The soft glow of the evening sun filtered through the sheer curtains as Ruby stepped into their bedroom, her steps faltering the mont her eyes took in the sight before her.
Her breath caught as her eyes road around the room.
The entire room had been transford.
The lights were dimd to a golden hue, casting a warm, romantic glow over the space. Plush blankets and oversized pillows were spread across the floor in the center of the room, forming a cozy nest.
A small projector stood on a tripod at the foot of the bed, already casting playful movie previews onto the wall, while a bowl of popcorn sat on a tray alongside an assortnt of candies and two glasses of sparkling water.
Her heart swelled. She could barely find words.
"Stefan," she breathed, her hand instinctively pressing to her chest. "What is this?"
She turned, her gaze searching, only to find him standing by the window, dressed casually in dark slacks and a soft gray sweater that clung perfectly to his fra.
He turned to face her and his gray eyes, instinctively locked on her hazel eyes, a small, boyish smile lifting the corners of his lips.
"I thought," he began softly, rubbing the back of his neck almost shyly, "since we never really got to have a proper movie date... maybe we could have one here. Just the two of us. No distractions. No stress."
"Wait, is this why you lied to about the doctor wanting to see and refusing to take saying you needed to be sowhere else?" she asked, narrowing her eyes.
An hour earlier, Stefan had told her the doctor had requested her presence that he needed to check on her and the baby and when she’d agreed with hopes he’d be there with her, he’d told her he couldn’t take her that Martin would since the chauffeur would be taking him.
Looking at all this, she was sure he’d asked Martin to go with her so he could keep a close watch on her since he trusted Martin more than he did his chauffeur.
"Technically, I didn’t lie since I did want the doctor to check on you and I was needed here. I had ’other’ engagents which is to surprise you, baby," he said with a wink.
Ruby’s heart skipped. Her eyes misted, the weight of his thoughtfulness washing over her in gentle, overwhelming waves.
She took a slow step toward him. "You did all this... for ?"
He smiled wider. "For us," he corrected gently. "I know... I haven’t always gotten things right. And I know how much I hurt you when I pushed you away, even without knowing the truth. But I ant what I said—I want to make this work, Ruby. With you. I want to show you I’m not going anywhere and it’s you I want every mont of my life."
Her breath hitched. How had she gotten so lucky?
She reached for his hands, sliding her fingers through his, her voice soft with emotion. "You didn’t have to do all this," she whispered, her voice barely steady. "But I love that you did. And I—" her voice cracked slightly as emotion thickened her throat, "—I really don’t know what I did to deserve soone like you either."
His fingers tightened gently around hers as he smiled, then, slowly, he brought her hands up to his lips and pressed the softest kiss to her knuckles.
"Say you’ll stay with no matter what happens as long as I love you," he murmured against her skin, his voice barely above a whisper. "Say you’ll let keep proving my love to you every day."
A tear slipped down Ruby’s cheek before she could stop it. She let out a breathless laugh, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand. "I’m here already and I’m not going anywhere," she whispered. "I promise."
He exhaled, visibly relaxing as he smiled again while whipping off her tears.
"Good," he murmured. "Because I got us three of your favorite movies, but you’ll have to keep talking to so I don’t sleep off in the middle of it."
Ruby laughed softly, the sound light and full of warmth. "I think I can manage that," she teased gently, as they both headed to the cozy makeshift bed on the floor.
As they settled together, Ruby curled into his side, resting her head against his shoulder. His arm slipped around her waist naturally, drawing her close.
The movie started playing, but she barely noticed the flickering images. Her heart was too full, her mind too focused on the soft brush of Stefan’s thumb tracing slow, idle circles along her arm. The way he turned to look at her every now and then when sothing made her giggle softly. The quiet comfort of just... being together.
Halfway through the second movie, Ruby shifted to face him, her fingertips brushing along his jaw. "Thank you," she whispered softly.
He smiled, leaning into her touch. "For what?"
"For this," she murmured. "For making feel wanted. Loved even when all this wasn’t ant for in the first place."
His lips found hers then—soft, slow, reverent.
