Sunday Short: Can We Be Friends - Final Chapter

If someone had told Zoe and Ethan a month ago that they’d be here, they both would’ve laughed. Yet here they were, two people who had fought, stumbled, made wishes they didn’t understand, and somehow found themselves more in love than they’d ever thought possible.

They weren’t just a couple now. They were each other’s anchor, sounding board, secret-keeper, and soft place to land. Best friends first, lovers second, and that made everything between them feel unshakable.

Which was exactly why Ethan, for the first time in his life, was nervous. Because he was about to take the biggest leap yet.

He pulled Bryan aside one morning at the gym, voice low and serious.

“Okay, don’t freak out,” Ethan said, scratching the back of his neck. “But I want to propose to Zoe. And I need your help.”

Bryan’s eyes widened, then practically sparkled. “Bro, this is the Super Bowl of best friend duties. Of course I’m in.”

Meanwhile, Ethan sought out Lily. She almost cried the second he said the words.

“Finally!” she squealed, clapping her hands. “I was starting to think you’d never get there. Tell me everything.”

Together, the two self-proclaimed cupids got to work, plotting with Ethan. They knew the proposal had to be meaningful, something that reflected not just romance, but the journey Zoe and Ethan had taken.

And that’s when Ethan had an idea.

---

A week later, Zoe found herself being led by Ethan down a familiar cobblestoned path. She frowned, realizing where they were heading.

“The fountain?” she asked. “What are we doing here?”

The fountain glimmered in the moonlight, just as it had the night their wishes had changed everything. But this time, instead of tossing in coins, Zoe was met with fairy lights strung all around, soft music drifting from a violinist (thankfully at a safe distance from anything flammable), and flower petals scattered across the ground.

Zoe turned to Ethan, her heart already racing.

“You did this?”

Ethan took her hands, his eyes never leaving hers.

“You once wished for your best friend to be the person you marry,” he said softly. “And I once wished for the same thing. It took us a while to figure it out, but… Zoe, you’ve always been my best friend. And now, you’re the love of my life.”

He dropped to one knee, pulling out a small velvet box.

“Will you marry me?”

Tears welled in Zoe’s eyes as she covered her mouth, laughing through the sob. “Of course I will, you idiot,” she whispered, before pulling him into a kiss as the violinist swelled with music.

---

Fast forward a few months, and bells were ringing. Literally, their wedding was everything they hadn’t dared to dream, full of laughter, dancing, too many embarrassing toasts, and the undeniable warmth of two best friends who had finally found their forever in each other.

Lily and Bryan sat side by side, watching their handiwork come to life with smug satisfaction. Bryan leaned over and whispered, “We should totally open a matchmaking agency.”

Lily just grinned. “Or maybe just retire undefeated.”

As Zoe and Ethan shared their first dance, wrapped up in each other, one thought echoed between them both, unspoken but deeply felt:

In the end, the secret to love wasn’t a grand gesture or even a magical wish. It was this marrying your best friend, the one who knew you best, loved you anyway, and chose you every single day.

And really, what could be better than that?

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The End – Can We Be Friends?