Ethan
One year later, I stood at the back of the university auditorium, watching Olivia command the stage. She wasn't a candidate anymore; she was President Chen, and she was in her element. She was delivering her first "State of the University" address, and she was magnificent. She was poised, passionate, and so brilliant it still took my breath away.
She'd had an incredible year. She'd implemented half of her platform, including the mentorship program and a complete overhaul of the student budget process. She'd even managed to get my student-run investment fund approved, giving me full credit for the idea. She was, by all accounts, the most effective and popular student president in Westridge history.
And I was the proudest boyfriend in the world. My own life had changed in ways I never could have predicted. Working with my father at the foundation wasn't a chore; it was a calling. I'd found a passion for philanthropy, for using my privilege and my connections to actually make a difference. My relationship with my dad had transformed from a cold war into a genuine partnership. And Dylan, thanks to the new treatment, was doing better than he had in years. He was even talking about applying to Westridge.
After Olivia's speech, as she was mobbed by admirers and student journalists, I hung back, content to watch her shine. This was her world, and I loved being a part of it, even from the sidelines.
Mia found me, handing me a bottle of water. "She's something else, isn't she?" she said, a proud, sisterly glow on her face.
"She's everything," I agreed, my eyes never leaving Olivia.
"And you," Mia said, giving me a playful nudge. "You're not so bad yourself, Mr. Philanthropist. Who knew that under all that hair gel and charm, there was a genuinely good guy?"
"It's all an act," I said with a grin. "Don't tell anyone."
Eventually, Olivia extricated herself from the crowd and made her way to me. Her face was flushed with excitement, her eyes sparkling.
"How was I?" she asked, a hint of vulnerability in her voice that only I was privileged enough to hear.
"You were perfect," I said, taking her hand. "As always."
"I was so nervous," she confessed. "I kept looking for you in the crowd."
"I was right here," I said, squeezing her hand. "Always."
We walked out of the auditorium, hand in hand, the comfortable, easy gesture of a couple who had found their rhythm. The days of secret meetings and stolen kisses were long gone. We were just Olivia and Ethan, a campus fixture, the unlikely pair that everyone now saw as inevitable.
"I have a surprise for you," I said as we walked across the quad, the evening sky painted in shades of orange and pink.
"Oh?" she said, her eyebrow raised. "Is it a spreadsheet? Because that's my love language."
"Even better," I said, leading her towards the student union.
I took her to the main atrium, the very spot where she had announced her candidacy, where I had so arrogantly crashed her party and declared my own. The room was empty now, quiet in the fading light.
"This is where it all started," I said, standing in the center of the room. "The worst and best day of my life. The day I met the most infuriating woman in the world."
"I seem to recall you calling me boring," she said, a playful glint in her eye.
"I was an idiot," I said, turning to face her. "I was a boy trying to get his father's attention. I had no idea I was meeting the woman who would change my entire life."
I took a deep breath, my heart hammering against my ribs. This was scarier than any debate, scarier than any phone call with my father.
"I've been doing a lot of thinking," I said, my voice thick with emotion. "About my future. About our future. And my five-year plan, which I never had until I met you, is basically just… you. Whatever you're doing, wherever you're going… that's where I want to be."
I reached into my pocket, my fingers closing around the small, velvet box. "You're the president, and I'm just a guy who got lucky. But I'm hoping you'll consider one more merger."
I got down on one knee, the stone floor cold beneath my jeans. I opened the box, revealing a simple, elegant diamond ring that had belonged to my grandmother.
Olivia gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. Her beautiful, intelligent eyes filled with tears.
"Olivia Chen," I said, my voice shaking but my heart full of a certainty I had never known. "You are my best friend, my favorite rival, and the love of my life. I know you have a plan to conquer the world. I just want to be your partner while you do it. Will you marry me?"
She was crying and laughing at the same time, a beautiful, messy, wonderful sight. She didn't even hesitate.
"Yes," she breathed, nodding vigorously. "Yes. Of course, yes."
I slid the ring onto her finger, a perfect fit. I stood up, and she launched herself into my arms, kissing me with a fierce, joyful passion that left me breathless.
We had started in this room as enemies, two ambitious rivals on a collision course. And now, a year later, we were leaving it as partners for life. The bet was long over. And we had both won more than we could have ever imagined.