Nick ended things with Victoria, he moved back to were you live, occasionally flying out to LA for auditions and press but he vowed to fix y'all's relationship and he was going to do whatever it took for him to be yours.
It had been months since you agreed to give Nicholas a chance to prove himself, and you couldn't deny he'd kept his word. He didn't rush you or push for answers you weren't ready to give. Instead, he showed up—texting you to check in, inviting you to coffee, meeting you for walks in the park where everything between you had restarted.
Slowly, you began to lower your guard. Slowly, you allowed yourself to see glimpses of the man he had become.
But trust was still a fragile thing, and it wasn't something you gave freely. Some nights, you lay awake, questioning whether you were making a mistake. Was it worth risking your heart again for the man who had once shattered it?
Tonight, those thoughts weighed heavier than ever as you sat across from Nicholas at a quiet restaurant. He'd invited you out for dinner—nothing formal, just two people getting to know each other again. But the way his leg bounced nervously under the table told you he had something on his mind.
"What's going on, Nick?" you asked, setting your fork down.
He looked up, startled, as if you'd caught him off guard. "What do you mean?"
"You're fidgeting," you said, raising an eyebrow. "You only do that when you're nervous."
A small smile tugged at his lips, but it quickly faded. "I guess I am nervous."
You leaned back in your chair, crossing your arms. "Why?"
He hesitated, his fingers tracing the edge of his glass. "Because I don't want to mess this up. I don't want to lose you again."
Your heart clenched at the vulnerability in his voice. "You're not going to lose me, Nick. Not unless you give me a reason to walk away."
He nodded, his eyes locked on yours. "I know. That's why I need to say this."
You tilted your head, unsure of where he was going.
"I've spent a lot of time thinking about us," he said, his voice steady despite the emotion behind it. "About what we had, what we lost, and what we're trying to rebuild. And I realized something. I left back then because I was afraid. Afraid of failing, of holding you back, of not being enough. But I'm not afraid anymore."
You held your breath, your pulse quickening as his words sank in.
"I don't want to live with regrets," he continued. "I don't want to look back and wonder what could've been. I want to fight for us, Y/N. Not just now, but every day. For the rest of my life."
Your eyes widened as he stood, reaching into his pocket. Before you could fully process what was happening, he knelt in front of you, holding a small velvet box in his hand.
"Nick..."
"Let me finish," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "I know this isn't the most traditional way to do this, and I know we're still figuring things out. But I love you. I've always loved you. And I don't want to waste another second pretending I don't know what I want."
He opened the box, revealing a delicate, sparkling ring.
"I'm not asking for us to go back to the way things were," he said softly. "I'm asking for a future. A fresh start. Will you marry me, Y/N?"
Your breath caught in your throat as tears welled in your eyes. This was the moment you had dreamed of once, long ago. The moment you thought had been lost forever.
But now it was here, real and tangible, and it terrified you.
"Nick," you whispered, your voice trembling. "This... this is so fast."
"I know," he said, his gaze unwavering. "But I've spent too long running from the truth. I love you. And I'm willing to wait as long as it takes for you to believe that."
The world seemed to blur around you, your heart pounding in your chest. This was everything you had ever wanted, but it wasn't simple.
Finally, you spoke, your voice steady despite the tears streaming down your face. "I can't give you an answer right now."
His face fell slightly, but he nodded, his respect for your boundaries clear in his eyes. "I understand."
"But," you added, taking his hand in yours, "I'm not saying no. I just... I need time."
A smile broke across his face, his relief palpable. "Take all the time you need."
You looked down at the ring, its beauty a reminder of the life he wanted to build with you. And for the first time, you allowed yourself to believe that maybe, just maybe, the pieces of your broken hearts could come together again.
As Nicholas stood and sat back down across from you, the tension eased. The conversation shifted to lighter topics, laughter filling the space where uncertainty had once been.
And though you hadn't said yes, you knew deep down that this wasn't the end of your story.
It was only the beginning.
