoodie sleeve.
Megan smiled before she could stop herself.
Then she glanced down toward her backpack under the seat.
Where the ring still sat hidden.
And suddenly her stomach flipped all over again.
Because holy shit.
This was real.
She was actually going to ask Daniela to marry her.
Which was insane.
Beautiful.
Terrifying.
And somehow the easiest decision Megan had ever made.
Daniela stirred slightly against her shoulder.
Half-asleep, she mumbled:
“You’re staring again.”
Megan laughed quietly.
“Go back to sleep.”
Daniela hummed softly.
Then, eyes still closed, she whispered:
“Love you.”
Megan’s entire chest hurt instantly.
“Love you too,” she whispered back.
And for the first time all day, everything felt calm.
____
Paris did not look real.
That was Daniela’s first opinion stepping out of the taxi.
It looked fake.
Like somebody had designed an entire city specifically to make people become unbearably emotional.
The streets were glowing gold in the late afternoon light.
Tiny cafés everywhere.
People sitting outside drinking espresso like they had nowhere else to be.
Even the air smelled expensive somehow.
Daniela stepped onto the sidewalk slowly, staring around in complete disbelief.
“Oh my God.”
Megan smiled immediately.
“Good reaction?”
“This place looks like a movie.”
The hotel sat on a quieter street near the river, all old stone and balconies with plants hanging over the railings.
Daniela grabbed Megan’s arm instantly.
“Megan.”
“What?”
“This hotel has a chandelier.”
“Okay?”
“You don’t understand. We are chandelier people now.”
Megan laughed while dragging their suitcases inside.
“You sound deeply emotional about lighting fixtures.”
“I am.”
The room itself nearly killed Daniela on impact.
Big windows.
Soft cream-colored walls.
A tiny balcony overlooking the street.
And a bed so absurdly large Daniela immediately faceplanted onto it dramatically.
“Oh, this mattress cost more than my entire childhood.”
Megan dropped onto the bed beside her.
“You’re so American.”
“You’re also American.”
“Unfortunately.”
Daniela turned her head to look at her.
Then smiled slowly.
And Megan’s stomach did that stupid flipping thing again.
God.
She was so in love it was humiliating.
Daniela reached over lazily and poked Megan’s cheek.
“You did good.”
Megan shrugged casually despite internally combusting.
“Thought you deserved Paris.”
Daniela looked at her for a second too long again.
Then leaned over and kissed her softly.
Slow.
Warm.
No rushing.
Megan melted instantly.
“Careful,” she murmured against Daniela’s mouth. “I might start crying.”
“You cry when Indie sneezes.”
“That’s different.”
“It literally isn’t.”
They ended up wandering the city for hours that first evening.
No real plan.
Just walking.
Which turned out to be Daniela’s favorite thing immediately.
Every ten seconds she stopped to stare at something.
A bookstore.
A bridge.
A tiny bakery window full of pastries that looked too pretty to legally eat.
“Megan,” Daniela whispered urgently at one point, grabbing her sleeve.
“What?”
“Look at that dog.”
Megan looked.
It was just a dog.
A normal dog.
But Daniela looked genuinely moved by the experience.
“You’re having a spiritual crisis over a French bulldog.”
“He had a little sweater.”
“That’s fair.”
At some point Megan realized Daniela hadn’t stopped smiling in almost an hour.
That alone made the entire trip worth it.
They stopped near the Seine just as the sun started setting.
And suddenly Paris became unbearable.
Couples everywhere.
Lights reflecting off the water.
Music drifting faintly from somewhere nearby.
Daniela leaned against the railing staring out at the river.
“This is disgusting.”
Megan blinked.
“What?”
“It’s too romantic. I feel manipulated.”
Megan laughed.
“You love it.”
“I do,” Daniela admitted immediately.
A tourist nearby offered to take their picture.
Which somehow turned into fifteen pictures because Daniela kept hating the angle.
“I look weird.”
“You always say that.”
“My face is being aggressive.”
Megan looked at the photos.
“You literally just have eyebrows.”
“Exactly.”
Eventually they managed one Daniela approved of.
Mostly because Megan was kissing her cheek in it and Daniela looked too distracted to critique herself properly.
Megan secretly made it her phone wallpaper immediately.
The next day they visited every stereotypical tourist location possible.
The Louvre.
Tiny cafés.
Bookstores Daniela insisted smelled “academically attractive.”
Megan mostly just watched Daniela experience everything.
That became her favorite part.
Watching Daniela point excitedly at buildings like she’d never seen architecture before.
Watching her attempt broken French with terrifying confidence.
Watching her get emotional over pastries.
“This croissant changed me as a person,” Daniela announced dramatically.
Megan sipped her coffee.
“You say that about most foods.”
“No, this one spiritually healed me.”
Megan smiled into her drink.
At one point they ended up sitting in the grass near the Eiffel Tower while Daniela sorted through the hundreds of pictures on her phone.
“There are thirty photos of me looking confused.”
