I’ve only ever seen proposals in movies. Maybe I’m too young of an adult to witness one in real life. I think that kind of stuff is supposed to come in my thirties, when my friends finally find loves that last long enough to commit to.

Unfortunately, I’m in my twenties, the age where everyone tries a dating app at least once. And if you’re not out clubbing to meet someone new, then you’re probably just at home doomscrolling countless videos in bed.

It’s always one thing after another. Nothing lasts long enough at this age. Unless you’re really, really lucky.

I stood alone, underneath the bus stop sign at the edge of the plaza. I was eager to go home. The sky was a brilliant blue, and the weather was actually being nice for once. It would’ve been a perfect day to share with someone. But, I’m not that lucky.

I glanced around to admire the serenity of the plaza. There was a guy walking a small dog, sniffing around in the grass. I looked away when it got into a position to pee. My gaze landed on two children, playing near the fountain. Even though I didn’t know them, I involuntarily checked if their parents were nearby, because someone had to make sure they wouldn’t fall in. That elderly couple? Probably not. That group of high schoolers? Definitely not.

Then I spotted a couple my age. No, they certainly weren’t parents, but what made my stare linger was the fact that the man was holding a box behind his back. A small box. A ring box?

My lips parted in realization, my brows unfurrowing. I slowly took off my headphones, pressing a button on the side to pause my music. But I still couldn’t hear them.

I could tell the man was nervous. God, I would be too. He ran his hand through his tousled hair, shifting his weight as he seemed to ramble. He couldn’t maintain eye contact. The woman’s arms were crossed, smiling lightly and nodding along.

It wasn’t until the man got down on his knee when everyone noticed it too.

The elderly couple looked up from the spot on their bench. One of the two children gasped loudly and exclaimed “look!” which prompted the dog to turn its head. And the guy walking it turned his head too. Then one of the people in the group of high schoolers pointed it out to their friends, and even more pairs of eyes jumped on the bandwagon.

All the onlookers didn’t go unnoticed by the couple, and the man became so much more anxious that I could see his hands shaking.

I was a contradiction to my own thoughts. I felt guilty about how nervous he was from everyone watching, and yet I couldn’t look away.

In spite of himself, the man took the box out from behind his back and presented the ring. I couldn’t tell the woman’s reaction through her hands covering her mouth. Nor could I really see the ring from here, but the way the high schoolers squealed made me presume it was an impressive piece of jewellery.

I felt a flutter of hope, my heart swelling with anticipation and disbelief. I didn’t even try to hide the growing smile on my face. And for some reason, I felt like crying. Why? I didn’t even know these people. Was it joy? Sonder? Jealousy? I don’t think I’ll ever understand why I felt like crying in this moment.

Either way, I clasped my hands, getting ready to applaud when the woman would accept.

…But she didn’t.

My jaw dropped as she suddenly bolted away, avoiding eye contact with the elderly couple as she sprinted past their bench to exit the plaza. The dog barked, clearly wanting to chase her more than the man did.

No, he was still there. Alone, watching her go. His eyes became glossy with tears as his other knee dropped, kneeling on both of them now. His mouth was opening and closing, but he couldn’t muster the strength pull his voice up his throat. He sat back on his heels, his gaze falling like his heart to his stomach. Then the man hunched over as if he was wounded in his chest.

I’ve never seen someone look so heartbroken before.

My first instinct was to despise that woman. How could she leave him there like that? How could she? What kind of human would be so merciless as to tear someone’s heart apart so brutally?

But, then I remembered I didn’t even know her. Maybe she felt pressured because he proposed in public. Or maybe she didn’t love him anymore to no fault of her own.

The high schoolers walked away awkwardly. The children had the opposite reaction, and tried to approach the man, but their parents—wherever they came from—swooped in and led them away. My legs were moving before I realized what I was doing.

I took a step forward and stopped. I hesitated. Then I felt bad for hesitating, and went through with it. If no one was going to help him, then I would. Someone had to. I left the bus stop and walked up to the lone man sobbing on the ground, watching him for a moment as I tried to find my words. Now I was the nervous one.

“…Hey…” I said softly, reluctantly kneeling down to meet his height. “Are you okay?”

What a stupid question. I clenched my jaw and glanced away as I realized I could’ve said anything but that. He didn’t react to my presence, so I tried again.

“I… Here, I have tissue, if you need some.” I offered gently, digging into my pocket for a napkin I got from the food I had earlier. I held it out to him.

The man didn’t move, at first. Then he leaned up slightly to meet my eyes. I bit my lip and tried not to cry at the sight of his grief-stricken face. He reached out a trembling hand for the tissue and brought it to his nose. He blew into it.

“Th-thank you.” The man murmured. He had a rich, deep voice, cracking and shaking with emotion.

I gingerly rubbed his back, going silent and patiently letting him digest his emotions.

I don’t know how long I spent at his side. I probably missed my bus, which meant I’d have to wait another twenty minutes, but I didn’t care about that as much as I thought I would. I just remained here, keeping my hand on his back as he shamelessly cried into the napkins I kept giving him.

The man’s emotions came in like a storm, and I stayed with him until the downpour became a drizzle. Gradually, his sobs turned into small gasps, and the drying tears left his eyes red. I could feel that he wasn’t shaking anymore either.

“Thank you.” The man croaked out again, looking up at me with a weak smile—the first time I had ever seen him smile. “I’m sorry for being an inconvenience.”

“No,” I replied almost immediately, “No, you aren’t an inconvenience. It’s fine, really. I don’t have anything else to do.” I reassured, despite the chores I had at home. “…Do you want to talk about it? We can go somewhere else.”

I suggested to go somewhere other than here, because people were still glancing over. I didn’t want his misery to be presented so publicly. He deserved dignity.

“Where?” The man asked quietly, before blowing his nose into the napkin and adding it to the small pile on his lap.

“Um,” I glanced around and noticed a familiar cafe nearby. “Do you… like bubble tea?” I asked awkwardly.

The man smiled softly and nodded. I grinned warmly.

I grunted as I stood up, dusting off my legs. I watched him do the same, albeit slowly since he had to put his used napkins and unused ring box in his pockets. I offered my hand to help him stand. He took it, his grip stronger than I thought it’d be, then I hoisted him up.

I realized how tall he was—how masculine he was. He definitely didn’t look like the type of guy to break down, he looked like he could _break things down instead. _But here he stood, twiddling his thumbs and looking at me like a puppy. I couldn’t help but smile again.

No further words were exchanged as I gestured for him to follow me. And he did. I figured we’d probably end up spending the rest of the day together while I helped him through this.

So we were lucky that the sky was a brilliant blue, and the weather was actually being nice for once.