Ch 12: A Love Written in Ink and Forever

One evening Sam called Janet asking him to meet him at the library. Both of them were excited after all it was the sacred place that started their journey.

The evening air was cool, tinged with the faint scent of rain, as Sam and Janet strolled through the quiet streets. The world around them faded into the hum of distant city lights, leaving just the two of them wrapped in their own little universe. With nothing to separate them or break them apart, it was a lovely romantic getaway.

Janet's fingers rested comfortably in Sam's, their hands fitting together as if they had been meant to find each other all along. There was something unspoken in the air tonight, like an anticipation she couldn't quite name.

As they passed under a canopy of streetlamps, Sam suddenly stopped. Janet turned to him, her brow furrowing in curiosity.

"What is it?" she asked, tilting her head.

Sam took a deep breath, a slow smile curving his lips as he reached into his jacket pocket. "I have something for you."

"A gift for me?" she asked, with a sweet and genuine smile on her face.

Sam noticed it too and took his time pulling out the gift while she was watching it with great anticipation.

Sam pulled out a book, its cover smooth and untouched, except for the golden letters embossed on the front.

Her heart skipped a beat. "A book?"

He nodded, gently placing it in her hands. "Open it."

With careful fingers, Janet flipped to the first page, her breath catching as she read the title.

"A Book Called Love."

Confused yet intrigued, she turned the pages, only to be met with something so breathtakingly familiar, so deeply personal, that her vision blurred with unshed tears.

It was their shared memories. Every word they had written to each other. Every thought, every moment of longing, every secret exchanged through ink and parchment. The journey of Lady J and Mr. S, captured forever in paper and time.

Janet's hands trembled slightly as she looked up at Sam, who was watching her with quiet intensity.

"This is…," she whispered, struggling to find the words.

"This is us," Sam said, his voice warm and steady. "Every letter, every memory. The way we found each other—even when we didn't know what we were looking for. I wanted to give us something permanent. Something that no misunderstanding, no distance, no time could erase. So I wrote this book to forever cast our stories"

A tear slipped down her cheek, and Sam reached out, brushing it away with his thumb. His touch was as gentle as his gaze, filled with a love so deep it left her breathless.

"Janet," he murmured, stepping closer. "I never believed in fate before you. I never thought words scribbled on a page could lead me to the greatest love of my life. But they did. You did."

She let out a soft laugh, shaking her head in awe. "You always know what to say, don't you?"

"Not always," he admitted, a hint of nervousness flickering in his eyes. "But I do know what I want to say next."

Before she could respond, he slowly lowered himself onto one knee. His eyes looking straight into hers.

Janet gasped, her hands flying to her mouth as the world seemed to stop around them. She was nervous yet super excited.

Sam pulled out a delicate velvet box, opening it to reveal a ring—simple yet breathtaking, a single diamond set in a band that shimmered under the streetlights.

"I don't need more words to tell you what you already know," Sam said, his voice steady but filled with emotion. "You are the peace I longed for, you are the love of my life, Janet. Every chapter, every page in my boring life calls your name. And I want to spend the rest of my life writing it with you."

He paused, his eyes never leaving hers. "Will you marry me?"

Janet felt the weight of the moment press against her heart, every memory flashing before her—every fight, every letter, every stolen glance, every realization that had led them here.

Tears spilled freely now, but her smile was radiant, filled with a happiness that words could never capture.

"Yes," she whispered, her voice breaking. Then, louder, stronger—"Yes, Sam, a thousand times yes!"

A breath of relief left his lips before he smiled, slipping the ring onto her finger. The instant it settled against her skin, Sam rose to his feet, pulling her into his arms as he kissed her softly at first, then with a depth that spoke of forever. As if they found each other after a long time full of hardships and struggles.

The streetlamps glowed around them, creating a picturesque atmosphere where time stood still. A sacred haven for the couple lost in the magic of love that had been written in ink, in fate, and now forever painted in words. A signature that though there maybe tough times as long as you have trust in each other and love each other, there will always be a happy ending.