“You do look confused a lot.”
Daniela looked up sharply.
“Rude.”
“It’s affectionate.”
Daniela scooted closer until their shoulders touched.
The weather was cool enough for hoodies.
Megan’s hoodie specifically.
Because Daniela kept stealing them.
“You know,” Daniela said casually, scrolling through pictures, “I genuinely thought we were gonna ruin each other’s lives.”
Megan blinked.
“That’s a crazy sentence.”
“I’m serious.”
Daniela looked down at her phone again.
“When I found out I was pregnant, I thought everything was over.”
Megan stayed quiet.
Daniela smiled softly.
“But somehow things just… happened.”
Megan looked at her carefully.
Daniela looked happier lately.
Still tired sometimes.
Still emotional.
But lighter.
More settled.
Indie had changed both of them completely.
Not in the dramatic life-over way people warned them about.
Just… reshaped them.
Made them softer in strange places.
Megan bumped her shoulder gently against Daniela’s.
“You know what’s weird?”
“What?”
“I can’t really remember my life before you anymore.”
Daniela looked over immediately.
Megan shrugged awkwardly.
“Not in a creepy way.”
“That sounded a little creepy.”
“You know what I mean.”
Daniela did.
Because she felt it too.
Their lives had tangled together so quickly and so completely that untangling them now felt impossible.
Not even in a bad way.
Just true.
Daniela leaned over and kissed her again.
Soft at first.
Then lingering.
Megan smiled into it.
People passed around them constantly but neither cared anymore.
Paris apparently did that to people.
Made public affection feel legally encouraged.
When they pulled apart, Daniela rested her forehead briefly against Megan’s.
“You’re staring again.”
Megan laughed quietly.
“You’re pretty.”
Daniela rolled her eyes automatically.
But she was blushing slightly.
Which Megan loved.
A lot.
Later that night they walked back through the city with Daniela tucked against Megan’s side while lights glittered across the river.
Megan kept touching the ring box hidden in her coat pocket every few minutes just to make sure it was still there.
Tomorrow.
Tomorrow she’d ask.
And every time she thought about it, her stomach immediately attempted to leave her body.
Daniela noticed her fidgeting eventually.
“You’re weirdly nervous tonight.”
Megan nearly tripped on the sidewalk.
“What?”
“You keep checking your pockets.”
“Oh.”
Daniela narrowed her eyes suspiciously again.
“You’re hiding something.”
Megan looked at her.
Beautiful.
Sleepy.
Paris glowing around her like a stupid romance movie.
And somehow still completely unaware.
Megan smiled weakly.
“Maybe a little.”
Daniela pointed at her immediately.
“I knew it.”
Then she kissed Megan before she could investigate further.
Which honestly should’ve been illegal because Megan almost proposed right there outside a bakery.
Instead she just kissed Daniela back beneath the lights of Paris while her heart beat itself nearly to death.
____
Megan barely slept the night before.
Not because of jet lag.
Not because of the city noise outside.
Because every single time she closed her eyes, her brain immediately screamed:
You are going to ask Daniela Avanzini to marry you.
Then her stomach would flip violently and she’d wake back up again.
At around three in the morning, Daniela rolled over sleepily and squinted at her.
“Why are you awake?”
Megan answered too fast.
“I’m not.”
“You literally are.”
Daniela reached out blindly until she found Megan’s hoodie sleeve, wrapping sleepy fingers around it automatically.
“Come to bed properly,” she mumbled.
Megan looked at her for a second.
Hair messy against the pillow.
Half asleep.
Still somehow beautiful enough to make Megan feel mildly ill.
Megan climbed back under the blankets immediately.
Daniela curled against her without thinking.
And Megan stared at the ceiling thinking:
Oh my God.
Oh my God.
The next morning was worse.
Because now there was a deadline.
A real one.
Megan had the ring hidden inside the inner pocket of her coat and every second felt like she was smuggling illegal emotional devastation.
Meanwhile Daniela was having the best day of her life completely unaware.
She spent breakfast dramatically ranking pastries.
“This one tastes expensive.”
“That’s because we’re in Paris.”
“No, this tastes emotionally wealthy.”
Megan laughed nervously into her coffee.
Daniela narrowed her eyes immediately.
“You’re still acting weird.”
“I’m normal.”
“You’ve said approximately six words all morning.”
“I’m reflective.”
“You’re sweating.”
“It’s warm.”
“It’s forty degrees.”
Okay.
Fair.
Megan was catastrophically obvious when nervous.
Which meant she spent most of the day aggressively trying not to act suspicious.
Unfortunately that just made her more suspicious.
At one point Daniela stopped walking entirely and stared at her.
“You’re gonna tell me if you accidentally committed a crime here, right?”
Megan choked on absolutely nothing.
“What?”
“You’re acting guilty.”
“I’m acting romantic.”
“You’re acting haunted.”
That was also fair.
Still, somehow Daniela didn’t figure it out.
Possibly because Paris kept distracting her every thirty seconds.
