are you my forever? {arrows}

For the longest time, it felt like the entire world was falling apart. Without her here by my side, nothing was alright. I didn’t know if she was dead or alive or what the peacekeepers had done to her the day they took her away. I can kind of understand the pain of families being torn apart by the games. June Rhodes is my entire life. She’s the reason I wake up each and every morning. She’s my bright and morning star. The light of my world. I honestly can’t imagine my life without her. It’s been a long road since we first started talking about four years ago. She never once judged me for the way my foot drags across the ground because the muscles don’t work. She never once made fun of me, and that makes all the difference. It’s everything that I’ve wanted in life. A chance to break free of the grasp my mom had on me. It took a while, but I’ve finally done it.

I finally broke free.

A large grin plasters against my face as the gentle breeze crept through the air rustling through the leaves as they began to fall from the trees for the fall season. Fall is one of my favorite times of the year. The way the trees change colors in the distance, yet most of the time it is all blocked away by the many factories polluting the sky. It’s amazing that even just a few trees continue to breathe. Each breath draws in a new reality. One for a wonderful future if June agrees to become my wife. Oh it’s the day I’m longing for. A chance to share the world with my best friend. I want to hold her forever and let her know that I won’t ever leave her side. That I’ll stay with her throughout all ages.

Back to where it all began. I’ll never forget the day I walked out of school to find her seated on a bench underneath the trees. We had our first conversation here. We’ve talked together. We’ve done all kinds of things together. We’ve laughed. We’ve cried. We’ve been apart, but even the mile away hasn’t ruined the love I developed for her. Finding her broken body by the train track changed my entire life. Seeing her again. Just knowing that she was alive meant the entire world to me. I thought my life was coming to an end until then. Mom worried about me. She wanted me to find help. All I needed was my sweet June back. I made a promise to May Rhodes. I promised her I would watch after June. I promised to take care of her, but my love doesn’t stem from that. It all began right here when I first laid eyes on her.

Carefully, one hands slides into my pocket where the makeshift ring is hidden while my other hand continues to rest gently in her’s. Just knowing that she’s here by my side makes me feel alive. Together we’ve been through alot, and I fully believe together we can conquer the mountains and valleys that rest before us. Together we make a team. A team has a stronger bond than any individual. Yet this moment is one I want to last forever. Her voice echoes through my mind. Three simple words that have far more meaning than I even understood until now. I love you.

Love is such a powerful four letter word. Love is kind. Love doesn’t boast. Love helps one another when the other person has fallen. It helps to bring them back up in the mess of a world instead of kicking them while they’re down. Every single part of this moment is love. Mom always swore I would know when I found the true love of my life. She swore that there’s a feeling that’s impossible to describe, and she’s correct. Butterflies dance around inside my stomach. All I want to do is focus on her. She makes me smile even in the darkest of storms. June is my forever, and hopefully she’ll return the favor. Hopefully we can spend the rest of our lives together.

As I stare at the bench where we first met, I look away. My arms flail at my side as I try to make sense of what’s happening. Today is the first day of the rest of my life. It’s a chance to show her that I do care about her, and that I will always care about her no matter what happens. I’ll love her through sickness, through agony, through whatever life may throw our way. I’ll always stand by her side. I’ll always make sure she’s happy no matter what happens. I want her to feel safe. I want to work to keep us alive. Seeing her face lights my way. It makes me the happiest man on earth because I have found my one true love.

"It's always nice to go back to the roots of things. Especially the roots of us."

Taking a deep breath, I stop walking, and I turn to stare at her. Her words are so true. I’ve never heard any words truer than this. Removing my hand from my pocket, I carefully take her other hand into mine. A smile twists across my face into a goofy grin. I make sure my eyes meet her’s before I finally begin speaking. “Yeah. It’s always nice to return here.” My heart leaps inside my chest racing like a racehorse. I can feel the blood flowing to my face turning my cheeks a bright red, but after a couple quick breaths, I finally calm myself back down.

“June, I love you so much more than any words can describe. You’re my morning star. The light of my world. You’re my everything. I can’t imagine my life without you. I want to be with you forever.” I can feel myself growing anxious as I stumble over my words, and truthfully, I’m unsure of what to do next. “You’re the one person I live to see each and every day.” Making sure I keep eye contact with her, I try to figure out what to say next without sounding like a total idiot. I’ve never dreamed this day would come. I never imagined I would find someone I want to share the rest of my life with. Slowly, I slide a shaky hand into my pocket as I lower myself down onto one knee. Removing the makeshift ring, I open the palm of my hand before looking into her eyes once more.

“June Rhodes, will you marry me?”