The kiss deepened gradually, tender but full of sothing unspoken. A promise. A beginning. A quiet vow of forever.
When they finally pulled apart, both slightly breathless, Ruby rested her forehead against his, her eyes fluttering shut.
"All this was ant for you. You have always been my soulmate. All I needed was to find you and fate just had to bring you to through her. I’m just glad fate worked in my favor," he said and Ruby had to quietly agree with him.
And in that perfect, quiet mont, she knew—no matter what battles still lay ahead, no matter what Ivy or Regina had planned—this was real and they were made for each other.
Away from there, the night air in Florittle was crisp and still as Rayna stood by her bedroom window, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the rim of her favorite mug. The house was quiet except for the distant sound of crickets and the gentle rustle of leaves and running water in the breeze.
Her mind, however, was anything but still.
She thought back to the conversation with Ruby earlier that day—the offer Elizabeth had made about moving to Zeden. Even hours later, it still felt surreal. Part of her wanted to jump at the chance imdiately. To be closer to Ruby. To start fresh. But another part... a deeper, quieter part of her, hesitated.
Her gaze drifted to the corner of the room where an old photograph of her parents sat on the shelf. Earlier that afternoon, she’d stopped by their house—the one she’d grown up in after moving to Florittle with her parents—just to sit on the porch for a while.
The place still slled faintly of lilacs and old wood. Every creak of the floorboards had stirred mories she hadn’t realized she still held so tightly. She’d decided to move from the house because she’d been scared of being reminded of how lonely she’d be after her mother died.
Could she really leave Florittle? The town that had shaped her, sheltered her, held the last pieces of her family?
She sighed, setting the mug down and pulling her hair into a loose ponytail as she moved to the bed. She’d more about it. She told herself.
She was just about to sit when her phone buzzed on the nightstand. Her brows lifted when she saw the na.
Ethan.
A smile tugged at her lips despite herself. "What is he doing calling this late?" she murmured softly before answering. "Hey."
"What is my queen doing?" ca Ethan’s teasing voice, warm and low.
Rayna rolled her eyes, settling onto the edge of the bed. "I’m not your queen... Yet."
"Yet," Ethan shot back smoothly. "Thank God you said ’yet.’ I was worried for a second there."
She laughed, the sound light and genuine. "You shouldn’t be so sure I’ll say yes, you know."
"It’s still too early to tell," he agreed, his voice carrying a grin she could practically hear. "But I’m hopeful."
Rayna shook her head, amusent softening the weight in her chest. "So," she said, "what are you really calling for?"
"Wanted to know what you’re doing," he said simply.
"Getting ready for bed," she answered, pulling her legs up onto the mattress.
"Good," he replied, his tone playful but gentle.
Her brows knit slightly. "Good? Why?"
There was a brief pause before Ethan’s voice dropped into a dramatic storyteller tone. "Because... once upon a ti—"
Rayna let out a startled laugh. "Oh no. Are you seriously going to tell bedti stories now? Are you planning to sing lullabies too?"
"No singing," Ethan chuckled. "But yes to the story."
She groaned but settled back against her pillows, a soft grin still on her lips. "Okay, fine. Go on. Let’s see how much of a story teller you are."
He laughed and then began. "Once upon a ti there was a princess locked in a tower... She had long golden hair and a heart full of dreams. But what she didn’t know was that far below, there was soone willing to climb every stone, and fight every monster, just to reach her..."
Rayna closed her eyes, listening to the gentle rhythm of his voice. The words beca soft, distant, like the rustling of leaves outside her window. Her breathing slowed. Her smile lingered.
Before Ethan could finish the story, he heard the soft, even sound of her breathing and soft snores indicating she had fallen asleep.
He paused, a soft smile blooming on his face. "Goodnight, Ray," he whispered quietly into the phone.
Then he ended the call, placing his own phone on the table beside him, his heart feeling oddly full.
She had drifted off listening to him.
And he realized, in that simple, quiet mont, that he could get used to loving her for the rest of his life. All he just had to do was get her to be his.
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