The plan itself was simple.
Simple in theory anyway.
Megan wanted somewhere quieter.
Somewhere that felt like them.
Not a giant public proposal surrounded by tourists livestreaming strangers for TikTok.
So that evening, just before sunset, Megan dragged Daniela away from the busier streets toward the river again.
Daniela looked suspicious immediately.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.”
“That’s evil.”
“You’re dramatic.”
Daniela grabbed Megan’s hand tightly while they walked.
The city glowed around them softly now.
Golden light reflecting off buildings.
Music drifting faintly from somewhere nearby.
Everything looked unreal.
Eventually they reached a quieter stretch near the Seine where fewer people wandered.
Daniela leaned against the railing with a soft sigh.
“This city is so annoying.”
Megan smiled nervously.
“Because you love it?”
“Exactly.”
For a second they just stood there together listening to the water.
Then Daniela looked over.
And immediately frowned.
“Megan.”
“What?”
“You look like you’re gonna throw up.”
Megan laughed weakly.
“Probably.”
That got Daniela’s full attention.
“Wait. Are you okay?”
Megan nodded too quickly.
“Yep.”
“You’re pale.”
“I’m emotionally delicate.”
“Megan.”
Megan exhaled shakily.
Her heart was beating so hard it actually hurt now.
Daniela stepped closer immediately.
“Hey.”
Megan looked at her.
Big mistake.
Because Daniela’s expression softened instantly in that worried, warm way that always completely ruined her.
“You’re freaking me out a little,” Daniela admitted quietly.
Megan laughed again.
Then suddenly she couldn’t do standing anymore.
So she just—
Dropped to one knee.
Daniela froze instantly.
Actually froze.
Like her entire brain disconnected.
“Megan,” she whispered.
Megan’s hands were shaking so badly it was almost embarrassing.
She pulled the ring box out carefully.
Opened it.
And for a second neither of them breathed.
Daniela stared at the ring like it had personally insulted her.
Then looked at Megan.
Then back at the ring.
Then back at Megan again.
“Oh my God.”
Megan laughed nervously.
“Yeah.”
Daniela covered her mouth immediately.
“Megan.”
Megan’s voice shook.
“I know we’re young.”
Daniela’s eyes filled instantly.
“I know this is insane timing and our lives are chaos like… constantly.”
A tear rolled down Daniela’s face.
Megan nearly lost all coherent thought immediately.
“But you’re it for me,” Megan said softly.
Daniela made this tiny broken sound in the back of her throat.
Megan kept going before she chickened out completely.
“You’re my favorite person. Even when we’re exhausted and fighting and covered in baby spit-up and losing our minds.”
Daniela was crying openly now.
Hard.
People passing nearby were definitely staring.
Neither cared.
Megan smiled shakily.
“You made my life feel real.”
That fully destroyed Daniela.
Tears immediately doubled.
“Oh my God,” she choked out.
“And Indie already trapped us together forever anyway,” Megan added weakly.
Daniela laughed through tears.
“Megan—”
“So…” Megan swallowed hard. “Will you marry me?”
Silence.
Daniela just stared at her.
Crying so hard now she could barely breathe.
Then suddenly:
“Fuck you.”
Megan blinked.
“What?”
But Daniela was laughing and crying at the same time now, covering her face with both hands.
“Fuck you, Megan Skiendiel.”
Megan stared at her in complete panic.
“That sounds bad.”
Daniela shook her head immediately.
“No, I just—”
She laughed again helplessly.
“Oh my God.”
Megan stood halfway instinctively.
“Was that not—”
“Yes!”
Daniela grabbed her arm immediately.
“Yes, obviously yes, you idiot.”
Megan’s entire body visibly lost tension at once.
“Oh thank God.”
Daniela was still crying aggressively.
“You took me to Paris?”
“You like Paris.”
“You’re insane.”
“That’s been established already.”
Daniela pulled her up fully and kissed her before Megan could say anything else.
Hard.
Immediate.
Tear-stained and messy and emotional enough to make nearby strangers smile knowingly.
When they finally pulled apart, Daniela grabbed Megan’s face with both hands.
“I hate you a little.”
Megan laughed breathlessly.
“That’s fair.”
“You made me cry in public.”
“You cry at yogurt commercials.”
“That’s different.”
Megan slid the ring carefully onto Daniela’s finger.
And both of them went weirdly quiet for a second after it settled there.
Because suddenly it was real.
Actually real.
Daniela stared down at it.
Then back at Megan.
Then immediately started crying again.
“Oh no,” Megan said automatically.
“You’re so annoying,” Daniela whispered tearfully.
Megan kissed her forehead softly.
“You said yes though.”
Daniela wrapped both arms around her neck immediately.
“Obviously I said yes.”
Then quieter:
“You’re my person too.”
That nearly killed Megan on impact.
Around them Paris kept glowing and moving and existing normally while their entire lives shifted permanently beside the river.
And honestly?
It felt right.