CHAPTER 284: CHAPTER 284: ZAYN, WILL YOU MARRY ME

~Zayn’s POV~

"Zayn," he began, his voice dropping to a low, intense register. "I know how much you value privacy. When we talked about the proposal this morning, you said you don’t like crowds. And I heard you."

My brow furrowed slightly. "I remember. But you already proposed with the ring—"

"I gave you the ring, yes," he corrected gently. "But I haven’t asked you yet. Not properly. I haven’t done it in a way that truly expresses the depth of my love and my commitment to you."

He paused, taking a deep, visible breath. "You said you don’t want a public spectacle, but I need the world to know, baby. I need everyone to hear, loud and clear, that you are mine and I am yours forever."

Evric slid closer to me in his seat, his grip tightening sweetly on my hands.

"Zayn," he continued, his voice thick with emotion. "You are my home. You are my light. Before you, my life was just structure and ambition—successful, yes, but empty. You came in and showed me what it means to be truly happy, truly accepted, and truly loved. You make me better, you make me softer, and you make me want to laugh until my stomach hurts."

He leaned closer, his eyes searching mine.

"You taught me that being sweet isn’t weakness; it’s the greatest strength. You have handled me, the business, my family, and my chaotic heart with more grace and patience than I ever deserved. I love the man you are, the husband you will be, and the partner you already are every single day."

A tear slipped down my cheek, but Evric was just warming up.

"I can promise you a life of adventure, success, and endless, boring Tuesday nights filled with tickles and laughter," he said, the corner of his mouth twitching up. "I want every moment, from the smallest giggle to the largest challenge, to be shared with you. I want to wake up next to you until we’re old and grey and fighting over who gets the last biscuit."

He brought our joined hands to his lips and kissed my knuckles tenderly.

"I figured out a way to honor your wish for a privacy moment while letting everyone see how much I adore you."

Just as he finished his speech, the air above us began to hum. It was a subtle, growing sound.

I looked up, trying to locate the noise, and saw a tiny light climbing rapidly into the night sky, followed by several others. They looked like a swarm of silent, luminous fireflies.

Evric took his hands back, reaching into his jacket pocket and retrieving a small, velvet box. He didn’t open it yet. He just smiled, a look of triumphant, nervous love plastered on his face.

"Look up, my sweet soul," he commanded.

I tilted my head back, and my breath hitched.

High above the empty road, thousands of small drones were assembling themselves in the dark sky, using the vast backdrop of the city lights as their stage. In the space of seconds, they coalesced, their lights shining in perfect synchronization.

First, they formed a massive, sparkling heart that pulsed with light.

Then, the heart dissolved, and the drones perfectly spelled out a huge, luminous question that seemed visible across the entire city, shimmering against the night:

ZAYN, WILL YOU MARRY ME?

At the same moment the question was illuminated in the sky, I heard the faint, excited sounds of cheering and applause coming from the distant buildings.

The moment was intimate, just him and me in the car, yet witnessed by the whole world. It was the most thoughtful, overwhelming, and public-yet-private declaration of love I could have ever imagined.

Evric’s gaze never left mine. He opened the ring box, revealing a simple, flawless band that matched the one I already wore.

"I asked you in silence," he whispered, his voice cracking with hope. "Now I’m asking you with the whole world watching. Be my husband, my life, my everything. Will you marry me, Zayn Smith?"

My vision was completely blurred by the sudden rush of tears, obscuring the glittering spectacle of the proposal question hanging in the sky. My heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest.

Before I could form the single, life-changing word I needed to say, a soft, familiar melody drifted into the car, filling the silent space. It was the delicate, emotional opening notes of "A Thousand Years" by Christina Perri.

Heartbeats fast... colors and promises...

Evric had thought of everything. He had orchestrated the perfect soundtrack for the most important moment of my life.

I looked at him, his face bathed in the reflected glow of the drone lights and the tears streaming down his cheeks. He was waiting, his vulnerability heartbreakingly pure.

I started to speak, but my voice was thick and wobbly. I had to clear my throat, swallowing against the lump of emotion.

"Evric," I finally managed, leaning forward and resting my forehead against his. His smell, his warmth, his unwavering love, it was all I needed. "Thank you. Thank you for showing me what real, sacrificial love means."

The music swelled softly as I continued, tracing the curve of his cheekbone with my thumb.

"I spent so long thinking love meant settling for small pieces, but you taught me that I deserve the whole world. You came into my life and gave me all of yourself. You gave me safety, you gave me passion, and you gave me the courage to be my sweetest, silliest self. You showed me that love isn’t about gender, or the way someone looks, or the labels we attach to it. Love is simply about the heart, about finding someone who sees you completely and chooses to stay, and in you, I found that truth."

I squeezed my eyes shut, fresh tears escaping. "Look at this, Evric. Look at all this effort." I gestured toward the sky, where our question was still sparkling for the city to see. "You knew I didn’t want a crowd, but you wanted the whole world to witness this promise. That is the essence of you, my thoughtful, magnificent man who sacrifices his own need for spectacle for my comfort, while still making it the biggest moment in the world."

The lyrics ’I have loved you for a thousand years... I’ll love you for a thousand more’ reached the chorus, hitting us right in the soul. We were both openly crying now, our tears mingling on our skin.

"Evric Draeven," I whispered, my voice now steady and filled with absolute certainty. I didn’t need to look at the ring; I only needed to look into his eyes. "You are my past, my present, and my glorious future. You are the air I breathe, and the home I choose."

I took a shaky breath, finally uttering the word he’d been waiting for.

"Yes. Yes, I will marry you!"

With a sound somewhere between a sob and a triumphant shout, Evric let go of the ring box and flung his arms around me, crushing me against his chest. I hugged him back with every fiber of my being, burying my face in the warmth of his neck.

"My love," he choked out, tightening his hold. "My husband! You have made me the happiest man alive!"

We stayed locked together as the song played, the drone lights still shining brightly above us, a silent testament to our promise. When we finally pulled apart, gasping and smiling through our tears, Evric picked up the box. His hands were trembling as he slipped the flawless band onto my finger. It fit perfectly, a symbol of our new, unbreakable journey.

I kissed the ring, then lifted my gaze to meet his. He leaned in, and we kissed deeply, a sweet, tear-salted kiss of a promise that would truly last a thousand years.