sweetener
will I just keep using Ariana Grande songs as titles? yes.
cn: anxiety, Cai Qing’s canonical low self-esteem, assumed cheating but not really, miscommunication, angst with happy ending
tags: oblivious Cai Qing, I’m so sorry Aloe, Marcus is the Mianmian in this relationship, I gave Cai Liya and Lin Qi marriage + a daughter because that’s what they DESERVE, it feels really good to write a nice Liya for once ):, sometimes I forget how much Cai Qing and Cai Liya mean to each other, this is the first time I wrote like classic miscommunication and I get now how it’s fun to write (not to read though lol), Aloe has no chill, but if wangxian canonly gets married after three months then it’s okay for her to propose after six, as a treat
they met at work which means they haven’t been friends before and Aloe and Liya aren’t friends either.
summary:
Aloe: I want to get married <3
Cai Qing: well couldn’t be me
got the idea from this fanfic
my eternal struggle at the moment is to decide whether to use an idea for Aloe/Qing or Yuka/Nandin. the latter would have gone like this:
Nandin: I want to get married
Yuka: Yikes
Nandin, internally: I’ll take that as a yes.
If anyone asked Cai Qing, she would be perfectly fine with just sitting here, ignoring the fact that they had to leave for work in like five minutes, and instead continuing admiring Aloe. Well, she could do that in the car as well she supposed, and at lunch, and on the way home, but she wanted to stay here now-that, and the feeling that Something Bad might be happening.
Cai Qing watched Aloe as she carefully clipped a bunch of papers together and put them in her bag, noticing the crease between her eyebrows, the worried look, and Cai Qing could feel her stomach churn, miserably taking another sip of her coffee. She wanted to ask what it was that Aloe was thinking about, she should ask, but she was kind of really afraid of what the answer might be.
See, she was well aware of the fact that it surely wouldn’t be like this forever, and it was mostly out of convenience anyway, but all this was too easy to forget when they woke up next to each other like they had this morning, Aloe wearing a sleepy smile on her lips, strands of blonde hair having come lose from her braids and framing her face, a soft good morning. In this moments Cai Qing felt what might be actual happiness and she really, really tried her best to remind herself that she would get her heart broken sooner or later, and as the anxiety in her stomach grew she felt like it would be rather sooner than later.
And then Aloe looked at her and Cai Qing smiled back, and Aloe said, gently and kind of careful: “Qingqing.”
“Yes?” Cai Qing replied, doing her best to sound casual. “What is it, princess?”
“I want to get married.”
Oh.
It wasn’t a surprise, not really-of course Aloe would want to marry, she was a Jin after all, she couldn’t waste her time by fooling around with her friend, she would want to get in a proper relationship with an appropriate person; Cai Qing just had hoped they still had time.
Cai Qing really, really tried to fight back the lump in her throat and keep up Aloe’s gaze who was still looking at her, waiting for a reaction. She could pretend it was alright, that she was okay and that it wasn’t a problem at all because this would still be better than losing Aloe completely, even though it would eventually be inevitable.
But until then she would do her best to support her friend and show her that she was happy for her, which was why Cai Qing finally managed to choke out: “Yes, that’s-Aloe, you’d look amazing in red.”
At that, Aloe smiled at her, bright and happy, and Cai Qing felt her eyes burning and her throat closing up as she prayed to the heavens to not start crying right now, she shouldn’t let Aloe see this, she should be glad that Aloe found someone she wanted to spend her life with, even if that someone wasn’t Cai Qing.
And then Aloe closed the distance between them, pulling Cai Qing into a hug which made everything so much worse. Cai Qing tried to keep her breath steady as she desperately hugged Aloe back, not knowing if it was the last time, which made her want to cry even more.
But if a hug was all Cai Qing got then she would take it, burying her face in Aloe’s shoulder as she pulled her even closer, breathing in deeply. Aloe surely would start talking about her fiancé and their wedding plans and Cai Qing couldn’t help but wonder who it was, probably Marcus Zhang. Who was a good choice, after all, the best for Aloe because she only deserved the best, and certainly someone better than Cai Qing. Aloe had found the person she loved and that was amazing, that was wonderful, and judging from how happy she was, she must have found someone she really loved.
When they parted, Cai Qing wiped away the tears that had escaped her eyes after all with the sleeve of her blouse. Like everyday they were carpooling together so Cai Qing had to keep it up while Aloe was radiating pure happiness. It was Marcus Zhang, Cai Qing was sure of it, it had to be him. He was an excellent choice, Aloe’s parents would love him.
