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Jade Ngô has been dating Summer Dileo since the end of high school. But even before then, Jade Ngô has had a crush on Summer Dileo maybe ever since he set eyes on her. And maybe that’s foolish, or maybe Jade is simply a romantic. All this is to say Jade has spent a long time loving Summer Dileo in some way, shape, or form. And now is no different. Even now at 26, Jade Ngô loves Summer Dileo the same amount she did when he was just 14, only now it is with an intensity that could rival even the bright glow of a full moon, or the push and pull of midnight waves. Jade Ngô loves Summer Dileo so much, and has loved her for so long that he thinks maybe amongst the lunchtimes spent in the computer lab coding, Jade accidentality coded herself to love Summer eternally. He wouldn’t have it any other way.
Because loving Summer for this long only feels right even if so much time has passed since she first started loving her. Even if between 14 and 23 Jade and Summer alike have grown into themselves, changed into who they wanted to be and they have loved each other through it all. Summer Dileo isn’t the same insecure girl 14-year-old Jade fell in love with and Jade isn’t the same grieving kid either, they’ve both abandoned the weight that used to be piled onto their shoulders and have come out even closer to each other for it. Jade doesn’t think he’s ever loved anyone else so unequivocally, so unwaveringly. Through thick and through thin, through every high and low, in sickness and in health - Jade feels like she’s been spending the last 9 years practising for his vows and that’s not even something that has seriously crossed her mind yet.
He just knows that it would take a lot for her to not love Summer - it would take so much in fact, that Jade doesn’t think that could ever happen, not in this universe or any of the others. Because there is something about looking into Summer’s eyes and feeling like they are destined for one another, there’s something about glancing at all the freckles on her cheeks and feeling like they look like the very stars that have written them together. There’s something about hearing her laugh and being taken back to the feeling Jade felt when he first listened to her favourite song - a strong, all-encompassing emotion that makes his chest hurt with how happy she is.
And it doesn’t even stop there. Because Jade loves Summer so much that he finds that falling in love with Summer, over and over again is the easiest thing she can do. In the way she picks her favourite cereal when they sometimes go grocery shopping together, in the way she waters the plants around Jade’s apartment, in the way she rehearses scenes in any space she can or while she’s making something to eat. Jade falls in love with her when she skips along the pavement and when she’s mouthing the lines to her favourite movies on their movie nights and when she solves puzzles and crosswords before going to bed at Jade’s. Jade is so in love with Summer Dileo, he finds herself falling in love with her all over again at any little moment on any given day. And today is no different. Well… tonight.
Jade and Summer have been out drinking with their friends, it’s Will’s birthday and they’ve all been having the time of their lives. Now though, it’s getting late, Jade’s had enough to be a little bit more than tipsy and Summer’s had enough that she's holding onto Jade for support while she’s dancing a little. She looks so incredibly happy that Jade can feel a lovesick smile form on her face - Jade is falling in love with Summer, Again. The smile grows more fond. But then she stumbles a little and Jade finds it takes a bit more effort to catch her. Despite the fun of the night, it’s definitely time to get home - they do Not want to be caught in the snow like this.
As Summer rests her head on Jade’s shoulder he nudges her so that they’re face to face and presses a feather light kiss to her fingertips.
‘Summer, love, we should probably get home,’ She softly says, and then, with an air of playfulness: ‘I don’t know how much longer you’ll be standing for otherwise.’ Then Summer pouts at Jade and wears an expression that makes her heart soar. She agrees though, with a gentle albeit tipsy smile and doesn’t let go of Jade’s hands as they say their goodbyes to their friends and head outside. When they step out of the bar doors, the look of awe on Summer’ face at seeing the first fall of Autumn snow is one Jade wants to frame in his mind forever.
Then Summer starts shivering and it’s not even a second thought for Jade to stand closer to her, hold her close and hold both her hands in her own. At this point, Jade doesn’t care who’s house they go to, he just wants to get Summer some place warm, home, hopefully. Summer suggests moving to the main road and calling a taxi before Jade can even suggest it himself. And she just stands there while they wait, holding Summer close admiring the way snow falls like starlight into Summer’s hair, frost clinging to her long dark braided hair like a galaxy, constellations forming the longer they stay outside. Then, unexpectedly, Summer looks up from where she’s hiding in Jade’s shoulder and is so close to his face their breaths start to mingle.
It takes a minute for her mouth to catch up with what her brain wanted to say but when she does, it leaves her in a hushed tone.
‘You know, it’s silly…’ When she pauses there, Jade only looks at her questioningly, prompting her to continue. ‘I mean, we’ve been dating for sooo long and we don’t even live together yet. Isn’t that a bit silly?’ She smiles in a way that means there’s no bite to her words but Jade finds herself trying to defend this position, whatever it is, anyway.
