The cabin had settled into a warm, quiet kind of rhythm, the days lazily stretching and folding into each other. Now, there were only two days left until Tucker's birthday, and Melina could feel something in the air—something unspoken but lingering between them, tucked into the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't paying attention.

She wasn't stupid. She knew him too well. The way his fingers drummed anxiously on the wooden deck railing, the way he kept disappearing to send texts, the way he would look at her like he was memorizing her, like there was something he was carrying just beneath the surface.

Melina wasn't sure if she was supposed to know, but she did. And if she was right—if he was really about to propose—then she wanted to give him something first. Something just for him.



She spent the afternoon curled up on the couch, guitar in her lap, fingers plucking out a melody that had been sitting in the back of her mind for days. The words followed naturally, easy and certain, because they weren't just lyrics. They were him.

She kept thinking about the way he looked at her when he thought she wasn't watching. The way he pulled her into his chest when he knew she was too tired to ask. The way he let her fall asleep first, even when she knew he stayed awake long after, lost in his own head. The way he made her want to cry—not out of sadness, but because he made her feel everything so deeply.

By the time the sun had dipped low in the sky, she had it.

Tucker had spent the last hour outside, leaning against the porch railing, looking out at the lake. His hair was still damp from their earlier swim, his bare skin glowing under the warm, golden light of the sunset. He looked so good like this—relaxed, sun-kissed, hers.

"Hey," she murmured, stepping up beside him, guitar in hand.

Tucker turned, his easy smile making her heart trip over itself. "Hey, pretty girl."

She rolled her eyes but felt herself blush anyway. "Can I play you something?"

His brow lifted, curiosity flickering across his face. "Of course."

She sat on the wooden steps, settling the guitar against her legs. The air smelled like pine and lake water, like summer just before it started slipping into fall. Taking a steadying breath, she let her fingers find the chords.

Then, she started to sing.

"I didn't know that I was capable of being happy right now But you showed me how I didn't know that you were right in front of me Until I looked out..."

She kept her eyes on the strings at first, but when she glanced up, Tucker was already staring at her—completely still, like he was afraid to breathe, like if he moved, he'd break whatever moment was unfolding between them.

"You make me wanna cry in a good way You make me wanna cry in a good way..."

His lips parted slightly, his chest rising and falling in slow, careful breaths. She could see it—the way his fingers twitched against his knee, the way his throat bobbed as he swallowed.

She kept going.

"You weigh just as much as me, don't you? I can feel it when we touch I know you've been having nightmares lately And I'm sorry I fall asleep first..."

Something flickered across his face—something raw, something big. He was already wiping at his eyes before she even hit the chorus again.

By the time she strummed the final chord, the air between them had shifted, stretched tight with emotion neither of them needed to explain.

Tucker exhaled hard, blinking up at the sky like he was trying to steady himself. "Jesus, Mel."

Her lips curled. "You like it?"

He let out a breathy, disbelieving laugh, shaking his head. "I—I don't even know what to say."

Melina set the guitar aside and crawled toward him, settling herself onto his lap. His arms wrapped around her automatically, warm and familiar.

"You don't have to say anything," she murmured, pressing her forehead against his.

Tucker swallowed again, his hands splaying against her back. "You—" He exhaled. "You just get me."

Melina smiled, nudging his nose with hers. "I try."

He let out a shaky laugh, then kissed her—soft and deep and thankful. He cupped her face like she was something fragile, something worth holding onto. His lips moved slow, deliberate, like he was savoring the moment. Like he was memorizing it.

She sighed into him, her fingers threading into his hair, her heart pounding in her chest.

He kissed her cheek, then her jaw, then lingered at the corner of her mouth, whispering, "You make me wanna cry in a good way."

Melina melted. "That's kind of the goal," she teased, her voice barely above a whisper.

Tucker let out a quiet chuckle against her skin, pulling her closer. They stayed like that for a while, tangled up in each other, the air between them thick with something unspoken.

And she knew.

She knew he was going to propose.

And the crazy thing? She wasn't nervous.

She was ready.









@rolemodel added to their story...