Cai Qing tried not to think about the two of them waking up next to each other, having breakfast together, kissing each other goodbye. She supposed between her and Aloe it had never been anything real anyway; then why did her heart ache so much?
At the door Aloe pulled Cai Qing close again, kissing her, and Cai Qing … just couldn’t resist. She knew she shouldn’t be doing this, they wouldn’t continue this anyway, but she couldn’t help but to desperately kiss back, lose herself in this one more time, holding Aloe’s hand tightly.
Aloe surely wouldn’t cheat on her husband once they’d be married, Aloe wouldn’t do that. Cai Qing was even surprised about the hug and even more about the kiss, but maybe Aloe tried to get everything while she still could, tried to give them a proper goodbye.
She just hoped she wouldn’t lose Aloe completely. That they would still be friends, that they’d still be able to hang out together, still get lunch at work. Nothing would change really, would it?
“I’m just really happy,” Aloe said as they got in the car, smiling at Cai Qing.
“Yeah,” Cai Qing replied weakly, smiling back at her. “Me too.”
+ + +
Work would be great if Cai Qing ignored the fact that she was ready to start crying at any given moment (like, seriously, with big tears and everything) which … didn’t fare that well. She had actually managed to keep it together alright, grateful that she was able to avoid Aloe for most of the morning since they didn’t work in the same department, but as lunch came closer Cai Qing felt her strategy crumbling.
“Sorry, I can’t make it today,” Cai Qing lied, trying not to get worked up over the disappointment in Aloe’s eyes. She looked really pretty today (as she did every day), her hair in a cute half-bun with her soft curls flowing down her back, wearing a light blue blouse to a dusky pink skirt. Cai Qing shouldn’t look at her like that, she really shouldn’t. “I have to do … things.”
“Oh,” Aloe replied, “I just wanted to ask you about rings.”
Great, yes, of course Aloe would ask her for advice on her wedding to Marcus. And Cai Qing really appreciated it that Aloe would come to her for advice-she just wished it would be on literally anything else.
“Sure!” Cai Qing smiled at her friend. “What is it?”
“I wanted to go ring shopping,” Aloe explained, sitting down next to her, “for an engagement ring.”
“That’s great, yes, of course,” Cai Qing replied, “you should do that. I’m sure you’ll make a great choice.”
And it was true because Aloe did have an excellent taste. Marcus was really lucky to have her.
“But don’t you want to have a say in this, Qingqing?”
“I trust you with this,” Cai Qing replied confidently. “You’ll find the most beautiful one.”
At that Aloe smiled, interlacing their fingers, and Cai Qing could feel her heart melt. How was she supposed to get through this? And it came even worse because she spent the rest of her lunch break with making up reasons not to accompany Aloe when she was going to buy the symbol of her and Marcus’ everlasting love.
+ + +
Cai Liya picked up the phone after the fifth ringing. “A-Qing, what’s up?”
She sounded out of breath and there was noise in the background, the clinking of dishes and the washing machine plus sounds of crying which was very relatable, and she could practically see her niece being all teary-eyed. “Wait, A-Qing, give me just a second,” Cai Liya told her, and then some shuffling and in a soothing tone: “Shh, it’s fine-ah, Lin Qi, could you just-”
“What was that about multitasking again?” Cai Qing heard her sister’s wife ask in a mocking tone, and Cai Liya let out an exasperated sigh and Xiao Ying was crying even louder now and Cai Qing still felt like joining her.
“Lin Qi, could you please just for once shut up and-okay, here, go to mummy, yes.”
The crying immediately stopped when Lin Qi picked Xiao Ying up and Cai Qing could hear Lin Qi’s laughter and then it went quieter when Cai Liya turned off the speaker, and Cai Qing was able to hear her voice clearer.
“God, I wish she wasn’t so damn smug about everything, I mean, can you believe her?” Cai Liya said to her, and Lin Qi shouted “Hey, I heard that!” to which Cai Liya replied: “You were supposed to.” Then the door closed behind Cai Liya. “Sorry about that, it’s just-nevermind. What is it, A-Qing?”
Cai Qing took a deep breath, trying to steady herself for what was about to come, and she could do it, she had to since that was what reality would look like now. But it was hard and her words came out as a sob. “Aloe wants to get married.”
“To you?” Cai Liya asked to which Cai Qing laughed, but it came out as a sob too.
