What do you think about marriage?
Diana
I woke up to the soft light filtering through the gaps in the curtain. The sound of the sea crashing outside was calm, constant, and for a second, I thought I was still dreaming. I reached out my hand to the side and… empty.
I frowned and turned over in bed. The other side was cold. I sat up slowly, yawning, while scanning the room with my eyes.
"Ethan?" I called softly, half asleep.
Silence.
I got up, pulling off his loose t-shirt that he wore as pajamas, and walked to the small living room of the hotel room. Nothing. No sign of him. No note, no message. The bed was unmade, the pillow disheveled, his scent still lingering on the sheets.
I thought about calling him. I picked up my cell phone, but saw his there, on the bedside table, ringing with my call.
"Oh, great, Ethan…" I mumbled, with an uncomfortable chill in my stomach.
I tried not to freak out. He could have just gone to the reception, or picked up something quick. But to leave his cell phone behind? Without a message?
I went to the balcony. The sun was still low, the salty sea breeze ruffled my hair, and for a moment, I just stood there. Trying not to think anything bad. Taking deep breaths. The scenery was too beautiful to be a scene of despair. But my chest tightened.
Until I heard footsteps.
I turned quickly, and there he was. Ethan, with two bags in one hand and a breakfast tray in the other, wearing a simple white t-shirt and a huge smile.
"Good morning, my love," he said, carefully entering. "I went to get our breakfast. I woke up early and realized the hotel doesn't serve breakfast on weekdays."
I stared at him as if he had returned from a war.
"You left… and didn't even leave a note!" I crossed my arms, my heart still racing.
He frowned and dropped the things on the table. “I thought I’d be back before you woke up… sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you.”
I moved closer and hugged him. Tightly.
“I thought a thousand things.”
“Forgive me,” he said, kissing my forehead. “I won’t leave again without telling you. I promise.”
We kissed, and the relief of having him there made me sigh as if I’d been holding my breath since I woke up.
“I’m going to wash my face,” I murmured.
I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and took another deep breath. When I returned, he had already put everything on the balcony: fresh bread, hot coffee, fruit, and even a croissant that I knew was only sold at the corner café by the beach.
“This is amazing,” I said, smiling.
“You deserve it.”
We sat down, started eating, and everything seemed to fall back into place. We talked about silly things, about the sea, about how perfect the trip had been so far… until he blurted out:
— Diana… do you plan to get married someday?
I choked on my juice.
— What?
— Get married. In general. Have you ever thought about it?
I shrugged, laughing awkwardly.
— It was never something I dreamed of, you know? I've always been more down-to-earth. My focus was on work, my mother, life happening… marriage was never at the top of the list.
He was silent for a few seconds, stirring his coffee.
— And me? — he asked, looking into my eyes. — Have you ever thought about marrying me?
I felt my face heat up.
— Wow, Ethan… isn't that a bit fast?
— Fast? — he raised an eyebrow. — Diana, we've been through so much together. You've seen me at my worst, I've seen you at yours. We sleep together, wake up together, almost kill each other with desire every day, and even so, I still want more. It's never enough. This isn't the kind of thing you measure with a calendar.
"— Ethan…" I began, trying to organize my thoughts.
"— I love you," he continued, taking my hand. "— And loving you made me understand one thing: the time we have isn't guaranteed. So why wait? Why pretend this is fleeting, if all I want is to have you forever?"
I was speechless.
"— I hate sleeping without you, Diana. I hate waking up away from you. I've tried to distance myself, I've tried to pretend it was just a fling, just a crush, but it's not. It's you. It's always been you."
His words hit me like a calm wave, the kind that embraces you but doesn't knock you down.
"— Ethan…"
"— I'm not asking you to marry me now," he said, smiling. — But I want to know if, one day, when you look at me… you could see me as the guy you want to spend your life with.
I looked at him. At the sincere gleam in his eyes. At the almost shy smile of someone who is truly opening up. And for the first time in a long time, I allowed myself to imagine.
A life with him.
And it didn't seem crazy.
— I… I don't know how to answer that right now — I confessed. — But… thinking about it with you… doesn't seem wrong.
He smiled, as if that were enough.
— Then we're on the right track.
We finished our coffee amidst affection, smiles, and that kind of comfortable silence that only those in love know. We didn't need to rush. But we knew that this love, however recent, had deep roots. And it was only just beginning.