There’s my girl.
We get into the car, and the closer we get to the house, the more confused she gets. She knows this place like the back of her hand, even if it has been years since she’s been here. She watches the trees roll past us, watching the houses grow further and further apart, until finally freezing up when we pull into the long driveway.
“Wha-“ she opens and shuts her mouth a couple times before continuing, “why are we here?”
I don’t say anything, instead I let everything speak for itself when the estate finally comes into view.
The house is far from being finished, the holes where windows are supposed to go are covered in plastic, and the roof is being completed by a group of men.
The inside is still rough, but you can see the potential as you walk through it. I can’t even count how many times I’ve envisioned it fully furnished with the two of us living in it.
Sleepless nights in front of the fire place, slow dancing in the kitchen, spending afternoons on the back porch watching the sun set… all of the things I never thought I wanted.
I put the car in park and grab my awe-struck girlfriends hand, “promise you won’t make a decision until you see the whole thing.”
She nods her head silently, still staring at the house in front of us before following me out of the car. She stays by my side while I lead her into the house, saying hi to the workers as I pass by them.
I show her every inch of the place, tell her which rooms are which, silently praying that she likes it.
Even if she doesn’t that’s okay, I can change the plans, I don’t care how long it takes to make it her dream house… I don’t even care if I have to sell it once it’s finished.
This very well could be a bad idea, she could hate it and never want to step foot in this place ever again.
But I have to try.
I want to try.
She’s quiet the whole time, her face is neutral, it’s impossible to get a read on her. At least until I lead her into the backyard and towards the forest she loves so much.
Tears start to well in her eyes as we approach the field of baby’s-breath. She looks around before closing her eyes and breathing in, letting the smell of flowers and fresh air wash over her.
The first time I came here I was overwhelmed, I instantly understood why she loves this place so much. There’s a huge tree just across the clearing —a willow tree I think— that blows in the wind. I can picture her sitting under it as a child, tear soaked cheeks, puffy red eyes, playing with the grass at her feet after getting into a fight with her parents.
I can picture her slowly relaxing, taking deep breaths and finally allowing herself to smile as she day-dreams of all the possibilities her future holds.
Claire turns to me, “why would you do all of this for me?” Her voice wavers ever so slightly, and my heart clenches.
“I didn’t want you to lose your favourite place on earth.” I reach my hand up and brush a tear off her face, staring into those beautiful blue eyes that I love so much.
She wraps her arms around me “I thought you were cheating on me” she mumbles.
Without thinking, I laugh. My whole body shakes and I hold her as close as I can, “you’re absolutely delusional for thinking that I would everlookat another woman.”
“Can you blame me?” She looks up at me and smiles, “you were being so weird and secretive all the time, how was I supposed to know you bought my childhood home?”
I kiss the top of her head, “so you like it?”
Her hands snake around the back of my head, clasping around my neck. She places a kiss on my lips but before I have the chance to be a greedy little bastard and continue, she pulls back. “I love it… but you were wrong about one thing.” She bites her lip, leans in close and whispers, “my favourite place on this earth, is withyou.”
CLAIRE
When we re-enter the house, all of our friends are waiting for us. They’re holding glasses of champagne and smiling, every single one of them happy to see us.
We haven’t seen them a lot recently, other than the occasional game where our teams face off, we mostly just communicate over text and face-time.
Davis wastes no time, he pulls me into a hug and twirls me through the air, “I missed you Clarity!”
Giggles bubble up while I squeeze him tight, “I missed you too.”