“I would know if she wanted to marry me, wouldn’t I? No, it’s-I don’t even know, probably Marcus Zhang. God, he’s really lucky.”
“A-Qing,” Cai Liya replied, her voice soft, making Cai Qing even more miserable. “I’m so sorry. I really didn’t expect this, I always thought the two of you would end up together.”
“Yeah,” Cai Qing replied against the tightness in her throat. “You know, I actually wanted … I wanted to ask her if she wanted to date, like, for real.”
“Oh god, sweetheart. I’m coming over tomorrow, okay? Do you need anything? How will you be getting to work if you’re not seeing her anymore?”
“We’re still going together.”
“What?”
“She still wants to keep seeing me, probably until the wedding. I really want us to stay friends, a-jie, I can’t lose her, and as long as she’ll keep up with me …”
“A-Qing, that doesn’t sound very healthy.”
“No, I’m okay, I swear, it’s just-it’s just something I have to get used to.” Cai Qing squeezed her eyes shut, unable to hold back the tears any longer.
“You’re crying; I don’t think you’re okay.”
“How do you know?”
“You just told me. Also because you’re literally sobbing.”
“I’m fine, I really am,” Cai Qing protested helplessly. “I’ll stop sleeping with her at some point, I just … I just don’t want her to forget me.”
“She’s not going to forget you. But I really don’t think keeping this up is good for you, not when she’s marrying someone else.”
“I know, a-jie, I know, but I’d rather be with her like this than not at all. It just doesn’t feel real yet, you know?”
“My poor A-Qing. I really didn’t expect this from Aloe. How could she do that to you?”
“It’s okay,” Cai Qing quickly replied, tears still rolling down her cheeks. Aloe would never hurt her intentionally, she knew that.
“A-jie,” she said, trying to brace herself what she was about to say. “I think I’m in love with her.”
It was the first time Cai Qing had said it out loud, and she realised it was the truth. She was in love with Aloe, which made everything so much harder, and Cai Qing was full-on crying by now.
“Oh, A-Qing,” Cai Liya said, “I really want to give you a hug right now. I’m going to bring Xiao Ying with me tomorrow, alright? And then we can make jiaozi together, how about that?”
“Yeah,” she replied, “yeah, that would be really nice.”
+ + +
“What do you think?”
Aloe looked at her expectantly as she held out the ring to Cai Qing and Cai Qing really wished Aloe wouldn’t ask her for her opinion on this, to not make it harder than it already was. But they were friends, after all; maybe Aloe would even ask Cai Qing to be her bridesmaid.
The ring in question was pretty, really beautiful, actually-gold with dark red stones, probably a garnet. It was delicately crafted, the stones forming the shape of a flower.
“I don’t like it,” Cai Qing blurted out, hoping that Aloe wouldn’t notice the glare she shot the ring. She did like it, that was the problem: it looked like something Cai Qing would wear, but it was Marcus who was going to wear it.
Aloe looked upset and Cai Qing knew she could have been nicer, so she added: “I prefer green. Like, really pale.”
“Like emerald? Or jade?”
“Jade,” Cai Qing replied, looking at the necklace dangling from Aloe’s neck.
“Then jade,” Aloe replied, smiling at Cai Qing. “You should have come.”
“I didn’t think you’d take my advice so seriously. It’s your ring.”
“You want me to wear a ring?”
Cai Qing blinked at her. “Yes, isn’t it usually like that? I mean, if you want to. But this looks more like something I would wear than something you would give to your fiancé. It looks like something I would give to my fiancée,” Cai Qing said and then she coughed awkwardly before she could say something like If I ever manage to convince someone to stick around for me.
Aloe took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her own finger, saying “You’re right. I like it.”
And Cai Qing did as well even though she really wished she wouldn’t, but the ring on Aloe’s finger looked like it had been made for her, like it had just found its home. Cai Qing smiled at Aloe but she could feel that it was weak and watery, and Cai Qing really didn’t know how she was supposed to keep this up.
Aloe cupped her face and kissed her slowly, softly, before saying: “I’ll get another one. One that you like.”
“Yeah,” Cai Qing managed to choke out, the taste of Aloe’s lips still on her. “Come on, we’re going to be late for work.”
Aloe nodded, interlacing her fingers with Cai Qing’s again, and Cai Qing could feel the ring against her skin.
God, she couldn’t wait for Cai Liya to get here.
+ + +
“A-jie!” Cai Qing exclaimed excitedly, running towards her sister as she got out of the taxi.
