Aiden anxiously rubbed his temple, sitting on the couch after most of the Lundstroms had gone to bed following the Christmas Eve festivities. Nova had been acting strangely, and he suspected why. She was always a bit high-strung and prone to jumping to conclusions. He guessed she probably thought he wasn't taking her back to New York with him.

That wasn't true at all. The moment Mr. Lundstrom agreed to his daughter's hand in marriage, he booked a seat next to his on the flight back to New York. He knew his girlfriend; she'd want to return with him immediately and deal with shipping her belongings later.

He'd envisioned a romantic Christmas proposal but worried she'd misinterpreted his intentions. Honestly, it might be best to get this over with tonight before the holiday was completely ruined for her.

Nova jolted him from his thoughts by plopping onto his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Nova, what—" She cut him off with a kiss.

She always maximized their time together, showering him with affection. Sometimes Aiden wondered how she managed the long stretches apart without physical touch.

They'd taken an online love languages quiz; hers was definitely physical touch. Poor Nova. Long-distance was far tougher on her than him, and he already found it difficult. That's why he wanted to clear up any misconceptions immediately.

When she finally broke the kiss, Nova looked into his eyes with an unbearably sad expression. "Aiden, you still love me, right?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I still love you!"

"Then why don't you want me to come back to New York with you?" she asked tearfully. "What did I do wrong? I can't do long distance anymore; I just can't. I want to be with you for real, but you haven't said anything about it!"

Ah, he knew it. He should have proposed after her graduation ceremony. Aiden gently lifted her so he could retrieve his phone.

"I was saving this for Christmas, but you might as well know now. I have two presents for you."

"Is this really the time?" she protested. "You didn't answer my question!"

'This is the answer to your question,' he thought, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"Just look at it, will you?"

He showed her the virtual plane ticket he'd bought, her name clearly displayed. Her eyes immediately filled with even more tears; she clutched the phone to her heart, speechless.

Aiden used this opportunity to retrieve a small, wrapped ring box from under the Christmas tree. He tore off the paper and opened it, revealing a sparkling diamond ring. He'd discreetly checked her internet search history to determine her preference; she'd been browsing rings for months.

He knelt, smiling at her with all his heart. This proposal had to be better than the others. The first time he'd proposed, in-game, it had been purely for convenience—he'd wanted to keep her on his team because of her skills.

Any subsequent in-game marriages were accompanied by comments like, "We're a great team; let's get married again." This time, he needed to be more romantic, though he thought a humorous nod to their gaming history might be sentimental.

"My beautiful Supernova," he began, using her gaming screen name.

"We've always made a great team, but I can't do long distance anymore either. I need to see your radiant smile, hear your adorable laugh, and hold you whenever I want. I want us to be a team, side-by-side, as we navigate the rest of our lives together. Will you marry me for the twelfth and final time?"

Overjoyed, Nova jumped up and down, giggling as tears streamed down her face. "Yes, yes!"

She offered her hand, and he slipped the ring onto her finger. Immediately, she jumped on him, sending them both tumbling to the floor. She kissed him long and deeply, and he didn't mind a bit.

Eventually, she let him sit up, but remained in his lap, a permanent smile gracing her face as she admired her ring. "How did you know what I wanted?"

He shrugged. "I may or may not have been monitoring your search history lately and chose the most frequently visited page."

Nova giggled. "Once a hacker, always a hacker." She snuggled closer. "If I'm really going to move back with you, you're going to have to help me pack."

"I can do that."

The grandfather clock in the corner struck twelve. Midnight. Christmas Day had arrived.

"Merry Christmas," they said simultaneously, bursting into laughter.

Aiden couldn't imagine being happier. Having Nova by his side would be wonderful. He couldn't wait to marry her for real—it would be so much better than sharing items and XP like in their many, many game marriages. All their waiting had finally paid off.

(The promotional text "Search the NovelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality." was removed as it's not part of the narrative.)