You’d been dating Levi for nearly two years, and though he wasn’t a man of many words, you learned to listen to the language he spoke without them. Coffee would be waiting for you in the morning, perfectly brewed the way you liked it. His coat would appear around your shoulders the moment the wind got sharp. And when his eyes softened, just a fraction, you knew it was for you alone.

He never made grand speeches or loud declarations, but you felt his love in the quiet ways—steady, unwavering, like a heartbeat you didn’t need to hear to know it was there.

That night, you thought it was just another of those small gestures. He’d texted you earlier, telling you to meet him at your favorite place—a little rooftop garden tucked between two old buildings. From there, you could see the city lights like constellations scattered beneath your feet.

What you didn’t know was that Levi had spent the entire day turning a small velvet box over in his pocket, his fingers brushing the cool metal of the ring inside. He’d never imagined himself asking anyone this kind of question. Proposals weren’t for people like him—people who’d seen too much, lost too much. And yet, here he was, rehearsing words he didn’t even believe he could say out loud.

Every step he took up the narrow staircase felt heavier. But in his mind, he saw your face when he asked, your eyes wide in surprise, maybe glistening with tears. He imagined you saying yes, your voice trembling just enough to betray how much you wanted it too.

But when he pushed the door open and stepped onto the rooftop, the picture shattered.

You were already there, leaning against the railing, the wind playing with your hair. And you weren’t alone.

A man he didn’t recognize stood beside you, too close for comfort, brushing something—dust? a leaf?—from your hair. You were laughing, a light, easy sound that carried across the quiet night air.

Levi froze. His chest went tight, his hands curling into fists before he could stop them. He didn’t hear the joke. He didn’t know the stranger was your cousin visiting from out of town. All he saw was your smile—the one you’d always kept just for him—shining on someone else.

The ring in his pocket suddenly weighed a hundred pounds.

When you noticed him, your expression lit up even more. You waved, starting toward him, but the moment your eyes met his, you slowed. His gaze was cold now, the warmth you’d grown used to replaced by a quiet, sharp distance.

The man beside you—your cousin—glanced at Levi with polite confusion before stepping back. But Levi’s attention never left you.

He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t give you the chance to explain.

“Sorry,” he muttered, his voice flat, almost too steady. “Forget I came.”

Your heart lurched. “Levi, wait—”

But he was already moving past you, his boots silent on the worn rooftop boards. He didn’t look back, didn’t see the way your hand reached out for him and then slowly fell to your side.

The rooftop felt colder without him.

Levi descended the stairs, each step echoing like a closing door. In his pocket, the ring stayed hidden, its shine dulled by the weight of what he thought he saw. He told himself it didn’t matter—that maybe he’d been foolish to think he deserved something like forever with you.

And just like that, the proposal that could have been… wasn’t.