Chapter 28: A Promise Beneath the Stars
The stars stretched endlessly above them, a river of silver dust across the deep navy sky. Marissa lay back against the grass, her head resting against Mason's chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart.
It was peaceful.
Real.
For the first time in what felt like forever, there was no shadow looming over them, no fear gnawing at the edges of her mind.
Just the night.
And Mason.
"You know," Mason said, his voice rumbling against her ear, "when I was a kid, I used to dream about this kind of night."
Marissa smiled, tracing small circles on the back of his hand. "Lying in the grass with a girl you like?"
He chuckled. "No. Lying under the stars... knowing everything would be okay. Feeling like I was exactly where I was meant to be."
She turned her head slightly to look up at him. "And now?"
His hand tightened gently around hers. "Now I know I'm where I'm meant to be. With you."
Something tender and fierce stirred in Marissa's chest.
She sat up slowly, facing him, the cool breeze teasing loose strands of her hair.
"Mason..." she began, but he reached out, cupping her face so carefully, like she was something breakable and beloved.
"I love you, Marissa," he said, the words thick with emotion. "I have for a long time. I just... didn't know how to tell you before."
She felt her throat tighten.
No one had ever said those words to her like that like a vow, not just a confession.
"I love you too," she whispered, the words tumbling out like a secret finally set free.
Mason's face lit up with a smile so beautiful it made her heart ache.
He pulled something from his pocket a thin, braided band, simple but elegant, made from threads of silver and blue.
"I don't have a fancy ring," he said, almost shyly. "But I made this, back when we first met. I thought... maybe someday, I'd give it to you. As a promise."
Marissa stared at the small bracelet, her throat closing up with emotion.
"A promise of what?" she asked softly.
He slipped it gently onto her wrist. It fit perfectly.
"A promise that no matter what comes next no matter how crazy life gets I'm not going anywhere," Mason said. "I'll be by your side. Always."
Tears blurred Marissa's vision, but she smiled through them.
She leaned forward and kissed him again, slow and sweet, sealing the promise between them.
Above them, a shooting star streaked across the sky, as if blessing the moment.
They stayed there for a long time, wrapped in each other, sharing whispered dreams about the future rebuilding the world, finding a place to call home, growing old together with laughter and adventure.
It wasn't just survival anymore.
It was living.
Loving.
Building something beautiful from the ruins of what once was.
And under the endless sky, they made a silent vow to never let go of this love, no matter what storms might come.
Because together, they were unstoppable.
Together, they were finally free.