just fall | ✓

40.

Alexander's birthday was two days later, and although we continued to pretend that nothing was out of the ordinary, people were more perceptive than we had anticipated. Every glance at each other, every fleeting smile, every passing touch was met with raised eyebrows and silent questions. No one directly challenged any of this or addressed it aloud, but everyone seemed  very aware of the shift in mine and Alexander's dynamic. 

Somehow, after dinner, I managed to pull him away long enough to duck outside, into the hallway. Wordlessly, I dragged him down the hall to the library. It was dark, only a few dim lights illuminating the room, and he cocked an eyebrow at me. He opened his mouth to speak, but I kissed him, cutting off whatever question he was about to ask. I pulled back just as he began to sank into it, and he said, "You have a look. What's going on?"

"I have your birthday present," I said, "and I didn't want to wait to give it to you."

He raised an eyebrow at me. "This isn't normal behavior for you. Are you okay?"

"Absolutely not, I'm ridiculously nervous."

"Why?"

I pulled a small ring box from a hidden pocket on my dress and passed it to him. He shot me a quizzical look but opened it. He froze. "What–?"

"I didn't know how to propose any other way," I told him, "so they match. See where they meet? It's a puzzle piece. Because we...you know, we fit. Together." I coughed a little and looked at the floor. "If you'll have me...I want to marry you."

He looked back down at the rings. They were nothing special; plain silver bands with a small piece cut out of the top of each, but they were inconspicuous and they made sense. He pulled me into a tight embrace. "I can't even be mad," he said. "God, I love you."

"Mad? Why would you be mad?"

Wordlessly, he pulled back and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small box and passed it to me. "What–"

"Open it."

I did. The breath caught in my throat. Inside was a gold ring. It wasn't anything over-the-top or fancy, just a small, teardrop-shaped pink jewel bordered by tiny diamonds. But oh my God, it was the prettiest ring I had ever seen.

"You ruined it," he said, fighting back a grin. "I was going to propose tonight."

I laughed and wrapped my arms around him. "I love you," I said.

"I love you too." He bent his head and kissed me. "And I have to say, you are worth every second I had to wait for this moment."

I grinned up at him. "Happy birthday. Is it better than the last time you had a party?"

He laughed. "By far."

☼

Although I loved the ring Alexander had given me, I kept it tucked away in my pocket, still safely hidden in the box. He was wearing his; somehow, we both knew that no one would bat an eye at him having a ring on that they hadn't noticed before, but we knew that everyone would immediately notice it on me.

That night, we were both grinning as we laid in his bed. He kissed me. "I love you," he murmured.

"I love you too." I wrapped my arms around him. "When are we going to tell everyone?"

"The next Capitol Report," he said. "It's tradition, and I want to surprise everyone."

"So we aren't telling anyone?" The Report wouldn't be for a few days.

"Unless you want to," he said. "I think the surprise would be more fun."

I laughed. "So devious. I agree."

He kissed me again. "Perfect. We'll announce it on Friday."

I hugged him tighter. "I love you," I said.

"I love you too."

☼

Friday came sooner than expected, and Alexander and I were buzzing with excitement. The royal families would be leaving tomorrow, but for now, they were all seated in a room to watch. I was not, because Alexander told me that I shouldn't be. He, his brother, his mother, and Aquia were all in the usual seats on stage, and although no one else could tell, he was struggling to hide a smile. I was wearing my ring, though I carefully kept my right hand over my left to ensure that no one could see it.

It wasn't until the end of the Report that Alexander had the opportunity to make his announcement. It was when Silon was beginning to make his closing remarks.

Alexander signaled to Silon, who saw it from the corner of his eye and stopped speaking. Clearly confused, he smiled at the cameras and said, "It appears our king has something he would like to say. Your Highness?"

Alexander smiled and stood, and he approached Silon. The host passed him the microphone. Clearly, this wasn't planned; Mason, Aquia, and Alexander's mother were all exchanging confused looks, and a murmur had gone through the crowd. Alexander took the microphone and smiled pleasantly, waiting for silence. It came quickly. "My apologies for interrupting," he said to Silon. "But I have some good news that I would like to share."

Silon motioned for him to continue.

The smile grew. "As many of you may recall, when I had my Selection around a decade ago, I chose not to take a wife. And I still have not taken a wife, much to the aggravation of my family and my adivsors." Low laughter rippled through the audience. "So I hope that everyone will be pleased to hear that I have decided to take a wife, and my engagement was the greatest birthday gift I have ever recieved. I would like to reacquaint you all with my fiancée, Princess Cassiana."

Hesitantly, I crossed the stage to join him. He wrapped an arm around me and pulled me into his embrace, and I tried to hide my blush. My heart was hammering in my chest and I was really warm, but I was beaming. I kept my arms wrapped around him, not knowing what else to do. He continued speaking. "I'm sure this comes as a surprise, but we have been on-and-off discussing this for a few years now, and I am happy to say that I can finally marry the woman that I love.

Silon had somehow gotten ahold of another microphone, and he said, "Wait just a moment here, Your Highness. You got engaged and didn't tell anyone?"

Laughter broke through the cheers. Alexander grinned. "We wanted to make it a surprise," he said. "It isn't every day that a king gets engaged, you know."

"Well, clearly. Princess Cassiana, you agreed to marry him? Finally? I have to say, it's about time."

I laughed. "He's very stubborn," I said. "And very persuasive."

"Clearly. How–"

Alexander grinned. "I think that we're out of time, Silon. Maybe you can interview us next week." He winked.

Silon shook his head and glanced at the audience. "You're a very sly king, Your Highness." He shook his head again. "Fine, fine, I suppose we can wait until next week." He made his closing remarks, and once the cameras were off, he turned to us. "You got engaged."

"Yes," Alexander said, arms still around me. "I did."

"And you couldn't have warned me?"

"That was half the fun," I giggled.

Aquia, Mason, and the former queen were there, and their reactions were the same. Aquia and Mason hugged us both, and we weren't speaking long before the other royal families had joined us and began to question and congratulate us both. Alexander and I shared a smile, and he bent to kiss my head once more. Quietly, he murmured, "I love you."

I grinned up at him. After everything we'd been through, after all of the trials and tears, we had made it to where we were meant to be. It hadn't been an easy road, but every second of pain was worth the look in his eyes just then. Never before had my soul felt so bright.

In the midst of the chaos of conversation, he bent his head so that his lips were beside my ear. "What are you thinking?" He asked.

My smile grew. "I'm thinking that I just fell for you again."

He kissed me once, fleetingly, on the lips. "I never stopped."