Page 86 of The Maine Event

My pulse pounds in my ears.Is he really doing this? Here, now, in front of cameras and a live studio audience?

Dan’s voice rises, raw and unfiltered. “I’ve spent the last few months really thinking about what matters in life. About the chances we miss, the people we let slip away.” His eyes glisten with unshed tears.

I’m rooted to my seat, unable to move. Unable to breathe.

“I’ve made mistakes,” Dan continues, his voice cracking with emotion. “I’ve let pride and stubbornness hold me back. I thought it was grief, but it was fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of the possibility of finding happiness with someone else. But standing here, looking out at the two most important people in my life, I realize…” He swallows hard. “I realize it’s time to stop running from the truth.”

Is he talking about… me? Us?

Dan’s voice cracks, but he pushes on, determined. “We can’t let fear hold us back. We can’t let pride or stubbornness keep us from the people we love. Because in the end, that’s all that really matters. The connections we make, the love we share.”

Each word cuts and heals in equal measure. I remember the walls I’d built; the times I’d run first. I remember Chloe’s hug in the mall. I remember the boathouse. The almost. The never was. The maybe still could be.

Tears are streaming down my face now, but I make no move to wipe them away. Beside me, Chloe is openly crying, her small frame shaking with sobs.

Dan’s voice softens, but it carries no less impact. “That’s what I intend to do. To hold on to the people I love, to cherish every moment we have together. Because in the end, that’s what makes life worth living.”

As his words fade away, the studio is utterly silent for a heartbeat. Then, as one, the audience surges to their feet, applause thundering through the space.

But I barely hear it. All I can see is Dan, his chest heaving, his eyes locked on mine. In that moment, the rest of the world falls away, and it’s just us.

Us, and the love that has always been there, waiting for us to be brave enough to embrace it.

Chloe is squeezing my hand so tightly it hurts, but I barely notice. All I can see is Dan, laying his heart bare for all the world to see.

For me to see.

“I love you,” he says simply, his eyes shining with unshed tears. “Both of you. And if you’ll have me, I promise to spend every day proving it.”

I’m frozen, my heart in my throat. I can feel the eyes of the studio audience boring into the back of my head. I’m sitting so still I wonder if my heart has stopped beating. I feel like I’m standing at the edge of something, heart in my throat, terrified to fall.

But haven’t I already jumped? I left my job. I started something new. I chose people over power, vulnerability over certainty. And maybe that’s what this is. Another leap. But for once, it doesn’t feel reckless. It feels real.

I know I’m supposed to do something. To react. But I’m frozen to the spot. I want to move. I do. But I can’t.What if this is just performance? A beautiful lie crafted in a moment of emotion?

Chloe’s fingers tighten on mine. She leans in, whispering, ‘He means it.’

And that’s all I need.

Slowly, Chloe stands, pulling me with her. She glances at me, a silent question in her eyes. I nod. Not quite sure what I’m signing up for.

Together, we step forward into the light.

Hand in hand, Chloe and I walk onto the set, ignoring the surprised murmurs of the audience and the frantic movements of the production crew. My heart races as we approach Dan, his eyes wide with a mix of hope and trepidation.

We stop just short of him, an arm’s length away. For a moment, we simply stare at each other, a thousand unspoken words hanging in the air.

Dan remains standing in the center of the set, his broad shoulders heaving, his face etched with a thousand emotions. Surprise, hope, fear, love… They all flicker across his features in rapid succession.

“Did you mean it?” I ask softly, my voice trembling. “Every word?”

Dan nods, a tear escaping down his cheek. “Every syllable,” he says. “I’ve been a fool, Rachel. I thought I could outrun my feelings, bury them in criticism and excuses. But the truth is…”

He takes a deep breath, his gaze unwavering.

“The truth is, I’ve been in love with you since the moment we met. And I’m tired of pretending otherwise.”

A sob catches in my throat, years of pent-up emotion threatening to overwhelm me. Beside me, Chloe is beaming, her face aglow with joy.

---