I turned my gaze toward the road ahead, the headlights stretching into the darkness.Wasn’t it a bit too soon for such a big step?We had only been dating for five months.
“Um…” I hesitated.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said quickly. “It’s a bit too soon.”
His fingers tightened slightly around mine.
“I just thought… we’ve known each other for a very long time already. And whatever we don’t know about each other, we’ll find out together… on a door that has both our names written on it.”He pressed his lips together nervously.
I had known Cole for years.He was practically living in my house already.The children adored him.Geeta adored him.And I loved him.
Even though I had never actually said the words to him yet.
I didn’t want to repeat the same mistakes I had made before. I wanted to make sure that when I expressed my feelings, they came from a place of conviction and not fear.
“Think about it,” he said gently. “I don’t want to rush you.”
He reached over and touched my face with a reassuring smile.
When we got home, we quietly carried the sleeping children inside and tucked them into their beds.
A few minutes later, I heard a sudden noise coming from the bathroom.
Cole was throwing up.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, knocking lightly on the door.
“Must have been the cake,” he said with a small laugh when he opened it. His face looked slightly pale. “I’m feeling better now… just a bit of a tummy ache.”
Later that night, as I lay in bed beside him, my thoughts drifted back to his question.
I turned slightly and looked at him.
He was already asleep.
Moonlight streamed softly through the window, casting a pale silver light across his face. He looked peaceful, almost boyish, his breathing slow and even.
He was everything I could have hoped for.So what was stopping me from saying the words I already felt in my heart?
Before I could second-guess myself, the words slipped out.
“I love you,” I whispered.
The confession came easily, and it didn’t scare me.
I turned and draped my arm across his chest, resting my head beside him.
I had finally said the words out loud.
And I knew without doubt that I truly meant them.
40
COLE
After two weeks of house hunting, we finally found a place in Cobble Hill where new houses were being developed.
Those two weeks had been a mixture of excitement and nervous anticipation. Jiya and I had spent hours driving through neighbourhoods, walking through half-finished homes, and studying layouts that either felt too small, too cold, or simply not right. Some houses looked beautiful on the outside but felt empty the moment we stepped inside. Others had potential but did not feel like a place where our lives could truly unfold.
