Kai bought the ring a week and a half before Cinder's twenty-fourth birthday.

It was nothing fancy–just a gold band with a single diamond in the middle, two tiny rubies on either side and an engraving inside. It was expensive, obviously, but nothing compared to what he could have chosen. If he was marrying Cress, he might have gone ostentatious, but Cinder was subdued, so he chose something he knew she could wear.

He wanted to ask on her birthday. He had already planned them a nice dinner out, followed by a romantic walk through the park where he would have fairy lights set up and soft music playing. He would get down on one knee and ask her. It was all perfectly laid out in his head, but something was nagging at him.

If he had his choice, he'd ask her to marry him on the jumbotron in Times Square, but Cinder would probably rather die. So he had decided on something special, but not too extravagant for her. Especially since she hated getting expensive gifts from him. Kai still bought them anyways, and Cinder had never actually made him return anything.

Kai decided not to tell Cinder of his plan for dinner until the day of, so he didn't rouse suspicion. On the morning of her birthday, he tugged her close, arms around her waist, and pressed a light kiss to the crook of her neck, waking her up. He smiled against her skin.

"Happy birthday," he whispered.

Cinder's fingers grazed through his hair. "Oh right, that's today, isn't it?"

"You ready for an exciting day?" he teased her.

Cinder snorted and twisted in his arms so they were nose to nose. "Kai, what difference does a day make? I was twenty-three yesterday, and I'm twenty-four today, but I don't feel any different."

He kissed her forehead once, and then each of her eyelids, and finally her nose. "Birthday's are special."

Cinder smiled at him before finally breaking out of his embrace to sit up. He copied her motion and stretched his arms above his head, relishing in the pops of his stiff joints.

Cinder sighed and lifted her phone up for him to see. Her head was shaking affectionately. "Iko is taking me out tonight. She says that it's non-negotiable. Hope you didn't have anything planned tonight," she said.

His own stupidity slapped him in the face. Iko took Cinder out every year on her birthday. Of course, Cinder's twenty-fourth birthday wouldn't be any different. He knew there was something bothering him about his plan, and he felt incredibly dumb for not realising it sooner.

Kai forced a smile. "Nah, this is your guys' thing. We can go out tomorrow night or something."

"Or something," Cinder agreed, kissing him on the cheek before jumping out of the bed.

Kai sat up after her and watched her as she slipped into the adjacent bathroom. "Not tomorrow?"

Cinder glanced at him over her shoulder as she started running the water in the sink. "Got the big work showcase. We've got to show off the motor and prove the emissions theorem we made."

Kai bit his lip, but he made sure that Cinder couldn't see his frustration as she went back to her morning routine. "Oh yeah, you mentioned that last night."

Cinder, perceptive as always, turned to look at Kai, her right hand resting on her hip. "I'm ruining some plan of yours, aren't I?"

He laughed. "I wanted to take you out to dinner. To celebrate." It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either. He'd get another shot, but for now, maybe he could settle for a slightly less romantic breakfast out and leave the ring at his apartment. "How about we get breakfast today instead?"

Cinder shook her head fondly. "You're crazy, but breakfast does sound good."

Kai organised a get together for their group of friends. If he couldn't find a time for Cinder and himself to be alone in the right environment, then he wanted to do it surrounded by their closest friends.

Scarlet and Wolf were coming, and they offered to host, but Kai refused. He did have the largest apartment, even if he barely lived in it anymore. Cress and Thorne were going to be there too, as well as Iko and Scarlet's friend Emilie. He knew that Winter and Jacin had wanted to come–at least, Winter had–but they were currently vacationing in southern India.

Cinder came to his place sooner than he was expecting and Kai barely managed to shove the little black box in the nearest drawer before she was walking in, carrying their favourite take-out food. Cinder couldn't cook, and Kai didn't want to go through the effort of cooking for eight in his kitchen. They'd settled on the Thai take-out place around the corner and Cinder had picked up their order on her way over.

