Noah
I noticed the ring shop entirely by accident, walking past its softly lit window during a solo afternoon stroll while Sophia napped off our jet lag back at the inn, and I stood there for a long moment, staring through the glass, something settling with sudden, undeniable certainty in my chest.
I went inside before I could talk myself out of it.
"Looking for something special?" the shop owner asked, an older woman with warm, knowing eyes that suggested she'd witnessed this exact moment of nervous male indecision more times than she could count.
"I think so," I said, my voice betraying more uncertainty than I actually felt about the decision itself. "I'm not sure I'm ready yet, though. Just looking, for now."
She showed me several pieces regardless, and though nothing felt quite ri