Cai Liya pulled her into a tight hug and for the first time since yesterday morning she felt like she was actually able to breathe. She buried her face in her sister’s shoulder, Cai Liya’s hand gently patting her head. “I really missed you.”
“I missed you too, A-Qing.”
It had only been about two weeks since they had seen each other last, but it felt like much longer. They let go and Cai Liya got Xiao Ying out of her baby carrier, putting her on her hip. She looked at Cai Qing with her big baby eyes and Cai Qing could feel herself go soft. “How is my favourite niece doing?”
“She’s happy to see her aunty, aren’t you, A-Ying?”
Xiao Ying still stared at her and Cai Qing laughed in delight, picking up Cai Liya’s bag. “Let’s go inside, yeah? A-Ya, you went back to work last week, didn’t you? You have to tell me everything.”
They were chatting along their way back when Cai Qing saw Aloe standing at the entrance of the building, waiting to say goodbye. She had just dropped off Cai Qing after work and was on her way back home even though they would usually hang out together, but Cai Qing supposed she already should get used to seeing Aloe less now that she would want to spend more time with Marcus soon.
Seeing Aloe, Xiao Ying’s face immediately brightened and she reached her tiny arms out towards Aloe, making grabby hands.
“Aw,” Cai Qing squealed in delight, “A-Ying, did you miss this jiejie?”
“She’s adorable,” Aloe said, reaching out towards Xiao Ying who wrapped her hand around Aloe’s finger, and Cai Qing felt like she might be melting at the sight, especially when Xiao Ying actually laughed at Aloe.
“Did I tell you, a-jie, Aloe is really great with children. And with animals, you should see her with Zoe Way’s rats, they love her. And plants,” Cai Qing added. “Somehow she always manages to keep them alive.”
“Qingqing,” Aloe said, her cheeks reddened.
“But I don’t want to hold you back,” Cai Qing quickly said, “you’ll probably have to be home soon, don’t you? Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“No problem,” Aloe replied, “I hope the three of you have a nice evening. See you tomorrow.”
Xiao Ying pouted as Aloe pulled back her hand and, really, Cai Qing got it.
“I hope I can meet you properly before you leave,” Aloe said to Cai Liya, smiling at her.
Cai Liya didn’t quite return the smile, her eyes narrowing almost unnoticeable. Cai Qing laughed nervously, shooting Aloe one last reassuring glance, and then Aloe left.
“A-Qing,” Cai Liya said as they finally went inside. Xiao Ying still looked sad about the fact that Aloe had left, and Cai Qing really felt her. If things were different Aloe could have stayed with them and they could have all made jiaozi together, but Cai Qing supposed Aloe had Marcus for that now.
“She’s so nice even though she’s treating you so badly. How am I supposed to be nice to her?” Cai Liya looked at her with concern, and Cai Qing’s heart ached. She knew her sister, and even if it didn’t look like it Cai Liya was ready to fight at any given moment.
“She’s a nice person,” Cai Qing defended her friend, “she wouldn’t do this if she knew it was hurting me.”
“You should tell her that you’re hurting.”
At that, Cai Qing snorted. “Yeah, right. No, but seriously-I can’t. I don’t want to give her up, you know?”
Once again Cai Liya pulled her into a hug, not as tight this time since Xiao Ying was still between them, and Cai Qing could feel herself tearing up again.
“I just,” she said, wiping her eyes with her sleeves, careful not to smudge her eyeliner. God, she should really get some tissues. “I mean, I know it’s pathetic, but … that wouldn’t stop me, would it? Haha, can we make food now? I’m really hungry.”
Cai Qing pouted at her sister and Cai Liya sighed, her expression softening. She always looked so tense and Cai Qing supposed it must be quite exhausting with a baby, starting work again (even if it was only three days a week), and another baby on the way, and yet she was here, listening to Cai Qing’s whining.
I really have the best sister, Cai Qing thought, smiling at Cai Liya.
+ + +
“Qingqing,” Aloe greeted her, breezing into the room and it was like the sun went up, causing this warm, fuzzy feeling in Cai Qing’s chest because Aloe was still here, Aloe had still come back, and again she looked so happy and Cai Qing was really glad to see her like this-until she remembered how miserable she was.
Cai Qing was sprawled out on the sofa, scrolling down Weibo while not really watching some idol casting show. Aloe had a key anyway and she had texted she’d stop by later, so her visit wasn’t a surprise.
