Through Thick and Thin

11

Miranda drove home, and she got out of the car.

"Okay, I'm going to go set my stuff down, and then I'll be back,"

Ben nodded and went inside his house, too.
"How did it go?" his family asked as soon as he walked inside."

"It went great, she said yes, and she loved the prom proposal," Ben informed. "I'm going to show her the tree house now,"

"Okay, see you later,"

Miranda told her mom and dad about Ben's prom proposal, and they smiled, giving her a hug. She put her flowers in water and brought everything up to her room.

Walking back outside, she saw Ben sitting on her porch waiting. "Okay, I'm ready for the second suprise."

Ben grabbed her hand, and they walked down the street together. They stopped at the clearing where they met, and Ben turned, leading her to the tree.

"Oh my God, Ben, it's a tree house. Oh gosh, it's wonderful. Look at it! Can we go check it out?" Miranda asked, staring at it in wonder. She turned around to face him when he didn't respond.

What she saw next caused her to gasp. "Bennnn," she dragged, looking at him down on one knee. "What are you doing?" She asked quickly.

"I was going to wait until prom to do this, but I can't." He took a deep breath.

"Miranda," Ben began, his voice filled with a mixture of tenderness and certainty, "from the moment we became best friends, I knew there was something extraordinary between us and I was only 9. You've been my rock, my confidant, and my partner in all of life's adventures. These last months have been hell for me because I want you, I love you, and I literally need you. I only feel like i'm breathing comfortable now because we are back on better terms. Being without you made me feel like I had asthma and I couldn't breathe properly. And now, I am standing here with you, and I feel better, I can't imagine my life without you by my side."

Miranda's heart skipped a beat, her eyes filled with both surprise and anticipation. She felt a tremor of excitement coursing through her veins.

"Every day for the past 9 years, I have fallen more deeply in love with you," Ben continued, his voice unwavering. "You've brought so much joy, laughter, and love into my life, and I want to spend the rest of my days cherishing and honoring our bond. Miranda, will you marry me?"

A gasp escaped Miranda's lips, her eyes welling up with tears of joy and disbelief. She looked at Ben, seeing the depth of his love and the vulnerability in his eyes. In that moment, time seemed to stand still as her heart raced with a mixture of emotions.

Unable to contain her overwhelming happiness, Miranda nodded, her voice filled with love and conviction. "Yes, Ben. Yes, a thousand times. I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

A radiant smile spread across Ben's face as he reached into his pocket, revealing a beautiful diamond ring. He carefully slid it onto Miranda's finger.

She grabbed his face and kissed his lips hard. "You don't think it's too soon we have been dating for what 20 minutes now?" She giggled.

"Miranda, we have been dating our whole life without recognizing it. I'm sure about this. I want this forever. I know that,"

Miranda cried once again. "Oh wait, what about my parents?" she worried.

"I already asked them, and they were fine with it. Stop worrying so much,"

Miranda nodded and carresed his face, kissing his lips.

"Can we look at the tree house now?" She asked excitedly. It was so much excitement for one day.