532 Practice Makes Perfec

"Damien…" Katherine stepped back, her hands clenching together, totally taken aback by what was happening.

Smiling, Damien reached for her left hand and held it securely with his as he began, "I was going to wait until later… But I thought now would be the best time to do this."

"Do what?" She laughed. "What are you doing? Get up!"

He chuckled with her as he took something out from his pocket—a black velvet box that matched their clothes. Damien chose to wear the suit that his mother got him yesterday—a velvet blazer, while Katherine's top was also velvet. They were both in black, yet in his eyes, she was the most radiant that evening.

The box opened, and in it sat a beautiful ring with black and white stones. It was like Damien's engagement ring but a woman's version. On the center of the ring was a big black diamond with two smaller ones on each side, and the tiny white diamonds formed halos around the black ones as if protecting them.

"I know we're in the middle of a war, and a wedding is something we can't do right now—what with us dealing with everything shitty." They laughed. "But I want you to remember, Katherine… Nothing has changed. I'm still falling in love with you every single day. I just want you to know that I can't wait for all of this to be over."

A charming smile painted her face as she watched him take out the ring from the box and slip it on her finger. Her stomach fluttered when she felt his warm touch grazing her skin.

Damien got to his feet and held both of her hands as he inched closer towards her. "I want to marry you here in this resort where we started our first day together after five years of being apart. Actually, I want to marry you in several places. In a church… In that castle in France where we visited. In the mountains… Heck—I'll marry you under the sea if you'll let me. I'll marry you a hundred times until we grow old. I want you and will want you forever, Katherine Young."

Katherine gazed at him, nodding as she hooked her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss on his lips. "How could I say no to that? I would love to spend forever with you, Damien Park."

He kissed her lips, and then the back of her hand where the ring was. Leaning on him, she admired the ring on her finger and muttered, "It's so beautiful…"

"I wanted us to match. At the same time, I wanted to give the one I gave you the first time. So I had it customized."

"What do you mean?" she wondered.

"Well… The black diamond and the onyx stones are new. The white ones and the platinum band, however, were from your old ring."

Her chin wobbled at the memory of how she gave him back the ring. Thinking about the old engagement ring that he gave her reminded her of many things that her heart felt full and throbbing at the same time. 

"It's perfect. I love it," she told him, wrapping her arms around his torso and squeezing him tightly. His scent was like home to her, and his warmth was like her blanket—so cozy, so heart-warming.

"Good." He stepped back a little and held his hand out to her. "May I please have this dance?"

"But there's no music?" she chuckled.

"That's not a problem." Damien whipped out his phone and tapped it a few times. Then, music started to play from the speakers on his phone. He balanced the phone on the railing behind Katherine and turned to face her again, his hand waiting for her to accept. "You have no excuse now."

"Tch. I would have danced with you even without music anyway." She placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her close. An arm wrapped around her waist as she laid her head on his shoulder, and they gently swayed from side to side.

Katherine grinned when she realized that the song was the same one they danced to that last night they were together five years ago—Counting Stars, a version by Hannah Trigwell. It was a starry night out on the balcony at that time. Now, it's a cold night in the garden by the beach, yet both nights have one thing in common—the two of them. Except this time, their feelings for each other were stronger than ever. 

~Lately, I've been losing sleep, dreaming about the things that we could be.

But baby I've been prayin' hard—said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars~

"You remembered…" she whispered.

"Remember what?" he chuckled as if he didn't understand what she was talking about.

"You're actually sentimental. I've noticed that a while back—I love that about you. Please don't change."

Damien brushed his lips on her hair before moving them closer to her ear, and he breathed, "I'll take you anywhere you want to go…" He said the same words he said back then.

"It doesn't matter where… I'll go wherever you will go," she responded. Her answer was totally different from what she said in the past.

Hearing her words made him feel that they could conquer the world as long as they are together. They met many years ago, not knowing that their lives were entangled in ways they couldn't imagine. Falling in love in moments they didn't expect, only to be separated when their circumstances tested their love.

When Katherine didn't hear his response, she asked, "Why did you suddenly want to do this now? Did something happen?"

Damien slightly pulled back and lowered his gaze to meet hers, "You've been working so hard lately, and you've done a lot for me. I just wanted you to know that I'm not neglecting you…" He swept her hair off her face and tucked it behind her ear as he let out a small sigh. "You've been so kind to… my mom… and me… I can see how you're trying your best to bring us together. And I appreciate that a lot. I just want you to remember that you're my family and I'm always here for you. Always… No matter what happens in the future."

"Silly, I would never forget that. I know we're both busy, and I'm not demanding anything from you. I'm fine as long as you and I go home together, sleep on the same bed, and wake up next to each other… That's enough for me." She tiptoed and kissed his lips. "And about your mom... I'm happy that you're finally closer. She's been smiling a lot recently, and I'm sure it's because of you."

Pulling her closer again, he gently placed her head on his shoulder and rested his chin on top of it. "When all this is over… I want us to start a family."

Katherine didn't respond right away, but he felt her stiffen in his arms. It made him wonder if she didn't want to have kids as they hadn't really talked about seriously.

Damien waited for her to say something, but after a minute of silence, he finally asked, "Do you not want to?"

She pulled back and looked up, staring at his curious gaze as she formulated her answer. "It's not that… I'm just… I…"

"What?"

"I don't remember the last time I had my period…"

He stopped moving. His eyes were focused on her face as his mind churned at the possibilities. "You don't think you're…"

The air was silent. The breeze swept against their skin, and the crashing of waves to the shore was the only sound they could hear. For a second, it was as if their whole world stopped. Even without them speaking, their minds were already thinking about the same thing.

"I don't think so," Katherine blurted. "I don't feel like it… Not that I would know how it would feel—I mean I haven't experienced it before—"

Damien furrowed his brows at her rambling, and she stopped.

"Sorry." Her shoulders dropped, a sigh escaping her mouth when she realized what she did. "I didn't mean to shock you. I spoke without thinking much."

"You have to get yourself checked," he told her.

She didn't protest as she agreed that she did in fact need to see a doctor. So she nodded and took a deep breath as she replied with a smile, "Just so you know… I'm with you. After all this… Let's start our own family."

A handsome smile split his face at the promise. Damien dipped his head until his lips brushed her neck, and then he said, "In that case… We need lots and lots of practice."

Katherine shuddered when he kissed her, his hands gliding southward and cupping her bottom. "Indeed. Practice makes perfect."