Chapter 8 – Steps Forward
Weeks passed, and everything began to feel lighter. The exhibition opened to rave reviews. Elena stood in the gallery on opening night, smiling beside her team, photographers snapping away. But her eyes often drifted to one spot in the crowd—Marcus.
He stood in the back, not saying much, just watching her with quiet pride.
After the crowd thinned, she pulled him into the corner and whispered, "Thank you—for showing up, for being patient, for being mine."
"I'll always show up for you," he replied.
They celebrated late into the night, but it wasn't the applause or press coverage that made Elena feel like she'd won—it was coming home to him.
From that night on, they were more intentional. They made time, not excuses.
Every Tuesday became "their night." No work, no distractions—just them. Cooking together. Reading on the couch. Sometimes just sitting in silence, sharing space.
Marcus, who once lived life by careful planning, began sketching dream houses—not for clients, but for them. Open spaces with big windows, and rooms filled with light and art.
Elena started a new sketchbook, one she'd never shown anyone before. Page after page, she captured their life together—his profile while he read, their coffee cups side by side, their shadows on the wall.
One morning, while walking through the farmer's market, Marcus casually said, "I saw a loft for sale. Nothing fancy, but it has huge skylights."
Elena paused. "Are you thinking of moving?"
"I was thinking… maybe we could move. Together."
She didn't answer right away. Instead, she reached out, took his hand, and smiled.
"I'd love that."
It wasn't a proposal.
But it was a beginning.
And beginnings, when chosen with love, have a way of rewriting everything that came before.