Hours after the mall lights turned off, Steven and I still stayed. We stared at the faint outline of the arch, intricately carved shapes blurred in the darkness. We lay there and talked.

“Remember when you called Mr. Flader ‘Dad?’” I’m certain he blushed.

“Yeah,” he mumbled. A pin dropped in the minute of silence.

“I kissed Zion in ninth grade.”

Steven did a double take. “Nah. You’re messing with me right?”

“I wish,” I sighed.

Another pin.

“Did you know…” he began. “Did you know that Sam liked you when we first went out?”

“No. I’m sorry though, I didn’t want to ruin your friendship or anything.”

His hand clasped mine and he whispered, “you made it worth it.”

The only thing I can come up with is a dumb, “what?”

“I love you, Star,” he tickled my ear as he kissed my cheek.

I breathed, calming my love crazy, speeding heart. “I… I love you so much, Steven.” I turned to look at the space where his green eyes would be. Touching his cheek, I said it again.

“Will you marry me?”

I could feel his smile, his hope, his protection by his breath. “I wouldn’t want anything more,” I confessed. “A million times yes, Steven.”

We had had our own reserves, our own walls, but they crumbled deeper then. All that was left of those ugly walls were arches with their own beautiful carvings marking our future, trust, and love.