(Listening : Mandy Moore ft. Jonathan Foreman - Someday We'll Know)
Remembering that looking at him like this made it hard to control not just my thoughts but my tongue as well, I smiled nervously, looked away, and reached for my glass.
"The food is really delicious too, isn't it?"
He responded to my obvious attempt at changing the subject with a knowing smile and a nod. I took a big sip of my drink, set the glass down, and focused on my plate.
We ate in silence for a while. When I finished my second glass, he stood up.
He came over and held out his hand. I looked at him curiously.
"Come on."
"What about dessert?"
As he pulled me up by the hand, he replied with a mischievous smile,
"That needs to wait a bit longer."
"Why does it feel like I'm the one who needs to wait, not the dessert?"
He laughed at my grumbling and led me out of the kitchen toward the front door. I frowned in confusion.
"Are we going somewhere?"
"Yes, but not far. Don't worry."
When he opened the door and pulled me along with him, I shivered as the winter air hit me, realizing I wasn't dressed warmly enough.
"Are we insane? Why are we leaving our warm house in this freezing weather?"
"You'll see in a moment."
I stayed close behind him to shield myself from the cold, so I couldn't see his expression. His tone gave nothing away either, which only made me more curious about what this mysterious outing would lead to.
As we walked around the front garden to the back, the pitch-dark yard suddenly lit up. Confused, I stepped out from behind him—and the moment I stood beside him, my lips parted in shock.
The sight in front of me was so unexpected, so beautiful, that I didn't even care I was standing in the cold in thin clothes.
I had no idea how he managed to transform the garden in such a short time, but he had done an incredible job. The neglected yard filled with dry, horror-movie-like weeds was gone. In its place was lush green grass, colorful flower beds, and—at the very center—an octagonal glass conservatory straight out of a fairy tale.
White-framed glass panels stretched from floor to ceiling, and the structure was wrapped in climbing plants with white and pink flowers.
"Judging by that expression, I'd say you like the new garden, Sunshine."
"Are you kidding? I'm in awe. It looks like a dream. Did you do all of this yourself?"
"Not exactly. I designed it. The crew handled the construction during the week."
Without taking my eyes off the view, I nodded.
"Hmm. It really is beautiful."
"Come on. Let's go inside. You'll get cold standing here."
I didn't quite understand his implication that it would be warmer inside, but I let him guide me. The moment we stepped in, I felt the warmth and looked up. Seeing the small heaters mounted along the ceiling like those in café gardens, I smiled in satisfaction. Clearly, it had been designed for both summer and winter.
As I looked around, another detail caught my eye. I walked over to the shelves fixed in the corner and examined the books lining them before turning to him in surprise.
"Was this your idea too?"
He smiled and nodded.
I couldn't wrap my head around it. Why had he suddenly put so much effort into a garden he'd ignored for years—and built a winter garden exactly like the one in my dreams?
As everything started to feel eerily familiar, a memory struck me and my brows furrowed.
Right. It looked just like the garden I'd described the day we talked about our dream romantic proposals with the girls.
Could this really be a coincidence? Everything—from the bookshelves to the colors of the flowers—was exactly the same. The only difference was that in my version, I'd imagined it in spring, so there were no heaters.
Of course. It had to be a coincidence.
A very strangely timed coincidence…
My heart began to race as my favorite romantic movie melody filled the air. Slowly, I turned around.
"Will you dance with me, Sunshine?"
I lifted my eyes from his outstretched hand to his face. He was looking at me expectantly, wearing that rare, genuine smile. Suddenly, butterflies weren't just in my stomach—they were fluttering through my entire body.
When I hesitantly placed my hand in his, his smile widened. As he pulled me closer, I instinctively placed my free hand against his chest. He slid his other hand to my waist, and we began to dance—but I wasn't entirely sure my feet were touching the ground anymore.
I guess when you're sharing your dream romantic dance with the love of your life, things like gravity just stop mattering.
I studied his face, trying to determine whether this moment was real or a dream, but the fact that he himself looked like a dream didn't help at all.
"You're not dreaming, Sunshine."
I frowned at his low whisper, then smiled as he laughed.
"Is understanding what women think really that easy for you, Hotshot?"
"Not every woman…"
I lifted my eyebrows, waiting for him to go on.
With a smile, he pulled back and twirled me around, then drew me back to him as I laughed softly, his gaze locking onto mine.
"Only the woman I'm in love with."
I could have sworn my heart stopped beating the moment he finished the sentence. I waited for him to laugh, to joke, to imply it was all playful teasing—but he didn't.
"Did I understand you correctly? You… you're saying…"
Afraid I'd misunderstood, I couldn't bring myself to finish the sentence. He smiled gently and cupped my cheek.
"You understood perfectly, beautiful. I'm in love with you. And I want to be the one person who makes that beautiful smile appear, the one you feel safe with. I want you to be my girlfriend, Sunshine."
He sighed and continued more softly.
"I don't know whether you walking into my life at its most complicated moment is bad luck for you or good fortune for me. What I do know is that I don't want to spend the rest of my life regretting letting the most special woman I've ever met slip through my fingers. Now it's your turn to decide. What do you say? Will you be my girlfriend and live the adventure of your life with me, Duru Ulusoy?"
Without even trying to hide the huge smile spreading across my face, I replied teasingly,
"I don't know, Hotshot. I've heard relationships that start in dangerous situations can be exhausting—and I'm way too lazy for that."
When he raised a brow with a knowing smile, I continued in the same playful tone,
"But you're lucky—I have a serious weakness for troublesome men. Especially ones as sexy as you."
He laughed and rested his forehead against mine. I smiled back, wrapped my arms around his neck, and whispered slowly without taking my eyes off his.
"As long as I'm with you, I'm up for every adventure, Kerem Dinçer."
With the kiss we shared afterward, unlike all the ones before, I felt for the first time that not only our lips—but our hearts—had truly come together.