Chapter 3

Inside were a few old photo albums and a stack of documents from when they bought the apartment.

Tamara crouched down and flipped through them. "We were supposed to throw these out, but Chris wouldn't let me. He said buying this place wasn't easy back then, so we should keep them as a memento."

She pulled out the document on top and handed it to me with a smile. "Look, we could barely scrape together the down payment. He even had to borrow 85,000 dollars from a friend."

I looked at the screenshot of the bank transfer.

The date was June, three years ago. The amount was 120,000 dollars. The recipient was Christian Sharp.

That day, he had sat outside my studio and told me all the company's cash was tied up in a project. If he didn't make the down payment soon, someone else would buy the apartment out from under him.

I had transferred the 120,000 dollars I'd just managed to save to him.

He'd held me close and said, "Nattie, once the paperwork's done, I'll put your name on it. I promise."

But whenever I brought it up afterward, he would say the paperwork was complicated and tell me not to rush.

Tamara continued flipping through the stack. "He used to be so broke he couldn't even afford to renovate. It wasn't until the company took off that he gradually turned this place into what it is now."

I turned the camera away.

So, from the down payment to the renovation, I'd only been part of the hardest stretch. By the time the apartment finally became a home, there was no place left in it for me.

Tamara pushed the box back against the wall. "Oh, do you want the original photos? I have them all saved in my cloud album, so you don't have to photograph each one separately."

"Send them over."

She sent me the link right away.

I opened it and found over 2,000 photos. Everything was neatly arranged by date, from their first dinner together to moving into the apartment and celebrating New Year's with both families.

I didn't scroll any further. Instead, I forwarded the shared link to my work account and saved it.

Tamara was still sorting through the photos beside me when she suddenly asked, "Nat, are you free tomorrow night?"

I looked up at her.

She pressed her lips together, unable to suppress a smile. "Chris booked the rooftop restaurant at a hotel. He says he has something important to tell me. I think it might have something to do with that ring."

Before she could finish, her face flushed. "If he really proposes, I want to show him the video we made today."

Tamara looked at me, her eyes full of anticipation. "Don't you two do on-site filming too? If you're free, could you film the proposal for me?"

I gripped my phone and nodded. "I can."

I wanted to see it with my own eyes, too. The proposal I'd waited eight years for. I wanted to see how he planned to give it to her.

…

The next evening, I arrived at the hotel early.

Tamara was already waiting for me downstairs. As soon as she saw me, she linked her arm through mine. "Nat, I barely slept last night. I'm pretty sure he's going to propose, but I'm still a nervous wreck."

I glanced at her. "You're that sure?"

"Not really." Tamara looked a little embarrassed. "A few days ago, he suddenly asked if I preferred something lively or quiet. I told him I just didn't want a crowd of people around, or I'd die of embarrassment."

She followed me into the elevator. "I didn't say anything else, so I have no idea what he's planned."

I said nothing.

The elevator reached the top floor, and Tamara stepped out first.

"Nat, wait here a second. I'll go take a look." She pushed open the door and went inside.

I stayed a few steps behind with my camera.

When the door opened again, I stopped in my tracks.

Beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows stretched the city skyline at night. White roses lined the path from the doorway to the windows. Strings of warm yellow lights wound around a wall of flowers, with a projection screen at its center.

Eight years ago, as I lay curled up in Christian's arms, I'd told him exactly what kind of proposal I wanted. No big crowd, white roses, and a view of the city at night. And if possible, a video of everything we'd been through together.

Christian had laughed at me. "Since when do you care about this kind of formality?"

I'd always assumed he'd forgotten. It turned out he'd remembered all along.

Tamara stood in front of the flower wall and waved me over. "Nat, isn't it gorgeous?"

I raised my camera. "It's beautiful."

Footsteps sounded outside the door, and Christian walked in. He wore the suit I'd helped him pick out last year and carried a bouquet in his hands.

From the moment he entered, his eyes never left Tamara.

Music began to play. Christian approached her, pulled a ring box from his pocket, and dropped to one knee.

I watched him through the viewfinder.

Over the past eight years, I'd imagined this moment countless times. Now that it was happening, everything was almost exactly as I'd pictured it.

Only the woman in front of him was different.

"Tammy." Christian opened the ring box. "Will you marry me?"

Tamara's eyes instantly filled with tears, and she nodded vigorously. "Yes, I will."

A few staff members burst into applause.

The moment Christian slipped the ring onto her finger, Tamara caught his hand. "Wait, I have something for you, too."

The restaurant lights dimmed, and the large screen lit up. A second later, Christian's voice came through the speakers. "I left the keys on the shoe cabinet. It's getting cold tonight, so close the window when you get back."

The screen transitioned to the next clip, which featured Fortune, the photo wall, and countless photos of their trips, birthdays, and other moments from the past two years of their life together. From the 217 voice messages, I'd carefully selected the moments that fit best. I'd meticulously assembled two years of their shared memories into a proposal video with my own hands.

Tamara leaned against Christian and smiled up at him. "What do you think? I've been working on this for a long time."

Christian smiled back. "You made this yourself?"

"Of course not. I'm not that good."

The video reached its final frame, and a line of white text appeared on the screen.

[Edited by: Natalie Palmer]

Christian's smile froze.

Tamara hadn't noticed yet. "This is Nat. She's the one who edited it for me. She came today, too, and filmed the whole thing for us."

Christian stared at the name on the screen. After a few seconds, he slowly turned around.

I lowered my camera.

Christian finally saw me.