The house stood at the end of a quiet street, surrounded by tall trees and a small garden that had clearly been neglected for a while.
Lila stared through the car window.
"You bought this?"
Adrian smiled.
"Not exactly. I bought the opportunity to turn it into ours."
She turned toward him.
"You make it sound like a project."
"It is a project."
He got out of the car and walked around to open her door.
Lila stepped out.
The house was beautiful.
Not enormous.
Not extravagant.
Just warm.
There were wide windows, a small balcony upstairs, and enough space in the backyard for a garden.
She walked toward the front door slowly.
"I love it."
Adrian watched her carefully.
"You haven't even seen the inside."
"I don't need to."
He laughed.
"You're easy to impress."
"No," she corrected. "I'm easy to make happy."
His smile softened.
"That is one of the things I love about you."
He unlocked the door.
They stepped inside.
The living room was mostly empty, except for a few pieces of furniture.
Lila walked around, touching the walls and looking through the windows.
She imagined curtains.
Pictures.
A bookshelf.
Maybe plants near the balcony.
For the first time, she wasn't imagining a place.
She was imagining a life.
Their life.
"Come upstairs," Adrian said.
She followed him.
He opened the first bedroom.
Empty.
"The guest room," he explained.
Then he opened another door.
Their bedroom.
A large bed stood against the wall, covered with white sheets.
Lila walked inside quietly.
There was a small table beside the bed.
On it was a framed photograph.
She picked it up.
It was a picture of them from months earlier.
She smiled.
"You put this here?"
"I did."
"When did you take it?"
"The day you weren't looking."
She laughed.
"You're sneaky."
"Only when necessary."
She placed the photograph back down.
Then she noticed something else.
A small wooden plaque hung above the bed.
It had only three words written on it:
Choose Each Other.
Her smile disappeared.
Not because she was sad.
Because she understood.
Adrian had remembered everything.
The mistakes.
The distance.
The fear.
And the promise they had made to each other.
She turned toward him.
"You really mean this, don't you?"
He walked closer.
"More than anything."
She wrapped her arms around his waist.
He held her tightly.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Later that evening, they sat on the unfinished back porch eating takeaway food from paper containers.
Lila looked around the empty yard.
"There's something I want."
Adrian raised an eyebrow.
"Anything."
"A garden."
"A garden?"
"Yes."
"What do you want to grow?"
She thought about it.
"Flowers. Maybe tomatoes. Herbs."
He smiled.
"Then we'll build one."
She looked at him.
"We?"
"We."
The simplicity of that word touched her.
They were no longer talking about his house.
His plans.
His future.
It was becoming theirs.
But as the evening grew darker, Adrian's phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
His smile disappeared.
Lila noticed.
"Who is it?"
He hesitated.
"My mother."
Something in his voice made her sit up straighter.
"Are you going to answer?"
He stared at the phone for several seconds.
Then he did.
"Hello, Mum."
Lila couldn't hear the other voice clearly.
But she could see Adrian's expression changing.
His jaw tightened.
His shoulders stiffened.
Then he said quietly:
"No. I haven't told her yet."
Lila's heart sank.
He ended the call.
She looked at him.
"What haven't you told her?"
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
Then he looked toward the house.
And quietly said:
"She doesn't know we're getting married."
Lila stared at him.
The warmth of the evening suddenly disappeared.
Because she remembered the last time his family had entered their relationship.
And she knew one thing with terrifying certainty.
This time, his family wouldn't be arriving quietly.