The day before Tucker's birthday, the air around them felt different. It wasn't something he was saying, exactly—because Tucker was still acting like everything was normal—but Melina could feel it. It was in the way he kept looking at her when he thought she wasn't paying attention, the way his hands lingered a little longer on her waist, the way he kept checking his phone only to lock it again without responding to whatever message he was staring at.

And sure, maybe he thought he was being sneaky, but Melina knew him.

She knew what he was planning.

He was proposing tomorrow.

She could already picture it—Tucker fumbling through his words, probably getting a little choked up, pulling a ring out of his pocket with that soft, nervous smile of his. And then, her saying yes without a second of hesitation.

She wasn't going to ruin it for him. He wanted it to be a surprise, and she'd let him have that.

But God, it was hard to pretend she didn't know.

---

The cabin was quiet except for the occasional hum of the wind through the trees outside. Tucker had wandered off somewhere—probably on the phone again, his voice hushed like he was trying not to give something away. Melina let him go, settling onto the floor with her notebook and guitar, the late afternoon light spilling through the window beside her.

She had written In a Good Way for him because that was what he made her feel—light, warm, safe. But there was another song pressing at her chest, something heavier. Something she wasn't sure she was ready to say out loud.

So, she started writing instead.

"I don't want it And I don't want to want you But in my dreams, I seem to be more honest And I must admit, you've been in quite a few..."

Her fingers hesitated on the strings, her heart tightening.

Before Tucker, things were... different. She had been running on empty, barely making it through the days. She was surviving, not living. Always too busy, too exhausted, too drained to even let herself feel things fully.

She thought back to the months before she met him. The endless cycle of late nights, the self-doubt creeping into every corner of her mind, the way she convinced herself she was fine—because wasn't she always? And then, suddenly, he was there. Right in front of her. Making her laugh when she hadn't in weeks. Seeing her when she had started to feel invisible.

"Halley's Comet Comes around more than I do But you're all it takes for me to break a promise Silly me to fall in love with you..."

She exhaled, leaning her head back against the couch.

The truth was, she had gotten really good at feeling nothing. Keeping people at a distance. Loving from afar, but never really letting them in. Then he showed up and—without even meaning to—wrecked all of that. He had this way of making her feel like she belonged somewhere, like she wasn't always running.

Like she was supposed to be his.

She had no doubt in her mind that he was going to propose tomorrow. And the thing that scared her wasn't the yes—she had already made up her mind about that. It was the fact that someone loved her enough to ask. That she loved him enough to want forever with him.

"I was good at feeling nothing, now I'm hopeless What a drag to love you like I do..."

The back door creaked open, and Melina startled slightly as Tucker stepped inside, his gaze immediately finding her.

"What are you working on?" he asked, dropping his phone onto the counter before making his way toward her.

She hesitated, then held out her notebook. "Something new."

He dropped onto the floor beside her, his shoulder brushing against hers as he scanned the words. His expression softened, his lips parting slightly like he was taking it all in.

"This is..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "You're insane. In the best way."

Melina huffed out a laugh. "Thanks?"

He turned his head to look at her, his eyes searching hers. "You love me."

Her breath hitched. "Obviously."

"No, I mean—" He tapped the page lightly. "This is big love. It's messy and complicated and terrifying, and you still wrote it. You still feel it."

She swallowed, the weight of his words settling deep in her chest. "I was going through so much before I met you," she admitted softly. "I don't even think I realized how much until you were there. I didn't know I could feel this good—that love could feel like this."

Tucker didn't say anything at first. He just reached for her, his hands slipping into her hair, his thumb brushing gently against her cheek.

"I'm really glad you let yourself love me," he murmured.

She smiled, leaning into his touch. "I'm really glad you made me want to."

And when he kissed her, it felt like every answer she had ever been searching for.