Things were so different this time, Leah was so different. We had spent the last week enjoying being in the company of each other with no interruptions. She basically didn't lift her phone the entire time we were away and I knew she was doing this to erase any memories I may have had about our previous experience here.
Leah had gone to extreme efforts to make this holiday the best holiday I have ever had. We had done everything from deep sea diving to snorkelling with turtles and swimming with dolphins. Every single night she had held onto me from the moment my head hit the pillow until the moment I woke up again. She must've told me at least once every ten minutes how beautiful I was, how much she loved me and how glad she was that we had found our way back to each other. Leah was as in love as I was and neither of were afraid to admit that we felt this way.
Today was spent exploring Mauritius on quad bikes, Leah's smiles as we rode through this island together warmed my heart more than anything ever had before. We kept catching each other's eye as the sun beamed down on us. Once we had finished, we headed back to our apartment and jumped into the pool together to cool down. Even as we spoke in the pool, Leah's hands were intertwined in mine and my arms around her neck. She ran her hands over my stomach and around my back, gazing at me in a way I had only ever seen in movies before.
"Al?" She spoke softly.
"Yeah Le?" I whispered back, kissing her before she answered.
"You are sure about us aren't you?" She asked, almost holding her breath as she waited for my response.
"More sure than I've ever been about anything in life, Le." I smiled back at her.
Leah didn't respond, she just pushed my back against the edge of the pool and kissed me, moving her hand from my waist to my cheek to stroke it gently.
"Let's get ready and go for food. This is our last date night in Mauritius." She said, kissing every inch of my face and neck before getting out. I swear this girl makes me feel like I'm in heaven with every touch.
We both got showered, as we were in the same apartment as last time we had two bathrooms so getting ready was made easier by our ability to get ready at the same time. I laughed as I opened my case to see which outfit I had left since Leah was the one that had packed my case. Leah had packed the same outfit that I had worn the last night in Mauritius when things had ended so badly. She really had planned this trip with precision.
I got ready and headed to meet Leah, who was also in the same outfit she had worn that last night. She was stood against the door but this time with no phone in her hand. Her eyes just fixated on looking at me. Just as she did last time, she told me I looked beautiful and I returned the compliment, as we both laughed at the similarities between this night and the last. Leah reached her hands out to me, pulling me into her as soon as our hands touched.
"I love you, Alex. More than I ever thought I could love anyone." Her chest vibrating onto my ear as she spoke.
"I love you more than anything, Le." I replied, squeezing my arms tighter around her.
Leah lead the way to the same beach restaurant we had ate at before. Once again, our table was lit by the moon and the glow of the fire pit. We talked about our past, present and future over dinner and a bottle of wine and in this moment everything felt so right. I felt complete. This same beach was the place I had sat with Leah before my heart was broken, tonight she had made sure I knew it would never be broken again.
Leah paid the bill, we thanked the waiter and began to walk back along the beach to our hotel.
"Look at the size of the moon!" I shouted to Leah, despite her being right beside me.
"I know! Take a picture of it, my mum would love it. Your camera is so much better than mine." Leah replied, smiling sweetly at me.
I stepped forward to take the picture, zooming in to ensure Amanda could tell by the picture just how beautiful the moon really was. It took my camera a few seconds to focus but when it did I took a few pictures, some zoomed in and some zoomed out. I turned back to show Leah my camera skills but when I saw her my phone immediately dropped to the floor. Leah was directly behind me, one knee on the sand and a ring shaking in her hand as she looked up at me with tears in her eyes.
"Le -" I began before she interrupted me.
"Alex, just over a year ago, you recreated our first date in Belfast. You changed the ending because you said you didn't like the first one. Tonight, in Mauritius, I am recreating this date because I didn't like the ending of that last one. I know it's maybe not been as long as other people have waited but when you know, you know. And I know. I know that what I have with you can never be replaced. I know that no matter where I go in the world I want you there with me. I know that I want to, one day, have children with you. I know that I forever want us to be Leah and Alex. I want to be yours forever, and I want you to be mine. So, Alex Ryan, marry me?"
By this point, both myself and Leah had tears streaming down our faces. Just like we did that last night in Mauritius but just like Leah had said, she had changed the ending. We were now both crying happy tears, in love tears, forever tears.
"You want to marry me? Me?" Was all I could get out, in disbelief that this was happening.
"Yes. If you will? If it's too early it's okay -" Leah began but I couldn't wait to the end of her sentence to give my answer.
"Yes, yes, yes. One million times yes!" I said, jumping down to her and pushing her onto the sand. I rested my hands either side of her head and kissed her, feeling the tears from my cheeks mix with the tears on hers. Leah wrapped her arms around my back and held me in place until she could sit in an upright position, my body resting on her lap as our faces sat inches apart from each other.
"Can I?" She asked, holding the ring towards my finger. Her voice was so soft and gentle, so comforting.
"Please." I responded, beginning to feel my eyes water again as I watched her nervous hands shake. Leah pushed the ring until it moved over my knuckle and sat in place.
"Le, I can't believe this. I can't believe you did all this for me. For us." I said, stroking the side of her face with my thumb whilst admiring the ring on my other hand.
"I will do anything for us, Alex. Anything." She whispered back as she rested her forehead against mine.
We eventually made it back to our villa, walking hand in hand and spending the rest of our night in the comfort of each other, Leah pushing me off her last time we were here was now a distant memory. As we cuddled into each other, falling into a sleep, Leah's hand found the ring on my hand. I could almost feel her heart smiling as she touched it, reminding herself that I had really said yes.
Tomorrow, we would tell people. Tonight, tonight was ours. Tonight there was just Leah and I, the best feeling in the world.