“Princess,” Cai Qing smiled, muting the TV. “What is it?”
Aloe sat down next to her on the sofa, looking at her with bright eyes. She was so beautiful, her blonde hair pinned up, her pastel blue dress complimenting her dark skin perfectly. Her shimmery eyeshadow only seemed to make her eyes shine even brighter. “I want to set a date.”
“A date?” Cai Qing repeated, putting away her phone.
“For the wedding. When would be best for you?”
For her? Should Aloe really be scheduling her wedding around Cai Qing? “I don’t mind.”
“Well, what time of the year do you want to get married?”
“I really haven’t thought about it,” Cai Qing replied. “What about you? It’s your wedding.”
“Spring. Spring or summer,” Aloe said. “May would be great, but maybe even April since it’s the best time for cherry blossoms, but I feel like the fifth month would make a good date. Better not April, then.”
Oh god, it was January already. Cai Qing’s heart clenched at the thought of the next weeks, months passing by, the precious time they had left. She really needed to end this.
Noticing Cai Qing’s probably not that well-hidden expression, Aloe quickly said, smiling gently at her: “Next year, or the year after that. I don’t mind having a long engagement as long as I know I’m getting married.”
Cai Qing couldn’t imagine spending two years watching Aloe be in love, sleeping with her on the side. “Most of the time I don’t feel old enough to get married,” Cai Qing said. A year ago she wouldn’t even have known anyone she’d want to get married to, but Aloe … well, she had changed things. Not that it mattered now anyways.
Aloe looked at her. “Sometimes when you meet someone, you just know that connection will last forever. Even if things change, my feelings won’t. It’s not too soon for me to propose; I have thought about this for a long time, and I want to have this forever.”
Ah, Aloe must really love Marcus. Cai Qing wondered if she would ever manage to find someone like this, but whenever she tried to think about it, the only face that came to her mind was Aloe’s.
“How do you feel about the wedding cake, by the way? Do you have a favourite? Something with chocolate would be great, don’t you think? I mean I know there’s still enough time, but I can’t stop thinking about these things!”
Aloe sounded really, really excited, and Cai Qing got it, it would be a huge event after all. “Chocolate sounds great,” she replied. “I think some confectionary shops offer cake tastings. You should totally do that.”
“Oh god, yes. Absolutely. But what about you?”
“What about me?”
“Aren’t you going to come?”
“Why would I come?”
Aloe looked at her in irritation. “Don’t you want to eat the cake too?”
Cai Qing laughed nervously. “I didn’t think my opinion would matter that much.”
“Of course your opinion matters,” Aloe replied, taking Cai Qing’s hand in hers. She was still wearing the ring, the red stones shimmering in the afternoon sun falling through the window, and Cai Qing’s heart felt heavy. “Honestly, your opinion is the only one that really matters to me.”
Oh god, Aloe really was too sweet. How could she be so considerate? “And Marcus’ opinion?”
“Well, he’s going to eat whatever there is. Anyways, there are so many more things to consider-like, where would you want to go for the honeymoon? I thought maybe Hanoi, or Singapore. What do you think?”
Cai Qing nodded. Both were great, both were places Cai Qing would love to see as well, and she recalled a conversation the two of them once have had about the places they wanted to visit when they had the chance to.
“But really, anyway in the world is fine. We could go to Europe, like, Paris is so romantic. Or we could just stay here,” she said, smiling at Cai Qing while Cai Qing struggled to return her smile.
She had known that this would be hard, listening to Aloe’s marriage talk, but apparently that knowledge alone hadn’t been enough to actually prepare her for this. Even though Cai Qing really tried her best to be attentive and support her friend, the thought of Aloe and Marcus together made her heart ache, especially since Aloe was so sure their relationship would last forever, and Cai Qing didn’t know how to take it any longer.
“And, like, I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but I have been looking at dresses. I mean, I’m not sure if you’re technically allowed to see before the wedding, but we could pick them out together and-”
“Princess,” Cai Qing interrupted her before she could stop herself.
Aloe looked at her with her big, bright, hopeful eyes, still so excited about the wedding plans, and Cai Qing really didn’t want her to feel bad or conflicted or anything, but she still remembered her sister’s words, and if this was going on any longer she felt like she might implode. It had only been a few days since the announcement and Cai Qing already was at the end of her limits.
“What is it, Qingqing?”
“I have to tell you something.”
“You can tell me anything,” Aloe replied, squeezing her hand which she was still holding.
