Chapter 1
The day I planned to propose to my boyfriend, Preston Finch, he strolled in with three friends to join the citywide scavenger hunt I had arranged.
The finish line was a tiny theater I had rented out with my own savings, then tucked at the bottom of a popcorn bucket was a men's wedding band, paid for with six months of grinding odd jobs, while up on the screen flickered a love-story montage I had edited through twenty-six sleep-deprived revisions.
Everyone else was in on the plan.
Only Preston was supposed to be left in the dark.
Halfway through the game, my best friend, Althea Hollis, suddenly piped up, claiming she had drawn a hidden challenge.
"The challenge says I have to walk the last leg alone with the guy I trust the most."
Our childhood crew cheered and playfully shoved Preston toward her.
"Go on, we will hang with Laurel. You two head over."
I stood frozen on the sidewalk, watching them vanish into the alley that led to the cinema.
Half an hour later, the theater manager called my phone.
"Your friends asked us to take down the proposal subtitle and swap it for a birthday greeting. Can you confirm this change?"
Right through the receiver, Althea's voice drifted over, bright and cheerful. "Thank goodness you remembered. I mentioned last year that I wanted to spend my birthday here."
Preston laughed, carefree and relaxed. "You can propose any old day. Your twenty-sixth birthday only happens once, right now."
So he had known everything all along.
In his heart, my painstaking devotion, every blister and hour spent grinding for that moment, meant less than her casual wish to blow out a candle.
I walked to the cinema entrance and peered through the glass at them cheering and bouncing with excitement.
Then I turned around, and ever so gently, I pulled the door shut behind them.
A treasure with no meaning? I do not want it anymore.
The glass door clicked shut, but inside, the applause had not stopped.
I stood outside, my fingers pressed against the cold doorframe, and a flood of memories hit me, every quiet spot I had slipped off to while preparing this proposal.
That old cinema on the south side of town was where Preston first held my hand. I had spoken with the owner three separate times just to secure today's private booking. The opening subtitle was a line I had drafted and deleted through twenty-six versions until my vision blurred. On that screen, one line was supposed to glow: Preston, marry me.
Instead, garish pink letters blazed across the screen.
Althea, Happy 26th Birthday.
The theater manager, Mr. Gable, rushed out after me, clutching a small paper bag. "Miss Prescott, your things." He looked deeply embarrassed. "I had no idea they changed the theme at the last second. Otherwise, I never would have let the staff swap the subtitles."
I took the bag.
Inside lay the men's ring.
Mr. Gable told me that when someone grabbed the popcorn bucket, they noticed something taped to the bottom. Afraid it might get misplaced in the commotion, he had set it aside for me.
I tipped the ring into my palm. The silver band was simple, with a delicate engraving along the inner curve.
Meeting you is the luckiest thing that ever happened to me.
I had chosen those words myself.
Preston never knew. He did not need to know anymore.
I sat on a bench outside the theater for what felt like an hour. My phone buzzed persistently against my leg.
Althea's message popped up first.
Althea: Laurel, where did you go? Preston said you might be feeling sick.
Right after, Preston chimed in.
Preston: You are not actually mad about a birthday wish, are you?
Preston: It is Althea's birthday. Do not kill the mood.
I stared at the screen and did not reply.
Half an hour later, the group finally spilled out of the cinema doors.
Althea carried a boutique bakery box, a smudge of frosting clinging to her cheek.
The moment she spotted me, she froze for a heartbeat, then rushed over.
"Laurel, what are you doing out here all alone?" She reached out and took my arm. "Come inside! Everyone is waiting for you to have your piece of the cake."
I did not move.
Preston stood right behind her, his smile fading fast. "What is your problem? The manager mentioned you were planning a proposal. You made Althea feel completely awkward. We just switched it to a birthday theme on the fly. It is not like anyone did anything to hurt you."
I looked at him and asked, "So you knew all along?"
He frowned. "Knew what?"
"That I was going to propose to you today."
Preston stiffened.
Althea's hand slowly dropped from my sleeve.
Beside them, Cormac Keller could not hold back any longer and muttered, "So what if we did? Why did you have to pick today of all days? Althea's birthday is only one day a year. You can propose any old time after this."
I locked eyes with Preston. "So you admit it."
"That is not what I meant." He took a hesitant step toward me. "I just never thought a proposal needed all this production. We have been together for five years. What difference does it make when we do it?"
Five years.
He brushed those years aside as if they were nothing more than a skippable notification on his phone.
Althea's voice dropped to an apologetic murmur. "Laurel, I honestly had no idea you planned this for today. Please do not be upset. Let me pay you back for renting the theater, okay?"
I looked straight at her. "You do not have that kind of money."
The color drained from her face in an instant.
I shoved the paper bag into Preston's hands. "Inside. A present for you."
He opened the top of the bag, and the moment he saw the ring box, he went motionless. "You—"
"Happy birthday." I cut him off, turning on my heel and walking away down the sidewalk.
Behind me, Althea's flustered voice broke the silence. "Preston, did she get the wrong idea?"
Preston did not say a word.
As I reached the corner of the avenue, my phone chimed once more. Mr. Gable had sent an image of the original slide they had taken down.
Below the photo was a single message from him.
Mr. Gabel: Miss Prescott, your boyfriend said... Miss Hollis was not supposed to see this.
