CHAPTER THIRTEEN:
The harbor was alive that night. Lanterns swung gently in the breeze, casting golden ripples across the water. Musicians played near the tavern, their songs drifting over the rocks, mixing with laughter and the soft crash of waves.
Zack had asked Vanessa to meet him by the pier, saying only that he had a surprise.
She arrived in a flowing dress, the color of the sea at twilight, her hair loose around her shoulders. When she spotted him waiting with his hands behind his back, her heart skipped a beat. There was something in his stance, steady, serious, almost vulnerable, that made her pulse race.
"Zack, she greeted, her smile warm. "What's all this?"
He took a step closer, drinking her in as though she were the only light in the world. "Vanessa, he said softly, "you know I've lived my life chasing horizons. The sea has always been my first home, my fiercest love. But then you came along."
Her breath caught.
"You're not a harbor I pass through," he continued, his voice thick with emotion. "You're the anchor I didn't know I was searching for. The one thing strong enough to keep me steady when the waves try to pull me under."
Slowly, he dropped to one knee. From behind his back, he revealed the small velvet box, opening it to show the sapphire ring, deep blue, shining like the ocean itself.
Vanessa gashed, her hand flying to her mouth.
"Marry me," Zack said simply. His voice trembled, but his eyes burned with certainty. "Be my compass. My forever. My home."
Tear blurred her vision. For a heartbeat, she could only stare, her chest aching with the swell of emotion. Then she dropped to her knees in front of him, cupping his face in her hands.
"Yes," she whispered, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Yes, Zack. A thousand times, yes."
The crows nearby had noticed, cheers and applause breaking out around them, but neither cared. Zack slid the ring onto her finger, then pulled her into his arms, kissing her as though the world had stopped. The taste of salt and tears of laughter and promise filled the night air.
When they finally broke apart, breathless and glowing, Vanessa leaned her forehead against his. "You'll always chase horizons," she murmured. "But now, you'll always come home to me."
"Always," Zack vowed.
And as the sea whispered against the shore, they knew; this was the beginning of forever.