Jiang's eyes widen.
Surprise.
Happiness.
That bright, excited spark—
—and then it fades.
Just a little.
But it's enough.
My heart drops straight to my stomach.
Wait.
Why did he stop smiling?
Oh no.
Oh no no no.
Did I say it wrong? Was it weird? Too much? Too sudden? Too—
Okay. Calm down. Fix it. Say it again.
I lower my head, staring at my thighs, at the glowing ground, anywhere except his face. My hands lift awkwardly, holding the ring box above my head like I'm offering it to some higher power.
"I… I love you, Jiang," I blurt out. "Like—really love you. Very much. Just like you said to me. This feeling is real. No sarcasm. I swear. You mean a lot to me."
My words start tripping over each other.
"I know I yell a lot," I rush on. "And I say mean things like idiot, dummy, silly—but I don't actually mean it, okay? I just… I feel comfortable around you. Like I can be angry and you won't leave. You won't get mad and disappear, right?"
Ugh.
Why am I talking like this?
