There's a bench downtown, a faded wooden structure set in the grey sidewalk, under a baby oak tree. The bench bears a plaque that reads, in a faded engraving, "In loving memory of Gloria; from Richard, who she loved the most."

I don't know who Gloria and Richard are, or what their story is, but I like to believe that they are people who knew. Who knew, not just the importance of love, but also the importance of working for love. Because even though, ten years after you met, his smile still makes your stomach drop out, the way he sucks on his soupspoon also makes you want to punch him in the face. Relationships require just as much trust, faith, and commitment, as they do love.

It's been a year since the first time Kai told me he loved me. A year that hasn't always been easy, hasn't always been happy, but it has been...worth it. Definitely worth it.

*

"So you really do like ice cream sandwiches?" I asked Kai with a sideways glance.

He laughed out loud, licking vanilla ice cream off of his thumb. "Yes, honey, I really do. Maybe not to the extent of eating one every day, but I do like them."

"I think of you ever time I eat one now," I told him.

"Really? That's weird," said Kai. "Because I think of real sandwiches when I eat them."

"Shut up," I shoved him playfully.

"Joke, joke," protested Kai. "I think of you too. Of course I think of you. I'm always thinking of you."

I rewarded him with a kiss and then leaned my head on his shoulder as we sat together on the bench.

"You know what?" whispered Kai, so softly I couldn't tell if he'd meant to speak out loud. "If this is all there is to life - sitting on this bench, eating ice cream sandwiches with you - then that's okay. I mean, if this exact moment is the high point of my life, then I'll take it."

I reached out to take Kai's hand in mine. Watching our fingers intertwine; marveling, as I always did, at how perfectly our hands fit together. "I know exactly what you mean. If this is it, then this is good enough."

"So, you'll marry me then, Kara?" asked Kai in a casual tone that I knew to be anything but. I sat up and stared at him.

"You're serious?" I blurted out.

"Of course," he told me. "I think I've been waiting to ask you that since I was seventeen."

I was speechless, unable to do anything but throw my arms around Kai's neck.

"Is that a yes?" he gasped.

"Yes! Yes, it's a yes," I cried, almost in tears."

"I love you, Kara," whispered Kai.

"I love you."

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So, that's it. It's all over folks. I hope you guys were satisfied with the ending - what can I say? I'm a sucker for happy endings. I know that's not how it is in real life all the time but that is, after all, why I like fiction.

Anyway, let me get mushy for a minute here. I want to give a gigantic THANK YOU! to everybody who read my story and gave it a chance. And especially thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who reviewed, because your reviews were major motivation and just made me happy. I figured out tonight that I am on more than 15 people's favourites list and that just blew me away. I can hardly believe it.

Oh, and don't forget about me, okay? Because I have an idea for a story and I think I'd like to try it out on you guys. I'm going to take a break for now, but keep your eyes open for me!

Much love, Fynley.