Cai Qing took a breath, steadying herself. She had to do this.
“I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Well, that wasn’t very helpful.
“No, princess, I-I’m in love with you.”
“I’m in love with you as well.” Aloe looked very confused.
Cai Qing was also confused. Aloe was in love with her (Aloe? Was in love with her? Aloe was in love with her??? Aloe was in love with her?) but she was going to marry someone else?
“You’re going to marry someone else?”
“What?” asked, sounding alarmed.
“You-love me?” God, here she was, choking on the l-word.
“Yes.”
For the god-knows-how-many-time the last days Cai Qing’s eyes were tearing up again, and she didn’t, she really didn’t want to cry, but Aloe was just not getting it.
“You’re going to break up with me?”
“No,” Aloe said, sounding even more alarmed, concern in her voice. “Love, why would you think that? I’m going to marry you.”
Wait, what?
“But you’re going to marry Marcus Zhang?”
“What? What does Marcus have to do with this? Why would I?”
“But,” Cai Qing replied weakly, her voice shaking. “When you said you wanted to get married-”
“To you,” Aloe said softly, taking Cai Qing’s other hand as well, “I asked you, I said I want to get married. You said yes.”
“I thought,” Cai Qing started and then she couldn’t continue because all that came out was a sob, which was enough to send the tears rolling down her cheeks again, hot and humiliating, and Aloe pulled her in her arms, holding her close to her chest.
“Love, it’s you, of course it’s you,” she said, pressing a kiss to Cai Qing’s hair. “It’s always been you. I love you, I want to marry you, I want to be with you forever.”
Which only made the tears worse, and Cai Qing was now full-on sobbing into Aloe’s shoulder, her heart full of things she could not name, but mostly relief as the anxiety and misery of the last days faded. Aloe loved her. Aloe loved her. Oh god, she needed a moment with that one.
When she finally was able to breathe somewhat normally again Cai Qing pulled back. “I love you so much, princess.”
There were tears in Aloe’s eyes as well and Cai Qing caught one rolling down her cheek, wiping it away with her thumb. “I’m so sorry,” Aloe said. “I should have made it clearer.”
“It’s okay,” Cai Qing reassured her because now she really was, she was more than okay. “We’ll work on the communication thing.”
“Did you really now know we were together?” Suddenly Aloe looked worried. “It’s quite soon though, isn’t it?”
“No,” Cai Qing reassured her. “It’s never too soon. I would marry you any time.” She meant it.
“Well, next time we’ll get the order right,” Aloe said, a smile on her lips.
She pulled Cai Qing close, kissing her softly, and Cai Qing melted into the kiss.
“I love you,” Cai Qing said again because she couldn’t get enough of it, now that it was okay to say. The words felt so right on her lips.
“I love you, too,” Aloe replied, placing another kiss to her forehead.
“Aiyah,” Cai Qing helplessly said, “princess, you can’t just say things like that, you’ll kill me.”
“You’ll be fine,” Aloe said. “You’ll get used to it. I’ll tell you every day.”
Cai Qing still couldn’t believe this was really happening, that Aloe loved her. That Aloe wanted to be together with her, wanted to marry her.
“Did you actually think I was going to marry Marcus? What would you have done?”
“Ah,” Cai Qing replied, avoiding her eyes. “Probably some of this silently-suffering stuff. But I don’t think I would have managed well very long.”
“Oh, Qingqing.” Aloe’s voice was full of affection, and Cai Qing could practically feel her heart melt.
And then Aloe got up and Cai Qing watched her as she rummaged around her bag, and when she came back she had a small box with her.
Aloe kneeled down in front of her. “Qingqing, will you be my wife?”
She opened the box, revealing a gold ring with a jade stone in it, matching Aloe’s necklace. It was perfect.
Cai Qing tried to say something, anything, but she didn’t seem to be able to form words, so she just nodded, feeling the tears well up again as she kissed Aloe’s lips, her cheeks, her forehead.
And then Aloe slid the ring on her finger and it fit perfectly while the dark red one was still on Aloe’s; Cai Qing carefully took it off, kneeling down in front of Aloe.
“Jin Luhui,” Cai Qing said, trying to keep her voice steady, “will you be my wife?”
“Yes,” Aloe breathed, tears glistering in her eyes. “Qingqing, I want to marry you. I want to stay together forever.”
This was all Cai Qing had ever wanted.
She slid the ring back onto Aloe’s finger and it was back home, and then she leaned forward, kissing the love of her life.