Kai smiled at his girlfriend and she smiled at him and placed the bags down on the countertops. He had shoved the ring box into the knife drawer off the counter, but he couldn't move it while Cinder was in the kitchen, so he could only hope she wouldn't need a knife.

He walked around the island and hugged Cinder from behind, pressed his nose into her hair. She laughed and twisted in his grasp, kissing the side of his head as a greeting in return. Kai tightened his grip and spun her around, lifting her clean off the ground. Cinder squeaked in surprise, but the tension in her shoulders disappeared when Kai put her back on the ground and released her from his grip.

"Why do you do that?" she asked.

He smiled. "Because your reaction is worth it," he explained with a wink.

Cinder rolled her eyes. Kai just held out a hand. She stared. "Are we shaking on something?"

Kai paused. "One second." He stepped into the living room and turned the stereo on, blasting the playlist Iko had insisted he use. He came back into the kitchen and lost all the air in his lungs.

While he had disappeared, Cinder had gathered all of her hair atop her head in a loose bun aside from the spindly locks that drifted rebelliously down her neck. The sleeves of her shirt–one that had once been his–were rolled up to her elbows and she was smiling at him. Kai wanted to melt into a puddle. She was beautiful and he loved her so much.

It took a lot of strength not to run for the knife drawer that instant and ask her right then and there. Instead, he stepped forwards and offered her his hands. Cinder raised an eyebrow.

"You put on Iko's music because you want to dance?"

Kai shrugged. "That's how we met, isn't it? Why not?"

Cinder slid her hands into his and stepped closer. "You're insane."

"I would be worried if I wasn't."

They danced a few steps clumsily, Kai leading Cinder, but they both had infectious smiles on and Kai couldn't care less how many times that Cinder stepped on his feet. He was going to spend the rest of his life with this woman and there was nothing that filled him with more joy than the idea.

The song faded out before slipping into a new upbeat pop track. Cinder stepped on both of Kai's feet simultaneously and boosted herself up to his height, pecking his lips. "Love you," she murmured.

Kai's lips twitched. "Love you too," he assured, kissing her once more.

Before anything more could happen, the doorbell rang over the music and Cinder stepped away, walking over to open it. Kai followed her and Cinder stumbled backwards into him as the weight of their first guest nearly sent her toppling to the ground. Cinder's arms latched around Iko and Kai steadied the two girls, suppressing a smile. After nearly squeezing the life from Cinder, Iko threw herself into Kai.

Having been with Cinder for many years, he was well accustomed to Iko's eccentric personality. He patted her back as she hugged him and made eye contact with Cinder who looked endlessly amused. Iko finally pulled away and grabbed Cinder by the arm, practically dragging her into the kitchen, chattering on about something.

Kai had nearly closed the door when he heard someone calling his name from in the hallway. He turned and saw more of his friends waving and walking towards him. He opened the door fully again and smiled.

"Emilie, Wolf, Scarlet, it's great to see you guys," he greeted as the trio stepped into the apartment.

Emilie smiled at him a little shyly. She was definitely more Scarlet and Iko's friend than anyone else, but she got along well enough with Cinder and Kai too. "Thanks for having us, Kai."

He shrugged. "Anytime. It's great to get everyone together again."

Scarlet laughed and removed her shoes, depositing them beside Iko's. "We're all busy, aren't we? But still, we should do this more often."

Wolf placed a hand on Scarlet's shoulder and helped her out of her coat. Kai was instantly surprised. It wasn't super obvious, but it was certainly visible enough. The way Scarlet's hand rested comfortably over the natural swell was indication enough. He blinked and Scarlet and Wolf seemed to realise that it was the first time that anyone in their group of friends had heard about this.

"Scarlet!" Iko exclaimed, sounding incredibly excited.

Kai turned and saw Iko and Cinder standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Iko was bouncing on the balls of her feet and Cinder looked as surprised as he felt. It seemed like he wasn't the only one who had wanted to announce something special at the gathering of their friends.

