Ariel could have sworn her heart had momentarily stopped when Noah's first words reached her ears. Had he really said "friend"? It was almost inconceivable. The roar in her ears had distorted his words, leaving her in disbelief.

"So, if you would take this Magnolia as a token of friendship..." Noah continued, his voice wavering slightly in the midst of her stunned silence.

The Magnolia he held out was just a simple flower, the kind one might find in any garden. Suddenly, the reality of his offer sank in.

A friend?

Relief washed over Ariel like a wave, allowing her to breathe freely once more. She found herself smiling as she accepted Noah’s hand, giving it a firm shake. Be your friend? Deal.

"Yes, yes I will," she replied, her voice steady now.

Noah’s smile broadened, his nervousness fading as he covered her hand with both of his and gave it an eager squeeze. The two of them were caught up in the happiness of the moment, oblivious to the small crowd that had gathered around them. Onlookers, recognizing Noah as the newly crowned Mr. Marlowe and hearing the whispers about him and this Ariel, had stopped to witness what they thought was a proposal. Ariel’s enthusiastic "Yes, I will" only confirmed their assumptions.

Realizing they were still holding hands, Noah eventually let go. They exchanged another smile—this one a bit sheepish—when they noticed the smattering of applause. Ariel blinked, suddenly aware that they were standing in a small clearing, surrounded by a sea of faces. The bustling crowd had circled around them, many stopping to smile and clap. Ariel’s gaze swept over the familiar faces of Leroy, John, Taylor, Mandy, Mr. Warner, and even Max. They were all there, watching, staring. Ariel looked down at the Magnolia in her hand and everything suddenly made sense.

Oh, shoot.

"NOAH! WHAT IS THIS? MY GRANDSON IS ENGAGED? REALLY?! MY GRANDSON IS ENGAGED! NOAH! WHERE ARE YOU?"

Ariel’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment. Noah, noticing her horrified expression, quickly nudged her. "Go, I’ll deal with them," he said, scanning the crowd for his grandparents.

"But—" Ariel began to protest uncertainly.

Noah managed a reassuring grin. "Really, it’s okay."

Ariel smiled weakly in return. As she heard another shout of Noah’s name, she hurried over to the GPI group.

"Let’s go," she ordered, slipping past them.

"Oy, Ariel," Leroy called, the first to shake off his shock and follow her, "when were you going to tell me you planned on saying yes to this guy? Oh, and I’m the best man, right?"

Ariel reached back to swat his arm, but Leroy dodged it, grinning widely.

"I didn’t say yes," Ariel argued, leading them to a food stand where they could take refuge.

"That’s not what I heard," Taylor chimed in, her arms crossed and her thin eyebrows raised.

"Engaged!" Mr. Warner exclaimed. "I had no idea you two felt that way about each other! I could sense some puppy love from him—some men are so shamelessly obvious, but—"

Stolen story; please report.

"I am not—" Ariel started to protest, but Mandy jumped in.

"I think it’s a perfect match. You can stay here and work at the Inn; Mr. and Mrs. Williams will make wonderful in-laws, and we’ll be sure to visit you every year during the festival."

Ariel’s cheeks burned with anger. She would have sought revenge had she not noticed, amidst this flood of torment, one person missing—Jasper. Ariel blinked, her confusion deepening.

"Where’s Jasper?"

Silence greeted her question. Mandy glanced to her left, noticing the empty space that was almost always filled by him.

"Last time I saw him was when we found you throwing yourself at your fiancé," Leroy piped up, smiling into Ariel’s glare.

"He’ll be back," Max said, his tone even and revealing nothing.

Ariel turned her gaze to the tall Chinese man. It was terrible, but she often forgot he was around. This entire festival must be his living nightmare.

"Oh. Thank you."

Ariel gazed out across the festival grounds in thoughtful silence. What is it with Jasper tonight?

"Well, it’s no use waiting for him here. I’m sure he’ll find us later," Mr. Warner said, offering his arm to Mandy, who pretended not to notice.

"Where are we going?" Taylor asked, growing impatient. She had only received one Magnolia that night and had not had a chance for another.

"They have live music tonight. I trust you dance?" Mr. Warner inquired, as though it were a universal skill.

Taylor nodded enthusiastically.

"Of course," Ariel replied, trying to mask her weariness.

Leroy nudged her with a smirk, clearly imagining Taylor dancing poorly. "Wonderful. Let’s be off then."

Shaking her head, Ariel linked her arm with Leroy’s and followed Mr. Warner’s enthusiastic lead across the crowded festival grounds. Navigating through the mass of people was no easy feat, and it wasn’t exactly private either. Ariel heard a continuous stream of proposals, all ending in jubilant “yeses,” saw a staggering number of Magnolias exchanged, and was nearly overwhelmed by the constant squeals of delight. It felt as though her ears might become permanently damaged by the cacophony.

Suddenly, a man she was passing paused, intending to offer her a Magnolia. But upon noticing Leroy, he gave a hurried wave and pushed his way back through the crowd. Ariel watched him leave in surprise, then frowned and gave the monk a not-so-gentle shove.

"Thanks a bunch, you scared him away."

Leroy grinned and shrugged nonchalantly. "What can I say? I’m intimidating like that. It’s my height."

"Well, let’s see how long I walk with you if this keeps up. Where’s John?" Ariel murmured, looking around for the priest. She soon found that she had nowhere to go as the crowd pressed in even tighter.

"Nice try, but you’re stuck with me," Leroy announced triumphantly.

Ariel narrowed her eyes at him. "You can still face the other direction when the next guy comes."

"Next guy? Are there going to be more…?"

At the hint of offense in Ariel's eyes, the monk quickly made sure his feet were out of the way, but his shoulder was not so fortunate. "Ow—okay, fine, there might be another one. But between Jasper and Noah, wouldn’t you say your plate’s full?"

Ariel made a face. "Why does everyone keep mentioning Jasper? What does he have to do with me?"

Leroy raised an eyebrow. "Who’s everyone?"

Ariel crossed her arms, growing irritated by the conversation. "Noah. He asked me if one of my Magnolias was from Jasper."

The monk made a strange noise, a slight, knowing smile tugging at the corner of his lips. He quickly tried to mask it, though his struggle was evident.

"Leroy," Ariel prodded, eyeing him suspiciously.

The smile was successfully clamped down, and Leroy looked at her with a straight face. "Ariel."

"Why would Noah ask me if Jasper had given me a Magnolia? What would give him that idea?"

"Oy—why are you asking me? How would I know?"

"Because," Ariel said, scrutinizing the monk beside her, not fooled by his innocent tone, "something happened at the men’s meeting this morning, and you know about it."

The monk continued walking, his expression remaining frustratingly neutral. After a moment of thought, he answered, "I wasn’t the only one at the meeting this morning, you know."

Ariel raised an eyebrow at his evasiveness. Nice try.

"I’m not bothering John about this, and I’m certainly not bringing it up to Mr. Warner. I’m asking you, Leroy."

Sensing her determination, Leroy looked down at her with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Maybe you’re asking the wrong person."

Ariel sighed, glaring up at the monk, who was clearly enjoying his power over her in this. "I’m not asking Noah either."

"Who said anything about Noah?"

Ariel blinked, and the monk’s smile grew into a knowing one. Jasper?