Epilogue

3 years later

Three years had whisked by in the blink of an eye, had flown by so quickly that Atsushi had no idea where the time had gone. Between working, deliveries, spending time with Tatsuki and visiting his family up in Akita, three years had been a whirlwind of dates and cakes and for the Tatty-Cakes Bakery in the heart of Tokyo, business was booming with a line out the door.

The day was chilled from the coming winter and the moment be had opened his doors, advertising the seasonal spiced latte and freshly baked and flaky cinnamon pumpkin turnover pastries, business had been nonstop. He had had to call in his second employee just to help handle the rush, but no amount of madness, or demand was enough to make him angry. In the span of the passed three years, he had paid off his debt and had been accumulating profit for several months, so taking a moment while his latest batch of pastries cooled on the counter tops, he stood in the doorway and admired his army of customers.

One after another, from young to old, singles and families, they all happily waited in line to reach the register and place their orders, where the second girl, a shorter, slightly more robust girl than Lora-Chin, would scurry over to make the coffees and package the pastries. Some would stay and enjoy their treats, while others headed out the door to go on with their days, but all had smiles and that, in turn, made him smile.

However, that smile grew to its widest as a new customer stepped through the crowded door, wearing a smart business suit with her hair pinned up and her glasses resting gently on her nose. Her modest pumps clicked on the floor with every step and slung over her shoulder was her work tote bag that she used to cart files around she needed to carry from one place to another.

"Hey, Atsu!" Tatsuki beamed, stepping passed the line as he stepped out from behind the counter.

"Hey, Muro-Chin. On your way to the courthouse?" Atsushi asked as he wrapped her up in his arms and held her close, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her hair.

"Yeah... I wanted to stop by and tell that I may not be able to make it to dinner tonight. The defense on this upcoming case is really trying their damnedest to drown us in paperwork." Tatsuki sighed, holding him for one last second before pulling away and looking up into his eyes that slowly fell down.

"D'aw... Really? But I already made the reservations at the restaurant." Atsushi grumbled with a childish pout as he let his hands rest against her sides.

"I wish I could get out of it, Atsu, but I've really gotta argue for the prosecution. I tried to get someone else to do it, but no one would take it. It's my case." She said with a sympathetic smile, stretching her neck up just enough to place a warm kiss to his pouting lips.

"I understand, Muro-Chin. I'll try to postpone the reservations-" He tried, swallowing his own voice when she shook her head.

"I hate to say it, Atsu, but this case is really draining all my spare time. I'm afraid we're gonna have to postpone indefinitely until this case is over." Tatsuki said with her own frown.

Atsushi's heart stuttered with an ache, "B-But, Muro-Chin... We're supposed to celebrate our third year anniversary and I wanted to do it there. You know reservations need to be made months in advance." He said, grasping her hands and holding them warmly.

"I know, Atsu and I'm really sorry. I'll make it up to you. I promise." She said, smiling up at him as she slipped a hand free and tenderly placed it against his cheek.

All Atsushi could do was softly sigh as he returned the smile, albeit with some effort since he truly was looking forward to his evening with his girlfriend of the last three years. Today was their anniversary, and for the last three years that had been filled with smiles and joy, he wanted it to be special. He had wanted to wine and dine her, had even saved up to take her to one of the most high end places in the city, but once again, her career had gotten in the way. Whenever she had to cancel because of work, he was never angry, or irritated with her. He understood completely and would often make sure she had a meal ready for her when she got home to their shared apartment, but tonight was going to be special. It was the one time he had wanted things to go off without a hitch.

With another sigh, Atsushi smiled again, this time without having to use effort as he clutched her hand and removed it from his cheek. He held them both gently as he reached into his pocket, but instead of withdrawing it right away, he just looked into her eyes and smiled.

"Muro-Chin... If dinner's out then, will you be upset if I do one of the things I had planned then?" He asked, still holding one of her hands in his.

"Of course not, Atsu. I feel really bad about canceling on us again, but work is just so... so... so hectic. I wish it would slow down soon so we could spend some time together." She said, her smile persisting for the moment, but it soon began to drop when he pulled his hand out of his pocket.

Atsushi never looked away from her as he opened his hand, revealing a small, purple velvet box with golden trim. Her smile immediately fell off her face and as the bakery's noise immediately died off, people began to stare and watch as if they were on TV.

"A-Atsu-... W-What is this?" She asked, her voice quiet, but with the silence of the bakery, it was almost as if she had screamed it.

With the weight of what he was about to do resting firmly on his shoulders, Atsushi quietly gulped as he knelt down, earning a round of quiet gasps from the horde of customers watching as Tatsuki yanked her hands away and cupped them over her nose and mouth. She was rigid, frozen solid as she looked down at him, but even kneeling, his head still nearly came up to her chest. Her eyes glistened under the soft lighting overhead and when he reached up and softly took her hand in his, his skilled fingers opened the box to reveal a dazzling, yet simple, diamond ring.

"Muro-Chin... When I first got to my uncle's farm, I felt like I didn't belong and that no one loved me, but then you came. You taught me how to work on a farm and how to milk cows and turn all the fresh ingredients into amazing sweets that I still use to this day. You showed me that living on a farm wasn't a bad thing and that's when I first realized that what made it great, was you." He said, full on ignoring the flipping in his stomach as he continued to look up into her filling eyes.

All Tatsuki could do, could muster, was to keep her available hand over her mouth to keep her throat from squeaking as she watched Atsushi pull the delicate looking ring from its box and hold it at the tip of her ring finger.

"Muro-Chin... I mean, Tatsuki Himuro... Will you marry me?" Atsushi asked, finally daring to slip the ring onto her finger.

Tatsuki's heart was racing, beating so hard and so fast that it was humming with a firm buzz. She could feel her muscles quivering from excitement, shock and a little bit of fear. For the last three years, they had enjoyed living together and dating, often spending nights in just to bake, come up with new recipes for Atsushi's bakery and then enjoy the fruits of their labor. It was domestic bliss, but as much as she tried to ignore it, there had been that growing nag that she wanted to solidify their relationship.

Now, her dreams, her desires, her wishes, were finally coming true.

Finally starting to breathe again, Tatsuki took her hand away from her mouth as a tear wrestled its freedom from her right eye. She smiled wide as she nodded and just as the crowd surrounding them started to cheer and clap, she found her voice.

"Yes, Atsushi... Yes, I'll marry you." She said, her voice popping with her overflow of emotions.

Atsushi finished slipping the ring on her finger as he stood, rising to his full height and gently grasped either side of her jaw. They both were smiling as he bowed his head, resting his forehead against hers and as he stared into her eyes, his own beginning to sting from his joy, Atsushi whispered the very thing he would say for the rest of his life.

"I love you, Muro-Chin."