"Yeah, we might have wanted to warn you guys about this," Wolf said sheepishly.

Scarlet smacked his arm. "I wanted it to be a surprise."

"We're surprised," Kai promised. He then immediately decided against going through with his plan.

Scarlet and Wolf deserved to enjoy their celebration among friends tonight. He had no plans on stealing their thunder.

His next idea involved a romantic, home-cooked dinner with candles set up. It would just be them alone where he wouldn't have other people to worry about. He had made sure to inform their friends that he and Cinder were having dinner together and Iko had promised to stay away so that it would go off without a hitch.

Kai was just putting the roast in the oven when his phone went off. He frowned and glanced at it. He had an incoming call from Cinder. He turned down the stove so he didn't burn the vegetables and answered the call.

"Hey," he greeted.

"Hi," Cinder replied. She sounded tired and Kai wanted to restrain her from working. Whenever she sounded like that, it was because she'd been working really hard. "So I feel really terrible because I know tonight is supposed to be date night, but we're so close to a breakthrough on this subject. Myers wants us to stay for another hour to see if we can finally crack it. Do you think we could push it back another hour or so?"

Kai smothered his disappointment. He was about to tell Cinder that it was fine and he could wait when he got another incoming call. Kai pulled his phone away from his ear and was dismayed at the recognition of the number. It was his father's work number.

"My dad's calling, can I put you on hold for a minute?" he asked quickly.

"Sure," Cinder replied, understanding that it had to be important.

Kai switched calls and wasn't even given the chance to greet his father before the man started talking.

"I need you to come in," his father said. "It's very important. The Lunar Corporation is making a final push and we need a counter-strategy as soon as possible."

"Dad," Kai said, letting his frustration seep into his voice. "I'm having dinner with Cinder tonight."

"She's your girlfriend and I know how hard she works. She'll understand how important it is that you come in. Be here in half an hour." With that said, the line clicked dead and Kai was left listening to the dial tone from Cinder's call being on hold.

He ran a hand through his hair, agitated and resisted the urge to throw his phone across the room. It was important that Dehaui Industries come up with a plan to counter Levana Blackburn and the Lunar Corporation, but he didn't understand why it had to be tonight of all nights. Still, his father sounded worried and he knew he had to go help, even if he didn't want to.

Kai sighed and returned to the call with Cinder. "Hey, you there?

"Yeah," she replied.

"Do you think we might be able to take a raincheck on dinner completely? My dad just called me and I really need to go into the office tonight. It's almost cooked already so you're still welcome to stay over here and I'll leave you some food out, but I won't be back until late."

"Do what you need to do, Kai," Cinder dismissed. "We can reschedule anytime."

Kai felt a partially frustrated smile twitch up his lips. "Of course we can. I love you."

"Love you too," she hummed in response. "I'll see you later."

The line clicked dead and Kai dropped his phone to the counter. He allowed himself one minute of frustration before he set to work cleaning up the romantic atmosphere he had set. She didn't need to see it if he wasn't even going to be there. He finished cooking the meal before grabbing his jacket and heading out, the tiny black box still tucked carefully in the pocket of his coat.

He tried for two months. There were simple dates that got crashed by paparazzi trying to get a comment from Kai. There were romantic walks that were ended early by surprise rainstorms. There was a meal out ruined by another couple getting engaged near them. There was a date night at home ruined by Cinder coming down with the flu.

Kai was starting to feel as if the world was conspiring against him.

Finally, he came up with a plan that was supposed to work. He muted all his work calls, ensured Cinder had work off, told their friends that it was a night for the two of them, and brought Iko in to help him plan everything out.

Kai had decided to just go casual and bring her out onto the balcony after dinner and ask her under the stars. So far, everything had gone according to plan. They had just finished the dishes and Kai had flicked soap into Cinder's hair playfully which she responded to by flicking water back at him.

