After the party officially "ended," Section E decided that rules no longer applied.
Chairs were pushed aside. Shoes were kicked off. Someone hijacked the playlist. The hall looked less like a party venue and more like a battlefield of balloons, half-eaten cake, and emotional damage.
"WHY IS THERE ICING ON MY SLEEVE?" Felix yelled.
"You hugged the cake, idiot," Mayo replied.
"I WAS EMOTIONAL."
Keifer stood beside me the entire time, his hand resting on my lower back like a silent promise. Every time someone shouted, he flinched slightly, then smiled—like he was taking in the chaos and memorizing it.
"This is your family?" he whispered.
"My loud, dramatic, unhinged family," I whispered back.
He chuckled. God, I missed that sound.
Rory suddenly appeared in front of us, eyes suspiciously shiny. "So… you're real. Not a hallucination."
Keifer nodded politely. "Very real."
Rory sniffed. "Good. Because if you disappeared again, I'd personally haunt you."
"NOTED," Keifer said, dead serious.
Behind us, C In crossed his arms. "I give this engagement a solid ten out of ten. Would cry again."
"I DID cry," Erdix said. "I am dehydrated."
While Section E argued about who cried the most, Keifer leaned closer to me. "You okay?" he asked softly.
I nodded, but my chest still felt tight. Happy… but overwhelmed. Like my heart had been stretched too wide too fast.
He squeezed my hand gently, grounding me.
Then my family approached.
My mother reached me first.
She didn't say anything. She just pulled me into a hug—tight, warm, familiar. The kind of hug that feels like childhood and safety and home all at once. I felt her shoulders shake.
"You scared me," she whispered.
"I know," I whispered back.
She pulled away just enough to cup my face, tears in her eyes. "But I've never seen you look this loved."
My father cleared his throat behind her. When he hugged me, it was brief—but his hand lingered on my head.
"You chose well," he said quietly.
Keifer straightened instantly. "Sir—"
My father held up a hand. "Take care of her. That's all."
Keifer nodded, voice thick. "Always."
That was when my emotions finally cracked again.
Section E pretended not to notice.
They absolutely noticed.
"OKAY FAMILY MOMENT," Calix announced loudly. "WE'LL JUST… STAND OVER HERE AND NOT SOB."
Later, when the hall had mostly emptied and the lights were dimmed, I found myself sitting on the edge of the stage. My heels were off, my dress slightly wrinkled, my head resting against Keifer's shoulder.
"This was… a lot," I admitted.
He smiled. "You handled it like a queen."
"I slapped you."
"Deserved."
I laughed softly, then grew quiet. "You really scared me."
"I know," he said, serious now. "I'm sorry."
I looked up at him. "Promise me something?"
"Anything."
"Don't disappear like that again. Not without telling me."
He pressed his forehead to mine. "I promise."
From the other side of the hall, Felix suddenly shouted, "ARE YOU TWO HAVING A MOMENT OR CAN WE TEASE YOU NOW?"
Keifer didn't even look up. "Five minutes."
"BRO SET A TIMER," Mayo said, impressed.
When we finally stood to leave, Section E surrounded us—laughing, teasing, fake-threatening Keifer, demanding wedding invites.
"IF I DON'T GET FRONT ROW SEATS, I RIOT," Rory declared.
"YOU'RE NOT EVEN MARRIED YET," Mica laughed.
As we stepped outside, the night air felt cool and calm, like the world had finally slowed down for us.
Keifer laced his fingers with mine.
For the first time in days… I felt whole.
Behind us, laughter echoed. Ahead of us, everything felt possible.
And somewhere between the chaos, the love, and the promise on my finger, I realized—
This wasn't just a happy ending.
It was the beginning.
💙