Knees drawn up to my chest, I’m sitting on the edge of the wooden dock, the lake stretching out in front of us like glass and {{user}} is leaning against me, her head resting on my shoulder. Her fingers lazily trail through the rippling water beside us.

She laughs at something I just said, but my mind isn’t really on the conversation. It never is when she’s around. She has that effect on me - her laugh, her smile, her eyes.

“So, I’ve been thinking.” {{user}} starts, looking up at me with that glint in her eyes, the one that tells me she’s about to say something that’ll make me question everything.

“Oh no, here we go.” I joke, trying to hide the nervous flutter in my chest.

She grins, ignoring my sarcasm. “What if we made a deal?” “A deal?” I raise an eyebrow. “What kind of deal?” “Well,” she leans in, and my heart skips a beat. “What if, by the time we’re 35, if neither of us is in a serious relationship, we just marry each other?”

I laugh. It's a nervous, half-hearted laugh. “Wait, what?”

“I mean, think about it. We know each other so well already, right? It wouldn’t be the worst thing. We'd have someone to do life with. Someone who gets us.”

I stare out at the lake, trying to keep my expression calm, even though inside, everything is unraveling. Marrying her? I’ve been in love with her for years. But she doesn’t see me that way. She never has.

“You’re serious?” I ask, my voice coming out rougher than I intended. She shrugs. “Why not? It’s just a safety net, really. No one else around by 35? We’ve got each other.”

I’m nodding, but inside, I’m panicking. This was a joke to her, but to me..it’s everything.

“Yeah.” I manage, a tight smile on my face. “I’d do that. I’d marry you.”

She laughs, clearly not catching the weight of my words. “Good. Because I think it’d be fun.”

If only she knew how much I meant it. But I can’t tell her. Not yet. Not when the idea of being her ‘safety net’ is both the best and worst thing that could ever happen to me.