We sat on the sand with our hair still wet from swimming. Josh had a proud grin on his face. Years ago, he was terrified of the open sea but just last week he had finished his beginner’s class of surfing. He has come so far; 10 world tours, 23 Grammy awards, 15 Billboard awards, a Guinness world record for the greatest number of attendees in a solo concert, etc. He has achieved so many of his dreams. I’m proud of him, I’m proud of all five of them. They’ve worked so hard for their dreams and they deserve it all. They’ve grown as a group and as individuals.

But despite the fame and glory, all the glitz and glamour, the 15-year-old Josh still remained inside him. He would sometimes wake up at dawn in a cold sweat, frantically looking around him making sure he wasn’t just hallucinating everything. Some of his traumatic experiences when he was younger still haunted him. His fear of the open sea was replaced with the fear of waking up one day and realizing it was just a dream and that he’s actually still at the barangay hall with his mom and sister, and all their belongings. This often happens when they’re being bombarded by antis and critics, when people tell him he’s undeserving and mediocre at best. Whenever that happens, I pull out a box of fan mails and gifts and remind him how much he’s loved.

“y/n?” he softly spoke “Would you still stay with me even if one day I just ran out of money and returned to being poor? To the point of not knowing if we’ll be able to eat the next day?”

“I would” I immediately replied and his thick eyebrows raised

“Really” he seemed skeptical

“Yeah, I would. I’d still stay with you because I’m not scared of anything when I’m with you. I know what you’re capable of, you’re smart, strong, and skillful. If we ever have to face poverty, I know we’ll figure things out. We make a really good team y’know?”

“You’d really be okay with that?” his eyes pierced into mine

“We don’t need to be rich. We just have to be happy together! Contentment is true happiness” I said cupping his face with my hands

“I’m so lucky to have you” He smiled and gave me a peck on the lips

“I’m luckier because I have you” I smiled in between kisses

“So, I guess you wouldn’t mind if I proposed to you with a cheese ring?” he said and pulled out a packet of cheese ring from his bag, grinning like a kid.

I broke into a fit of childish laughter as he took my hand, barely holding his laughter.

“Are you kidding me right now?” I said

“Would you please calm down? I’m trying to propose here!” but he was laughing as well

I wanted to stop laughing but I couldn’t, and the more we tried to stop the funnier it got.

“Will you *snickering* pfffttt! M-Marry me?”

I got too weak from laughing, I completely lost my strength and just nodded my head, still laughing as he inserted the cheese ring into my finger.