Derrick sat at the edge of his bed, his thoughts flying around faster than his heart beating.
The night outside was calm, with only the little sound of cars far away.
But inside him, everything felt loud, his thoughts, what he wished for, and what he was afraid of.
He had decided what to do.
He knew what he wanted to do, and he also knew that everyone would be against him.
Besides, he had nothing to lose.
Sophia should have something amazing, something that showed how much he cared about her.
But he knew the truth of the situation. The side of the world she was from would never accept someone like him.
The whisper and talk, the jokes, the judging, they would all start as soon as they knew what he was planning. Still, none of that mattered to him anymore.
What mattered was her.
He picked up his phone and scrolled through his phone contact until he found the name he was searching for…..Caleb.
His oldest friend, the one he told everything to.
If anyone could help him make this his dream happen, it was him.
"Hey, are you awake?" Derrick sent a message.
The reply came back almost instantly.
When am I not? What's going on?
"Can you come over? I need to talk. It's important."
It didn't take long, as their house we're not too far apart. Twenty minutes later, he heard a knock on the door, and Caleb walked in, still wearing what Derrick believed to be his work clothes, smelling a little like the usual engine oil smell and coffee.
"Man, it's late," Caleb spoke as he closed the door behind him.
"This better be a good reason to get me out of bed."
Derrick couldn't help but let a smile show on his lios a little. "It is. I need your help."
Caleb raised his eyebrow. "With what?"
Derrick waited for a moment, like a suspense in a movie and then let out a breath. "I'm going to ask Sophia to marry me."
The room became instantly quiet. Caleb blinked in confusion, not sure if he had heard Derrick correctly. "Are you serious?"
Derrick nodded. "Completely."
Caleb made a low whistling sound in disbelief and sat down on the couch slowly.
"Derrick, man…..you know who we're talking about, right? Sophia Carlson. Her dad is the kind of person who seems like he owns a lot of the city. Do you really think they will let her marry someone like us?"
"I don't care what they think," Derrick said as if using the from the speech he had prepared for anyone who brought up the question, but he sounded sure.
"This isn't about them. It's about her and me. She loves me, Caleb. I know she does."
Caleb looked at him for a long time, then sighed. "You've lost it," he said quietly. "You've officially gone crazy."
"Maybe," Derrick said, a smile started to form on his lips, "But I can't just wait around for life to decide things for me. I have to do this."
Caleb sank back, rubbing his head. "You're going against her whole world, man. Her friends, her father, maybe even the whole city, they will destroy you."
"I know," Derrick said, nodding his head almost violently
"But if I can show her how serious I am..… if I can make her see that I'm not giving up on the both of us, then maybe…..just maybe…..it will be enough."
Caleb looked at him again, trying to see if he had any doubts. But all he saw was that determined look in his eyes, nothing could stop him from what he had already set his mind to.
He sighed deeply, shaking his head. "You're really doing this."
"I am."
"Then you won't be all alone in this," Caleb said at last, as he got up.
"You'll need someone there to keep you from messing things up."
Derrick smiled just a little. "So, are you helping me out?"
"Yeah, I'll help," Caleb replied, looking a bit annoyed like he didn't want to help.
"But if we do this, we have to do it well. No doing things halfway and then stopping. Sophia has seen it all, whatever he had on his mind, she has probably had guys take her to Paris just for breakfast date. We have to give her something genuine, something she'll always remember."
Derrick agreed shaking his head slowly, feeling very thankful and much calmer.
"That's just what I was thinking."
They spent the next few hours sharing their ideas, as the room slowly became filled with their excitement and Derrick's purpose.
They had talk about where it the whole thing would happen, a place that would seem it's from the heart, not her usual life. Maybe the old bridge high above the river where they first met, Derrick thought mid conversation.
Maybe the roof of the small café she loved, the one tucked away from the loudness of the city. He thought again.
Caleb drew simple plans on different pieces of paper, thinking of ways to make it special even though they didn't have much money and Derrick listened throughout.
"We can get some lights and hang them across the railing," he said. "I can get my cousin's big speakers. You should write her something, maybe a letter, a song, anything that comes from your heart."
Derrick smiled as he listened closely to every word his friend said. Every little thing made the whole thing feel more real. He could already see it happening, the light from the soft lights, the cool night air on their skin, Sophia's eyes opening wide as he got down on one knee. It wasn't about money or doing something huge. It was about love—about showing her that even without the things her world cared about, his heart was enough.
As the night went on, they started laughing instead of feeling tense. They joked about Sophia's father's face when he found out, and Caleb made fun of him about being too scared to say the words when the time came. But under all of that was something much more important—loyalty, trust, and the unspoken feeling that Derrick's life was about to change, no matter what happened.
By the time the sun started to come up, their plan was ready. The excitement had become a quiet tiredness, but they both were happy they had stayed up so late.
Caleb stretched, standing up and grabbing his coat. "You know, if she says yes, this might be the craziest thing you've ever done," he said, smiling.
"And what if she says no?" Derrick asked quietly.
Caleb stopped at the door for a moment. "Then you'll still know that you were brave enough to try."
Derrick nodded slowly, a small smile appearing on his face. "Thanks a lot, Caleb."
"Anytime, man."
When the door shut and the room was quiet again, Derrick sat back down and looked out the window. The sky was starting to get brighter, as light pushed away the darkness.
He thought about Sophia her laugh, how kind she was, the way she had looked at him the night before and felt sure of himself. He would do anything to make her his.
He understood that everyone would disagree with him. However, he would battle against anything for her benefit.