‘For how many of those years were we in college dorms though? We only moved into our own places two years ago. So, it makes sense, right? I didn’t know you were thinking about it.’ In the kind of none-response Summer only does when she’s had a bit too much to drink, she giggles and brushes Jade’s hair out of his face. Then: ‘Of course silly, I love you.’—under normal circumstances, Jade’s stomach would flip at the phrase despite how much Summer says it—’But if you don’t want to, that's okay. I have aaaalll the time in the world.’ Before Jade can respond, a taxi parks in front of them.
To say they were quick to huddle into the backseat together would be an understatement, Jade has truly never crawled into the warmth of a car quicker. Once she settles in, Summer is quick to follow and they sit so close that there’s no chance either of them will get cold at all. As soon as seat belts are on, Jade is supplying the driver with his address and the music that plays is as warm as Jade feels. Jade takes to ignoring their previous conversation in favour of admiring the way Summer looks now-–smiley, sleepy, serene—Jade thinks of a moment years ago at one of her and Summer’s many sleepovers where Summer had looked just like this and Jade had realised he was falling in love.
But the exhaustion must be wearing on her, because if Jade thought they were close before, Summer starts to get impossibly closer, resting on her shoulder taking Jade’s hands in her own. When the driver can’t see Jade just presses a kiss to the top of Summer's head, laying his head there until Summer is moving Jade’s hands up and pressing small kisses to each of her knuckles. Summer is a deity in Jade’s arms, her kisses a peppering of feather light stardust and comets that seems to set the car aglow. Or maybe the world just grows a little brighter at the whims of the sleepy goddess next to him. Jade giggles at the sensation of Summer pressing more kisses to her knuckles until Jade begins to feel his chest grow warm. She could stay here forever, he thinks.
The snow has mostly slowed down by the time the taxi reaches Jade’s place and she thinks he could maybe fall in love with the way Summer looks amidst it all - Jade thanks the driver and when she turns to look at Summer she’s smiling in a way that makes her look radiant and the snow around her only adds to this. Jade doesn’t need a mirror to know he’s smiling like a lovesick idiot. She chooses to ignore this, and leads Summer to the front door of his flat. Fishing for the keys in her back, Jade realises they’re nowhere to be found. Fuck is all he can think until she looks up to meet Summer’s gaze. Then all Jade can think is maybe the universe always meant for it to be this way.
Because yes, it’s still slightly snowing outside so the weather is still objectively cold, but standing on the front steps of his apartment next to Summer like this, Jade has never felt warmer. Summer is smiling at her with a smile that could rival the sun—it overpowers the chill around them—and she’s looking at Jade so intently he can feel the heat on her face rising. Jade thinks the entire world could fix itself if Summer is looking at Jade like that, he thinks maybe everything will be okay as if it’s Summer who determines this. Jade lets herself believe it, just for a second.
Somehow, Jade falls more in love with Summer in that second. Maybe it’s because of the way her hair falls or the way her hand is wrapped around Jade’s own, or the way her eyes look. Maybe it’s the way their outfits match (at Summer’s request), or the way the moonlight basks her in a gentle light, or the way she hides her giggles at Jade’s momentary panic behind a gloved hand. Maybe it’s the way she’s whisper-talking to Jade as if anything louder will wake up the neighbourhood, or maybe it’s the way Summer looks like she’s trying to treasure this moment as much as she can despite the fact she’ll probably forget it come morning.
Or maybe it’s because Jade has been hit with one kind of mortifying yet kind of life changing realisation. Summer is here. She’s been here since the very beginning. Through every hard time and every good one, through every dramatic change and mundane routine, through high school and college and finding each other a place of their own. Summer has been here the whole time and she is here right now and always will be. When the sun goes away in the autumn and the leaves trickle down from the trees, when the heat of the summer’s forgotten, Summer will be here, and always has been. Jade is the luckiest person on Prime.
Jade was right about Summer, she really does fix the world, or at least Jade’s world at that moment. Summer begins to laugh as she’s reaching into her bag and grabbing out her own set of keys, where Jade had put a spare set of his own onto the already pretty full key chain. Jade would like to say it was for time like these, in case something like this happened they’d both have a set, but Jade really knows she just wanted to give Summer a set so she could be here whenever she wanted or needed. Gods, he loves her.
Jade loves her so, so much.
She loves how excited she gets at solving mysteries, how happy she is when she is eating strawberry and lemon cake, how she persists on staying up with Jade sometimes despite the sleepiness that clings to her. Jade loves her laugh and her smile and the way her existence makes his heart beat rapidly. She loves her jokes, and her sappiness, and the way she makes the whole world seem brighter. Jade loves Summer Dileo and never before has he been hit with the full weight of that like she has now. Jade wants to spend the rest of his life with Summer, and wants to recite vows that promise she’ll always love her and be by her side no matter what they do in their life. Summer is there and she is the most beautiful soul Jade has ever known and he is the luckiest person alive.
It’s on the snowy steps outside her flat where Jade Ngô realises he wants to spend the rest of her life with Summer Dileo - Jade is going to propose to her.