"Forbidden Love"

Chapter 16 (Book II)

We walked into the restaurant, not a single soul was present. The whole restaurant was lit by candles, and the windows on the ceiling were so polished that you could see the bright moon and the blinking stars outside.

“Why is it so empty here?” April asked nervously.

I just chuckled at her nervousness.

Then I called for the waitress to come and serve us.

Over dinner, we got caught up over what had happened over the past few years when we've been separated.

“Did you date anyone?” I asked, my heart speeding up.

“No.”

“Oh.”

“Did you marry anyone?” She asked, raising an eyebrow, teasing me.

I pouted, “Stop that. I didn't like that girl anyways. My mother arranged her to marry me.”

“What happened to your mother? And I heard about your father…” She trailed off.

“She's not my mother,” I said, and explained to her everything.

“Wow… What a life,” she said, chuckling.

“Yea…” I agreed.

Then the desserts came out.

The time has come.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my palpitating heart.

April slowly dug into her cake with her spoon, and then she gave a weird, small laugh.

“What is this Tristan oppa?"

Slowly, I got up from my seat at the table across from her, and walked over to her, took the ring out of the cake and knelt on the ground in front of her.

… I licked the icing off the ring, and she began to laugh at me.

I pouted.

“Stop laughing!” I whined.

She stopped immediately, and I continued with my ruined proposal, “April..."

“I know that I haven't been beside you for the past few years. If I'd known about what you were going through I would've tried to find you sooner.  I wouldn't have ever left your side. I know that even if I say sorry, it won't bring back the hardships that Chan Mi had to go through at school because she didn't have a father. But I promise I'll make it up to you two for the rest of my life. April… Will you marry me?”

Her eyes fogged up with tears as she nodded her head, smiling beautifully, a few tears escaping. I wiped her tears away, and I slid the ring onto her finger.

The two of us were finally together after so long.