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***Sebastian's POV***

Walking through the door to the bar, I can feel the nostalgia in the air. It was in this room where my life took the most unlikely of turns. Nothing could prepare me for the journey ahead.

I watch as everyone settles in to seats around the room. The bar is full of unsuspecting witnesses. The ones who know are only among our family and friends with the exception of the owner and of course, Mark. Ma has Cara. She will be here soon. Ma just has to deliver our goddaughter home to my sisters and brothers.

My nerves are on high alert. It is not that I fear that Mark will say no. I would hope he would not. However, I think that every man or woman that embarks on this journey has their fair share of worries. Anything could go wrong.

The night that I met Mark, everything had gone wrong. That was an extremely stressful day full of diagnosis, prognosis and most of all a awakening amongst my fears and mortality. My nerves were inflamed from a completely different set of worries.

All I had wanted to do was to drink away the pain of hearing the word Cancer. I needed a reprieve from the looming death sentence that seemed to be set in granite. I just wanted to drink until I couldn't remember my name or the shitty hand that fate had deemed necessary.

It was my first time at Stout. The small bar that is tucked in the alley of Manhattan had never called out to me before. Alex and I spent many nights out on the town. We just preferred to sit in smokeless atmospheres that catered to our high end lifestyle. Stout is a little more grit, a tad more working class than I had generally entertained.

I may have been a little snooty in choosing my hangouts. Being a model, surrounded by riches, often leads to friendship circles that are built around status over genuine class. I don't miss it.

This time that I have spent with Grey, Mak and Mark has developed character inside of me that I appreciate. Money means nothing if you are a fucked up person. It's the heart, the unbridled love and the sacrifice of the human spirit that make for the very best company. I am surrounded by people who would make angels check themselves.

"Almost ready?" Alex puts his hand on my shoulder, breaking my attention away from the memories and recollections of all the years that I was lost.

"Getting there." I nod my head as confirmation, sweeping my eyes across the bar until they land on my everything.

The skip of my heartbeat tells me everything that I need to know. His blue eyes shine wildly as he lifts his whiskey to his perfect lips. The smile that caresses the glass is the smile I pray that I see forever.

I take small but confident steps as I head towards my boyfriend. His scent comes into contact with my senses, driving me just as wild as it had that very first day. Some things never change.

"You looked like you were lost in thought." Mark smirks at me. That crooked smile is sex in the flesh. The man wrote the book on appealing.

"Maybe just a little bit," I sheepishly admit.

"To good friends, family and love." Mak lifts his glass as Grey starts a toast that we all can drink to.

I gulp gingerly from my cup, I find myself focusing once again on Mark. He steals my attention unknowingly. His very breath is the reason I must secure our future together. I simply can't exist wholly without his presence in my life.

"Hey, baby." Ma's voice breaks me once again from my reverie. I turn towards her to wrap my arm around her thin waist. Her kiss to my cheek helps to melt away the anxiety of tonight.

Mark looks none the wiser. His laughter is out on display. His beaming smile is effortless. There is no worry or concern for what may or may not be happening in his world. He simply is among friends thinking that everything is as it ought to be.

He isn't wrong. This is the way life should be. Easy as a Sunday stroll through Central Park, life should always be calm. That is not always the case. Be honest here, what fun would our worlds be without the ups and downs, twists and turns of the unknown that lies in wait for us?

With the majority of my friends and family surrounding me, I steel myself for the first permanent step to my future. I walk slowly toward Mark, knowing that he is occupied with conversation. The deja vu is not lost on me. A soft smile plays on my lips.

"Excuse me." I grab Mark's attention. His eyes are blue flames of warm fire.

"I came over to ask if I could have this dance." My line is delivered perfectly as Alex plays Yellow by Coldplay. Mark's smile is as enthusiastic as the nod of his head.

Picking his hand up slowly, I move his knuckles to my lips. I bow slightly just to come off as charming as he deserves. Mark follows slowly beside me while my fingers splay across the small of his back.

Once we reach the dance floor, our crowd surrounds us. I pull Mark towards me, spinning him softly as his chest compresses with my own. My lips automatically seal to his. Just like the very first kiss upon his perfect lips, I feel every bit of the magic that transpires between the two of us.

"I love you." The whispered confession cannot possibly carry the weight of such a heavy statement. This is beyond love. Those words are a promise of so much more to come.

"I love you, baby." Mark flutters his lashes as he brings his forehead to rest against my own. The palpable beat of my heart vibrates from my chest to his. His own calm rhythm echoes lightly behind the thundering hoof thuds of my own.

