"Haha! It tickles!" Elizabeth laughed, trying to push Christian's wandering hands away from her stomach.
"I wasn't trying to tickle you," Christian replied with an innocent smile that didn't fool her in the slightest.
"Liar."
"I prefer 'professionally mischievous.'"
Elizabeth rolled her eyes dramatically before lightly poking his cheek.
"You have a terrible case of morning clinginess."
"I have a wife," Christian answered matter-of-factly as he buried his face into the crook of her neck. "There's a difference."
She froze for half a second.
Wife.
Even after hearing it several times over the past few days, the title still made butterflies dance inside her stomach.
"...You're laying it on a little thick this morning."
Christian peeked up at her with a grin.
"Too much?"
"A little."
"I can fix that."
Before Elizabeth could ask what he meant, he leaned forward and peppered several quick kisses across her shoulder and neck.
"Christian!"
She burst into another fit of laughter as she squirmed beneath him.
"Stop! I surrender!"
Only then did he finally let her go.
She sat upright, brushing messy strands of chestnut hair out of her face while trying to catch her breath.
"You are impossible."
"And yet you married me."
She smiled despite herself.
"...I guess I did."
For a brief moment, neither of them spoke.
The apartment was quiet except for birds chirping outside and the occasional car passing below.
It felt...
Comfortable.
Natural.
Like they'd been waking up beside each other for years instead of days.
Elizabeth finally stretched, letting out a content sigh.
"Okay."
She climbed out of bed.
"Coffee."
Christian groaned dramatically.
"You love coffee more than me."
"I've known coffee longer."
"Ouch."
She laughed over her shoulder as she headed toward the kitchen.
"I'll make you breakfast to make up for it."
"You cook?"
Elizabeth nodded proudly.
"I had to learn somehow. Writing books doesn't exactly pay the bills every month."
Christian followed behind her, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
"I'll help."
"You'll distract me."
"I'll supervise."
"That's even worse."
The smell of freshly brewed coffee quickly filled the apartment.
Elizabeth hummed softly as she whisked eggs together in a bowl while strips of bacon sizzled in a skillet.
Christian leaned against the kitchen island, watching her move around as though she'd lived there for years.
"You know..." he said.
"Hm?"
"I don't think I've ever had someone cook breakfast for me."
Elizabeth paused.
"Really?"
"My family had chefs."
"Oh..."
"They made incredible food."
He smiled.
"But it never felt personal."
Elizabeth looked back at him.
"So this does?"
Christian nodded.
"Yeah."
She suddenly became very interested in the eggs again to hide the blush creeping across her cheeks.
"Well..."
She cleared her throat.
"I hope you like scrambled eggs."
"I think I'll like them regardless."
After breakfast, the two of them unpacked everything they'd bought the day before.
Elizabeth arranged the flowers into a glass vase before placing them in the center of the dining table.
Christian stood back.
"The apartment already feels different."
She smiled.
"It feels... lived in."
Together they found places for the new blankets, kitchen utensils, books, and little decorative items they'd picked out.
It wasn't much.
But somehow every object made the apartment feel less like a temporary place and more like a home.
Elizabeth stepped back with her hands on her hips.
"There."
"Our first shopping trip as a married couple."
Christian looked around proudly.
"I think we did pretty well."
She nodded.
"Except..."
"What?"
She pointed toward three unopened boxes still sitting near the front door.
"You bought way more computer equipment than I realized."
Christian rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
"...About that."
Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.
"What are you planning?"
He hesitated.
"I haven't really told anyone yet."
She sat down on the couch and patted the cushion beside her.
"You can tell me."
Christian joined her, taking a deep breath.
"I want to start my own video game company."
Elizabeth blinked.
"You... make games?"
"I want to."
He smiled nervously.
"I studied computer science in college."
"You never told me that."
"My parents didn't exactly approve."
"So what happened?"
"They wanted me in the family business."
"And you wanted..."
He looked toward his laptop sitting on the coffee table.
"...this."
Elizabeth was quiet for a long moment.
"What kind of games?"
Christian's eyes lit up immediately.
"The kind that make people feel something."
He leaned forward as excitement filled his voice.
"Games where your choices matter."
"Characters that actually grow."
"Stories people remember years after they finish playing."
"The kind of worlds people don't want to leave."
Elizabeth smiled.
She recognized that look.
It was the same expression she wore whenever she talked about writing her novels.
"You really love this."
"I do."
"So..."
She gently nudged his shoulder.
"What are you waiting for?"
Christian laughed.
"Money."
"Fair point."
"And people."
"Still fair."
Elizabeth looked around the apartment before turning back to him.
"You know..."
"What?"
"I've never designed a video game."
Christian chuckled.
"I didn't think you had."
"But..."
She smiled shyly.
"I do know how to write stories."
He stared at her.
"And dialogue."
"..."
"And characters."
His eyes slowly widened.
"...Elizabeth."
"What?"
"If you're serious..."
"I am."
"You'd write with me?"
She nodded.
"I think it'd be fun."
Christian couldn't stop smiling.
For the first time, his dream no longer felt like something he had to accomplish alone.
He reached over and took her hand.
"Thank you."
Elizabeth squeezed his fingers.
"We're married."
She smiled warmly.
"I think your dreams became my dreams too."
Christian's throat tightened.
No one had ever said something like that to him before.
Not his parents.
Not his grandfather.
No one.
He leaned over and kissed her forehead.
"We're going to build something amazing."
Elizabeth grinned.
"And when you become famous..."
Christian laughed.
"I'm listening."
"You still have to do the dishes."
He groaned dramatically.
"I knew there had to be a catch."
Elizabeth burst into laughter, and within seconds Christian joined her.
Their laughter echoed throughout the apartment, mingling with the scent of fresh flowers and coffee.
For the first time in both of their lives, the future didn't seem uncertain.
It seemed full of possibility.