They found it at last;an unassuming two-bedroom apartment tucked away on a quiet street lined with jacaranda trees. The moment Ariana stepped inside, sunlight from the large windows spilled across the living room like a warm welcome, turning the empty walls into soft shades of honey and gold. It wasn't extravagant. It wasn't perfect. But as she exchanged a glance with Kian, her heart whispered the truth: This is home.
There was something grounding about the creak of the wooden floor, the faint echo in the unfurnished rooms, the way the afternoon light settled as if it, too, had been waiting for them. Kian walked from room to room, his footsteps slow, almost reverent. He imagined shelves he would build, art he would hang, memories he didn't yet know how to describe. For two people who had known uncertainty more than comfort, this space felt like the first real proof that life was shifting;gently, finally, into place.
That evening, they shared the news with Lucas and Jessica over dinner. The house buzzed with laughter, the smell of home-cooked food, and the twins' excited babbling as if they somehow understood the milestone being celebrated. Lucas's voice wavered with emotion as he raised his glass.
"We're so proud of you both," he said, his eyes lingering on Ariana with a father's quiet tenderness.
Jessica clapped her hands together in delight. "I'm helping you decorate. No arguments."
Her enthusiasm was infectious, and for a moment, Ariana let herself feel the warmth of being surrounded by people who genuinely cared;something she once doubted she'd ever have.
Later that night, when the noise had faded, and only the soft hum of the city seeped through the car windows, Ariana leaned her head on Kian's shoulder.
"Do you think we're ready for this?" she whispered. 🤗
Kian squeezed her hand, his voice steady.
"Maybe we're not. But we're ready to try. And that's enough."
Outside, the jacaranda trees swayed in the night breeze;as if blessing the foundation they were about to build.