Now they were sitting on the balcony, curled together on the chaise lounge staring out at the city. The ring box was in his jacket and he was just waiting for the right moment. Cinder's hands were currently curled in his and they were warm and comfortable and it didn't quite feel perfect yet.

Cinder laid her head against his chest and detangled their fingers, letting her hands rest in her lap. Kai's hand dug into his pocket and closed around the tiny black box. He pulled it out and turned it over slowly. Cinder breathed deeply and evenly, but she wasn't asleep.

"Cinder," he began slowly and she twisted in his arms, staring at him.

Suddenly, a pop song began playing out of nowhere and they both flinched as it cut through the silence. It was Cinder's ringtone. In her defence, Iko had set the song and insisted that Cinder kept her phone on at all times in case something went wrong.

Cinder let out a long sigh and answered her phone. She was quiet for a minute before Kai watched her eyes blow wide in surprise and her lips curl up.

"Winter! You're in town?"

Kai felt his own eyebrows rise. Winter and her boyfriend Jacin had been out of the country for nearly a year. They weren't expected back for another month, so it was probably important if Winter was calling them and in the same city.

"I'm with Kai right now and we've already eaten." She paused and glanced at him. He cocked his head and she mouthed 'busy?' to him. He shook his head. Winter was her cousin. Cinder was allowed to choose her. "We can meet you guys someplace though if you'd like.

Kai slid the box back into his pocket and bit down a laugh. It was a damn conspiracy.

Cinder's hands were cold, especially her metal one, as she traced patterns along his side. Kai didn't shiver and pressed a kiss to the side of her head. Her fingers slid up his chest and over his collarbone until they pressed gently into the hollow of his throat as she hummed contently. He adjusted his grip around her waist and pulled her even closer. He held her silently and just focused on breathing.

This was what he wanted. He wanted this peacefulness for the rest of his life. He wanted to love Cinder just like this.

The couch was clearly two small for two bodies, but they lay across it anyways, as always. They were at Cinder's apartment because it was closer to her work which she had gotten off of only a couple of hours ago. Cinder was exhausted, as she always was after work, and Kai was tired enough too. She was lying on top of him and neither of them were wearing very many clothes.

Kai traced his fingers over the back of her shoulders and Cinder shivered lightly. "You okay?" he asked, his voice sleepy.

"Yeah, just tired," she replied softly.

The way her voice sounded, tired but content, made him happy. They were good together, everyone told him so, and he knew that Cinder was his family and he was hers. He just needed to make it official.

"Marry me," he said suddenly. It slipped out without warning and Kai himself was startled.

Cinder tensed and lifted her head from his chest to look at him. Her dark eyes were wide in surprise. "What did you say?"

"Nothing!" he said quickly.

Cinder sat up. "Don't," she rebuked firmly. "You just…" she trailed off.

He laughed through his desperation. "Yeah." He sat up and they sat there staring at each other for a moment in silence.

He ran a hand through his hair and let out a long sigh. "I've been trying to ask you since your birthday, but something always came up. This time I don't even have the stupid ring with me. It's in the drawer of my nightstand at home and this was completely not planned."

"Kai," Cinder interrupted, "I love you. I wouldn't have wanted this to happen any other way."

He blinked at her. "I just-"

"Shut up and ask me again properly," she instructed.

Kai laughed and took her hands in his own. "Cinder Linh, will you marry me?"

Cinder slid forwards so she was sitting in his lap. She pecked his lips and brushed her metal fingers along the side of his face.

"You know, you never really needed to ask, right?"

"You were the one who asked me to," he reminded breathily.

She laughed. "Alright. In that case, I say yes."

Kai kissed her deeply. He pulled away and pressed their foreheads together unable to stop smiling. "Good."

Author's Note: I haven't been writing enough lately. Finally found the inspiration to finish this piece. School's ending soon, but then my crazy busy summer starts. Hopefully there's more coming soon.

Don't forget to speak up

-Nicole