The rest of the afternoon passed by quicker than either of them expected.
Christian insisted on washing the dishes after breakfast despite Elizabeth reminding him that she had only been teasing him earlier.
"A promise is a promise," Christian said as he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt.
Elizabeth leaned against the kitchen island with her coffee mug in both hands.
"You know I wasn't serious, right?"
"I know."
"You don't have to wash everything."
"I know."
"You could've let me help."
Christian smiled as he rinsed another plate.
"I know."
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes.
"You're impossible."
"So I've been told."
She couldn't help but laugh.
While Christian finished drying the dishes, Elizabeth wandered over to the bookshelf they had put together earlier. She carefully placed a few of her favorite novels on one of the middle shelves before stepping back to admire it.
Something still felt missing.
She looked around the apartment.
The walls were almost bare.
No pictures.
No paintings.
Nothing that made the apartment feel like it belonged to anyone.
It looked nice.
But it didn't look like them.
Christian noticed her staring at the empty wall above the couch.
"What are you thinking about?"
Elizabeth pointed toward it.
"It needs something."
"A television?"
She laughed.
"No."
"A bigger television?"
She gently nudged his shoulder.
"I mean...something personal."
Christian looked around.
"I guess you're right."
"It still feels like we're borrowing the place."
He nodded slowly.
"We should decorate it."
Elizabeth's eyes lit up.
"Really?"
"Sure."
"I thought you'd want everything modern and boring."
"Boring?"
"You know."
She gestured around dramatically.
"Gray."
"Black."
"More gray."
Christian looked down at his gray t-shirt.
"...I feel attacked."
Elizabeth burst into laughter.
"I wasn't talking about your clothes."
"Liar."
After cleaning the kitchen, Christian disappeared into the bedroom.
Elizabeth heard drawers opening and closing before he returned carrying a small cardboard box.
"What's that?"
Christian set it on the coffee table.
"I almost forgot about this."
He pulled back the flaps.
Inside were dozens of old photographs.
Elizabeth carefully picked one up.
It showed a teenage Christian wearing a graduation gown with an expression that clearly said he didn't want to be there.
She smiled.
"You look so unhappy."
"I was."
"You couldn't even fake a smile?"
"My grandfather had just told me what universities I was allowed to attend."
Elizabeth's smile faded.
"Oh..."
Christian shrugged.
"It was a long time ago."
She reached for another picture.
This one showed Christian sitting at a computer surrounded by wires and old computer parts.
"You built that?"
"My first computer."
"You look happy."
"I was."
She continued flipping through the pictures until she found one of Christian as a little boy sitting on his father's shoulders.
The smile on his face looked genuine.
"What happened?"
Christian looked at the photo for a long moment.
"I honestly don't know."
Silence settled between them.
Elizabeth quietly placed the picture back into the box.
"I'm sorry."
Christian shook his head.
"Don't be."
He smiled softly.
"I think things turned out the way they were supposed to."
He reached over and gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Otherwise..."
He looked into her eyes.
"...I never would've met you."
Elizabeth felt her cheeks warm.
"You really know how to make someone blush."
"I've been practicing."
Elizabeth suddenly stood up.
"My turn."
Christian looked confused.
"Your turn?"
She disappeared into the bedroom before returning a minute later carrying a worn blue notebook.
It had slightly bent corners and pages sticking out from every direction.
Christian immediately noticed dozens of colorful sticky notes poking out from between the pages.
"You actually write everything in there?"
Elizabeth hugged it against her chest.
"It's...kind of my life."
She sat beside him on the couch.
"I've had this notebook since college."
Christian carefully opened it.
The first page contained handwritten story ideas.
The next was filled with sketches of fantasy maps.
Another page held random dialogue.
One page simply read:
'What if the villain isn't actually wrong?'
Christian smiled.
"You've had all these ideas?"
Elizabeth nodded.
"For years."
"What stopped you?"
She looked down at her hands.
"I kept telling myself I'd finish them tomorrow."
Christian closed the notebook gently.
"No more tomorrows."
She looked up.
"You deserve to tell your stories."
Elizabeth stared at him.
No one had ever encouraged her writing before.
Friends thought it was a hobby.
Her family thought it was unrealistic.
Even she had started believing that maybe they were right.
But Christian...
He believed in her without hesitation.
She smiled.
"I guess we both have dreams we've been putting off."
Christian nodded.
"Then let's stop putting them off."
The afternoon sunlight slowly shifted across the apartment floor.
Christian opened his laptop while Elizabeth settled beside him with her notebook.
For nearly two hours, neither of them spoke very much.
The apartment was filled with the soft tapping of computer keys, the scratching of a pencil across paper, and the occasional sip of coffee.
Every now and then Elizabeth would glance over at Christian's screen.
Rows of colorful boxes and rough sketches covered the display.
She didn't understand most of it.
But she loved watching how focused he became.
Meanwhile, Christian occasionally looked over to find Elizabeth smiling to herself while she crossed something out before writing it again.
Neither of them realized how much time had passed until Elizabeth stretched her arms above her head.
"My hand hurts."
Christian looked up from his laptop.
"So does my brain."
She laughed.
"I think that's enough work for today."
Christian looked at the clock.
"It's already six?"
"We skipped lunch."
He blinked.
"...We did."
Elizabeth stood and closed her notebook.
"Come on."
"Where are we going?"
She smiled mischievously.
"You took me on a date yesterday."
"I did."
"So tonight..."
She reached for his hand.
"...I'm taking you on one."
Christian grinned.
"I thought you said money was tight."
Elizabeth smiled proudly.
"It is."
"Then?"
She picked up her purse from beside the front door.
"The park is free."
Christian looked at her for a moment before slipping his fingers between hers.
"I think that's my favorite kind of date."
Together they stepped out of the apartment, locking the door behind them.
Neither of them noticed the two notebooks they had left sitting side by side on the coffee table.
One held the beginning of a novel.
The other held the beginning of a dream.
For the first time, neither of them would have to build those dreams alone.