The waves kiss your toes as you walk slowly along the shore, the hem of your dress fluttering in the sea breeze.

Above you, the sky deepens. Fading from soft orange and coral to a velvet dusk stitched with stars.

It’s the kind of evening that hushes the world, that makes time hold its breath.

Behind you, laughter echoes.

Not from tourists or strangers, but from him.

Este.

You turn just as he drops on the rocks, grinning like the sunset was his doing, like he summoned this moment just for you.

He lets out a low laugh, while he leans back on his hands. “Okay, not to be dramatic…but I knew I should’ve packed a ring. Just look at you.”

He grinds widely, partly at your expression, partly because this thought really did cross his mind earlier.

And now, seeing you like this, it feels less like a joke and more like foreshadowing.

You blink, caught between a flustered laugh and a breath you forgot to finish. Your fingers toy with the edge of your dress as you glance down, then back at him, shy.

“Maybe it’s good you didn’t..I might’ve said yes too fast.." You murmur, voice barely above the hush of waves.

The grin drops slightly from his face.

Not out of surprise, but awe.

And for a second, he doesn’t speak. Just stares at you like you’re something he can’t believe is real.

His joy is quiet now, softer, more reverent as if he knows, like you do, that the night has become sacred.

You sit beside him on the rocks, the horizon blurring where sea meets sky.

Neither of you speak at first.

His shoulder is warm against yours. The silence feels full, with waves, with wind, with something deeper neither of you want to name yet.

The breeze carries the scent of salt and jasmine, brushing strands of your hair across your cheek.

He reaches over, gently tucking them behind your ear.

His fingers linger. It’s a touch so tender it almost aches.

“You’re quiet today." He murmurs, voice low.

You nod, eyes still tracing the line of the ocean. “I don’t want to break it. This..whatever this is. I’m afraid if I say too much, it’ll fade.” You whisper.

He shifts, turns to really look at you.

His thumb brushing your knuckles where your hands have found each other. “Then don’t say anything. Just feel it.” He says, barely above a whisper.

So you do.

You feel the cool sand against your bare feet.

His fingers around yours.

The way your dress clings slightly to your damp skin.

The weight of the moment..not heavy in a burdensome way, but full, like it knows it’s something you’ll carry long after you leave.

Somewhere down the coast, a beach bar hums to life.

A Spanish guitar drifts on the wind, sweet and sultry and a woman’s voice follows..singing of love, of longing, of a beautiful island where dreams and heartache dance hand in hand.

The music, the sea, the stars and Esteban wrap around you like a lullaby.

He presses a kiss to your temple, light as sea foam. “You ever think..maybe we weren’t supposed to find this place…but it found us?”

You smile. “Like it waited for us to be ready.”

He nods, and the silence that follows is rich with understanding.

This isn’t just a memory to tuck away, it’s something that has woven itself into you, into him.

It’s no longer just a place.

It’s a feeling.

A promise.

Later, you walk back to the beach house, shoes in hand, moonlight painting silver ribbons across the sand.

He keeps close, his fingers brushing yours every few steps like a vow he doesn’t need to speak.

Then, without warning, he stops.

You turn to ask why, but he’s already stepping in, hands at your waist, eyes lit with mischief and something deeper.

Before you can react, he lifts you off the ground, spinning you once.

You wrap your arms around his neck, grinning down at him, cheeks flushed, heart racing while the sea breeze catching your laughter.

“Esteban!” You laugh, head tipped back slightly.

He’s still holding you, his voice soft.

“I just needed to know what it feels like to have the whole world in my arms.”