We sway gently back and forth as the words fade away into the dim background of a now quiet bar. I close my eyes, feeling the serenity of this moment. For me, this will happen just this once. I want to remember every second so that one day our grandchildren can absorb the immense emotion of this day.

As the song tapers off, I reluctantly release my love. He pulls me back before realizing that I am not going to return to my previous stance. Curiously, Mark looks at me as I take a knee in front of him. My hand slips into my pocket before my thumb and forefinger reveal the diamond band.

Mark's eyes blow wide; tears seep immediately to the edges. I know the feeling. My own sting from the pressure of holding my emotions at bay. With a trembling voice, I open my mouth to make the most important declaration of our lives.

"Mark Fletcher, not so long ago, I met the most stunning man I had ever laid eyes upon. His blue eyes shown with the acknowledgment that I had peaked his interest. It was a single question, one step taken that brought me to kneel before you. You have been my pillar of strength through everything that God found me capable of handling. When I felt weak, you lent me your strength. When the obstacles felt impossible to overcome, you stood beside me to fight with me against my own body. Your perseverance and faith gave me the tools I needed to defeat a diagnosis that once meant death." My emotions become heavy as the reality of what we have been through washes over me. Breathing slowly, I work to get a grip over all that threatens to tarnish this event. Shaking my head ever so softly, I clear my throat to continue.

"In all the world, I would have never believed that there was a you out there who was made specifically for me. Neither of us are perfect, yet we find ways to complement one another. The two of us as a unit, is simply a rarity. We see it often with our group of friends. Mak and Grey have been the muse for me in our relationship. I finally feel as if we are on their level. We work with each other, for each other. Our good days are intensified by being with one another. Our bad days are more bearable because of the love we share. I am asking that you give me the honor of always being beside you. I request your hand in marriage to become my husband. I wish to make a family with you that is full of love that will span generations. Mark Fletcher you are the man that I have always dreamed of. I admit, I thought you did not exist. However, as often is the case, I was wrong. Mark will you marry me?" My hands shake as I hold so tightly to Mark's fingers. His grip tightens as he pulls me to my feet.

Without words, a kiss is placed on my lips where I feel the nod of his head. The salty tears drip delicately between the small spaces of our kiss. An explosion of applause verifies that I have been deemed the luckiest man alive.

My smile interrupts our kiss as I laugh out the words answer me with words.

Mark separates from me, pulling his fingers away from me abruptly. His shaking hand tremors as he tries desperately to hold steady. I take my own trembling fingers carefully down his finger as I place the seal of a promise onto his ring finger.

I must admit, Alex did good. This ring looks as if it exists to adorn the flesh of my fiancé's finger. The sight makes me smile even brighter.

Congratulations are loudly thrown from every end of the bar. The celebratory accolades are punctuated by champagne being passed across the room. My lips continuously dive towards Mark's mouth. He grants me endless affection as I overindulge in the sweetness of his lips.

"Thank you." Mark whispers softly into my ear. His newly branded hand holds tightly to my own.

"You were always the one who was meant to be beside me." I continue to gush over this man who has made my every wish come true.

"You are the only man that could ever stand in your place. You were made for me." Mark's acknowledgement of the importance of my existence in his life sends thrills of pleasure through my system. I realize how incredibly lucky I am to be the man that gets to call him mine.

The night moves forward with dancing, hugs and many offers of praise for the way we pulled off such a surprise. Honestly, I have no idea how Mark never caught on. He can be a tiny bit obtuse when given the correct circumstances.

The laughter shared between each of us, the intimate glances, stolen kisses and every acknowledgement of our love fills my heart with immense joy. Mark takes many moments to admire the token of my promise. I kiss his ring as if it would bring me any more luck. I don't need it. I have an abundance already.

By the time we wind down the night, my feet hurt. Mark has drank his weight in free drinks. I literally carry him to our home with his feet dragging behind us. He falls on to the bed with a thud and a giggle.

As I remove his shoes and undress him slowly, I think of all the ways fate could have brought us together. I see where certain situations were necessary where others seemed cruel. In everything we have been through, one thing remains. Mark fought for me just as hard as I had to fight for myself.

When we thought that we could withstand the distance, a pull demanded that we be brought together. I would suffer my fate again and again just to meet and marry this man.

Laying down beside Mark, I pull him into the little spoon position. With a grunting whine, he maneuvers his body so I lay on my back with his cheek flat against my chest. I wrap my arm around his waist and thread my fingers in between his so that the cool metal of our future can comfort me in our sleep.

I whisper I love you as I place a kiss on his sweaty forehead. A smile touches his skin. As his breathing evens out, I allow myself to relish in sleep and bliss. This man is mine and he always will be.