K.

XLV

It has been a solid five seconds, and K haven't responded to Jesse's question.

Her lips were trembling, her thoughts incoherent as her mind was fully submerged into a ringing, white noise. She was catatonic, shocked and stunned to her core.

K was trying to snap out of her mind, and to finally put her thoughts in order. But as Jesse knelt in front of her, holding up a ring, she couldn't help but be engulfed in awe. She had never seen him look so unequivocal, like it was the surest thing he had ever done.

Everything he just told her was all she needed to hear. But then, saying is just the easy part. Doing is the challenge. How long was he willing to be patient with her, bear through her complex issues, her insecurities, her emotional and psychological instabilities, through all the craziness that was her life? She wasn't sure that she'd be enough.

Because for her, Jesse was more than everything she could hope and wish for. She loved him, with all her heart - with everything that she was. There's no denying it. But she was asking herself if saying yes was the right thing to do. She had way too many questions in her head, but didn't know what to answer first. She didn't even know if she had the answers to all of them.

But only one question mattered to her.

Do I want to do this with Jesse?

He was anxiously and nervously waiting for her reply. He knows that K is still trying to wrap her head around everything, with this coming as a total shock. Proposing to her wasn't just a band-aid solution to her uncertainties and qualms about them, it was also what he genuinely wanted to do.

What if she says 'no'?

Well, at least she got the good, plain truth out of him. He poured his heart out to her, and if that still wasn't the veracity, commitment and affirmation she needed, then he'd be willing to find out and exhaust more - just for her.

Jesse was already thinking if he should tell her to think about it first, and that she didn't need to answer right away. It wasn't an easy decision to make in the first place.

He could wait.

He looked down on the floor, pensive. "Look, baby... You don't have to-"

"Yes."

His eyes widened, then switched his gaze from the floor to K's face. "What?" He got up from his knees, closing his eyes for a second and shaking his head as if giving himself a hard, wringing, mental slap.

"Yes, Jesse." K breathed and pressed her lips together, trying to contain the smile that was coming through her tears. "I want to be with you forever, too."

Jesse snapped his eyes shut again and tilted his head to the heavens, letting out a huge sigh of relief. He couldn't contain the huge, face-splitting grin that crept up in his face. He then reached for K's left hand, both of them looking down and all-smiles as he slid the diamond onto her ring finger.

It fit her perfectly. Thank God.

Their eyes met, and they stared back at each other as they both tried to shake off the heightened, overwhelming feeling that they were swamped in.

"I love you." Jesse whispered, his face closing in on hers. He pressed his warm lips delicately to K's forehead, his breath grazing upon the bridge of her nose. He tilted down his head and their lips touched, very gently, carefully, parting them slightly.

There wasn't a bit of hesitation for K - with their limbs entwined, the feel of Jesse's soft, velvety mouth, and just the totality of the moment. It was so staggering, that she held her breath for a few seconds. She shuddered and clung onto him tightly, as the room started to spin around and around. Their kiss was really slow and tender, and somehow pure. It wasn't just physical urgency anymore that moved them. It's just... love.