Rejected: A love story-Chapter 148: Something missing

And then the whole lake erupted.

Cheers resounded through the chilly air so quickly that Viktoria jumped slightly in surprise. Someone whistled loudly while the accordion player hit a victorious note, and then the violin joined in shortly after.

"There you are!" exclaimed the old man with the sled triumphantly, raising his hands in victory. "I told you she would agree to marry you!"

Laughter erupted on the ice.

The woman who had initially greeted Viktoria now approached her and hugged her warmly before Viktoria could even react to anything that was happening.

"Добро пожаловать в семью!" said the woman happily.

Viktoria looked on in confusion, looking over to Nikolai to see if he had any idea what was being said. She looked over to Nikolai as the woman hugged her warmly.

"What did she say?"

Nikolai stepped forward slightly, a small smile on his face as he put his arm around Viktoria’s shoulders.

"She said welcome to the family."

Viktoria smiled slightly as she looked up to Nikolai.

"Well, that sounds pretty serious."

"Oh, it is," said Nikolai teasingly.

Another man stepped forward with a small glass bottle held up triumphantly.

"Vodka!" he announced.

Instantly, several small metal cups appeared in people’s hands as though they had been waiting for this moment all along.

Viktoria looked at the cups in shock.

"Okay," Viktoria said slowly, raising her hands slightly. "I think I see a trick here."

"It absolutely is," Nikolai said by her side without any hesitation.

More people laughed around them.

The old man who had pulled the sled on the ice stamped his boot once on the ice.

"That is how engagements are celebrated!"

He offered one of the cups to Nikolai.

Nikolai took the cup from the old man and handed one to Viktoria.

She looked down at the cup suspiciously.

"Is this strong?" Viktoria asked.

Many people laughed loudly at her question.

"Very!" someone shouted out loud.

Viktoria looked over at Nikolai again suspiciously.

"You’re not trying to get me drunk so I forget I said yes to you, are you?"

He tilted his head thoughtfully.

"That might actually help."

She elbowed him playfully. The old man raised his cup high.

"To stubborn men!" he said loudlyand everyone laughed again.

"And to the woman brave enough to marry them!"

The group cheered as Viktoria raised her cup with a grin. "That’s not a toast. That’s a warning."

"Too late now." Viktoria said to herself. Their cups clinked together.

The vodka had a burning sensation as Viktoria drank it down. She coughed as the group laughed.

"Wow," she said breathlessly.

"That is definitely strong." "You’ll get used to it," the woman said with a smile.

"I’m not sure I want to," Viktoria said.

The violinist suddenly switched to a fast melody again. The accordion joined in right away.

"Dance!" someone shouted. Viktoria couldn’t protest before the same two women grabbed her hands again.

"Oh no," Viktoria said as they pulled her toward the center of the ice. "Not again." "Nikolai!" Viktoria called out. He simply held up both hands in innocence.

"You said yes," he reminded her.

"That does not mean you get to abandon me to professional dancers!"

But the music had already started again.

The circle formed quickly as people began clapping along with the rhythm. Boots scraped lightly across the ice as everyone moved in time with the music.

Viktoria tried to follow the steps the best she could, though she nearly slipped twice before catching herself.

The group cheered loudly each time she managed to stay upright.

"This is chaos," she laughed breathlessly.

"It’s tradition!" someone called back.

Snowflakes continued drifting slowly from the sky, catching the warm glow of the lanterns that surrounded the frozen lake.

For a moment Viktoria forgot everything else.

The cold air on her cheeks, the laughter around her and the music echoing softly across the lake.

She spun with the others, laughing again when one of the men twirled her unexpectedly before sending her back toward Nikolai.

He caught her easily, steadying her.

"You’re doing well," he said quietly.

"That’s a lie," she said, still laughing.

He shrugged. "You haven’t fallen yet."

"Give me time.

The music carried on for a while longer before people slowly began to relax, some drifting toward the edge of the lake where the sled had been loaded with blankets and food.

More drinks were passed around as people talked and laughed as if they had just attended the most normal engagement celebration in the world.

Viktoria stood beside Nikolai again, her hand resting lightly in his.

She glanced down at the ring once more. The diamond still felt a little unreal.

Engaged? Really? She shook her head slightly.

"You really planned all this?"

"Most of it," he admitted.

"The glowing letters under the ice?"

He looked slightly embarrassed. "That was not my idea."

She laughed. "Well, it worked."

Then she squeezed his hand lightly. "I think this might actually be the most ridiculous and beautiful proposal anyone has ever planned."

"That was the goal."

"Well," she said, smiling at him, "mission accomplished."

~~~~~~~~~~

Later that night, Viktoria sat quietly on the edge of her bed, the house had grown calm after the excitement of the evening.

The hallway outside her room was silent now, the sounds of conversation and laughter from earlier long gone.

Her coat hung over the back of the chair nearby, still dusted with small patches of melting snow and the room felt warm compared to the cold air outside.

Viktoria slowly turned her hand under the soft light of the lamp beside her bed.

The ring caught the glow immediately. For a long moment she simply stared at it.

A small smile slowly formed on her lips, It still felt strange. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Not bad though just... new.

Engaged!!

The word echoed quietly in her mind.

She leaned back slightly against the headboard and exhaled softly.

Everything about today had felt right, the frozen lake, the lanterns glowing across the ice and of course the music.

And Nikolai kneeling in front of her with that slightly nervous expression he had tried so hard to hide.

Her parents had been thrilled when they saw the ring earlier.

Her mother had hugged her twice in a row, nearly crying. Her father had shaken Nikolai’s hand firmly with a proud smile.

"You take care of her," he had said.

Nikolai had nodded seriously.

"Always."

Even Dmitri, he had glanced at Viktoria’s hand, and stared at it for a long moment before sighing.

"So that’s it," he said. "You’re leaving me now."

Viktoria had laughed and shoved his shoulder lightly.

"I’m not moving to another planet."

"You’re getting married," he muttered. "That’s basically the same thing."

She rolled her eyes."I’ll always be here, no matter what."

He crossed his arms. "I doubt it."

But when she hugged him, he hugged her back just as tightly.

"You better still visit," he said quietly.

"Of course I will."

"You promise?"

"I promise."

The memory made Viktoria smile again. Her family was happy, Nikolai was happy and everything seemed exactly the way it should be.

She lifted her hand again, studying the ring carefully.

The diamond sparkled softly under the lamp.

But as she stared at it, a strange feeling slowly crept in again.

It was like trying to remember a dream that disappeared the moment you woke up. Or walking into a room and suddenly forgetting why you went there.

Everything felt right. But at the same time, something felt missing.

Like there was a small piece of her past that hadn’t caught up yet. Her fingers traced the edge of the ring slowly.

A quiet thought slipped into her mind. What if there was something she had forgotten?

Or someone. Or maybe a promise she once made.

She sighed softly and leaned her head back against the wall.

"Stop it," she muttered to herself.

Her doctor had warned her about this.

These were Memory gaps, described as strange feelings.

Her mind trying to connect pieces that hadn’t fully returned yet, she closed her hand around the ring gently.

Nikolai loved her! He had waited for her.

He had brought her to a frozen lake and asked her to build a future with him even though she couldn’t remember their past together.

That had to mean something. Whatever this strange feeling was, it would probably fade with time.

It had to. Viktoria took a slow breath.

"I’m going to be happy," she whispered quietly to herself.