"Wow . . ." I breathed as JC took off my blindfold.

"You like it?" he asked, hopefully. I nodded, smiling.

It was Wednesday, our one year anniversary, and JC had been nothing less than a gentleman. While the rest of the group had surprised us with making sure we had today off, JC had kept our daily plans a complete secret from me. Of course, everyone else knew, but, unfortunately for me, they can all keep secrets pretty well. I had almost gotten it out of Justin yesterday, JC had discovered us. Starting at five this morning, he had taken me on a hike up to a hill in front of Fort McHenry (which is in Baltimore Harbor, Maryland) to watch the sunrise. After that, we had gone for breakfast at a little cafe called Vincent's, which overlooked the harbor from the opposite side. Then we'd gone to the Aquarium and, after that, on a paddleboat ride. For dinner, we'd gone on the Spirit of Baltimore, where the others met us. There was dinning and dancing between the ten of us, making it a night I would never forget.

Now, well . . . now JC has done something that I will never forget. You see, when I was young, my foster parents had always let me and Josh (my foster brother) take weekends, and sometimes week, trips with Chris and his parents on their boat which had been docked in Maryland. We'd gone to Baltimore, Annapolis, St. Michaels, the Solomon Islands, and plenty of other wonderful places, but no place has ever been anything like Herrington Harbor. Though, there's really not much to do there except for the tiny beach, the pool, and an extremely small water park that was about a half-hour drive away, the sunsets were dazzling. Whenever we went there, I used to walk to a hill which was only across the entryway. I always sat there, just watching the sunsets and staying a long while after dark.

"JC, how did you know?" I asked, turning around to face him.

"Chris told me how you used to always sit here and watch the sunset over the water," he said, wrapping his arms around my waist. "I wanted to make today perfect, so I thought you'd like it if I brought you here."

"I love it," I whispered, kissing him softly. I laid my head on his chest and we watched in silence as the crimson sun set over the crystal waters of the Chesapeake Bay. "Did you like you're gift?"

"I love it," he said, looking down at the white-gold ID bracelet I had gotten him. It had a diamond for a period in between the J and C and another one after the C. "Alex?" JC said, his voice sounding slightly nervous.

"Yeah?" I asked, looking up at him concerned. He bit his bottom lip and took something out of his pocket. He looked back at me and smiled. Taking my hand, his eyes never leaving mine as he got down on one knee.

"Will you marry me?" he asked, his voice shaking, though he fought for it to remain calm. I looked down at him, my eyes wide. A few seconds later, I knelt down in front of him so we were eye level. Instead of answering him, I cupped his chin in my free hand and kissed him passionately.

"Of course I'll marry you," I whispered, smiling softly. He opened the ring box, revealing a four karat diamond in the shape of a heart, two tiny sapphires on either side. They were placed on a thin, white-gold band. His hand shaking slightly, he took the ring out of the box and slipped it on my finger. I looked down at it and smiled, a tear sliding down my cheek. JC sat down on the grass, pulling me into his lap. We sat there for a few minutes, looking out onto the water.

"Now will you tell me what's been bothering you?" I laughed at his forwardness and shook my head. Then., I sighed and leaned against his chest.

"It all started like this . . ." I began.