“Unless… your parents weren’t the ones to host Christmas.”
“What?” I blink at Nicolas.
He hesitates, but takes a deep breath and, while petting the kitties on his lap, looks at me with his solemn, very business-like expression.
“Your mom takes hosting very seriously,” he says, “but she also clearly sees it mainly as a chore that overwhelms her. And I heard you and Parveen; you would both love to host. Why is your mom the one to do it?”
“I… I don’t know,” I admit. “It’s her house, and it’s just always been this way…”
“I understand, but it is illogical,” Nicolas insists. “The house is too small to host winter gatherings. Both of your older brothers and their families live closer to us than to Portland. Beckett told me the trip exhausts Courtney because the children don’t handle long drives well, and Maisie gets sick every time.”
“He said that?” I blink, surprised. “Rosie mentioned Courtney arriving a bit sour…”
He gives me a terse nod.
…Again, how did I miss that? Our family Christmas arrangements have been the same for so long that I never thought to reconsider them! But Nicolas has a point. Indeed, since Simon and Parveen bought their new house last year, both of my older brothers’ families now live closer to Boston than to Portland… Jordan and Rosie still live with our parents, but that will probably change sometime soon, right? I know Rosie’s been eager to move out.
“That’s a good point…” I mutter. “But I’m not sure if we’ll be able to convince Mom not to host. She might get offended or something… and if we convince her, should we ask Parveen and Simon if they can do it, then? I know Parveen would love to, but their house isn’t much bigger than our parents’. I guess we could reconsider the sleeping arrangements, and we could see who might be able to drive home…?”
I wait, but for some strange reason, Nicolas is staring at me, and… hesitating? It’s so rare for him to hesitate before talking that I blink, a bit nervous.
“Honey?”
He swallows, takes a big breath, and then, looking me in the eyes, he says it.
“I thinkweshould host it,” he says.
“Us? But my apartment is small, and yours is—”
“Inourapartment,” he says.
“…What?”
“Or house.”
This time, I’m the speechless one! But Nicolas quickly swallows before he powers on.
“I’ve thought about it,” he utters quickly like a confession. “A lot. We have been steady for a year now, and we’regreat at making decisions together and optimizing our routines to prioritize our relationship. We resolve any conflict quickly without escalation, and we handle stressful times together as well. Everything indicates that we would be able to cohabitate very well, and statistics show that couples who make a deliberate decision to live together are also more successful long-term—”
“You… Youresearchedthis?” I blink.
“Yes,” he replies with an unabashed nod. “Whenever I missed you and thought about the future. I’ve thought about it many times, and I believe moving in together would be great for our relationship. And… and I miss you when I’m away, Ophelia. Very much. I want to come home to you inourhome. We’ve been together for over a year, and it’s been wonderful, but I don’t want us to have to decide which flat we’re staying in anymore. I think we already pretty much live together, but I’m away often, and bouncing between your flat and mine has been very… inadequate. And financially irresponsible. This chaotic Christmas showed me that we need our own home. One where you can be happy baking and hosting, and we wouldn’t have to run left and right or leave our cats behind. You could do all the decorating you want, bake as much as you’d like, and spend all of December in the Christmas spirit. We could make a short trip to Quebec City to visit my brother and Emi beforehand, and then focus on hosting here.”
I’m… I’m speechless.
I just stare at Nicolas, taking it all in. I didn’t realize he had thought this much about our relationship! It’s true, it’s been a little over a year since we got together, and everything has been wonderfully seamless so far… The year went by in the blink of an eye, without so much more than a handful of gray clouds obscuring our love story. It’s true that we miss each other when he’s away for work, but I didn’t think it had made him reflect so much on our relationship that he would research it!
I have to swallow a couple of times before I can speak, and that’s when I realize I’m tearing up. Oh, no, why am I tearing up over this?!
“…You want us to move in together?” I blurt out.
“Yes.”
“Really?” I need to confirm. “A-and buy a place together?”
“Absolutely,” Nicolas nods. “I’ve run some numbers, and I think it would be a wise investment, both financially and for our relationship. Of course, we should go about this the right way, discuss how much we’re willing to invest, and all the details of cohabitating, but I’m very confident in our ability to live together. And I… I really want to live with you, Ophelia.”
“You do?” I mumble.
