Marry Me Someday
It happened on a completely ordinary night.Which honestly made it worse.There were no candles.No dramatic speeches.No expensive restaurant overlooking the city.Just Adrian half-asleep beside her saying something that permanently changed the shape of Lia's heart.
—
The penthouse was quiet after midnight.Soft rain drifted against the windows while the city glowed silver and gold far below them.
Lia lay curled beneath warm blankets reading while Adrian rested beside her with one arm wrapped loosely around her waist.Or—pretended to rest.Because every few minutes she caught him staring at her instead of sleeping.
"You're doing it again."
A faint smile touched his mouth.
"You're pretty."
"That is not a valid explanation."
"It works every time."
Unfortunately—it really did.Lia tried focusing on her book again while Adrian's thumb brushed lazy circles against her waist beneath her oversized sleep shirt.
Warm.Absentminded.Possessive in the softest way.
The kind of touch that said mine without words.
The realization still affected her every single time.
"You know normal people sleep at this hour, right?" she murmured softly.
"I was asleep."
"You literally answered me immediately."
A quiet laugh escaped him.
Low.
Sleep-heavy.
Beautiful enough to tighten her chest painfully.Adrian shifted slightly closer afterward until his forehead rested lightly against her shoulder.
Comfortable.
Natural.
Home.
Lia closed her book slowly before setting it aside on the nightstand.
"You have work tomorrow."
"So do you."
"You're the one refusing sleep."
"No," Adrian murmured quietly. "I'm appreciating my girlfriend."
God.
This man genuinely had no survival instinct around her anymore.Lia turned slightly toward him beneath the blankets.Big mistake.Because Adrian already watched her with that same unbearably soft expression that kept ruining her emotionally lately.Not just love anymore.
Something deeper.
Certain.
Like he already belonged to her permanently in his mind.Her pulse stumbled instantly.
"What?"
A faint flicker crossed his face.
"You moved your books onto my shelves today."
Lia blinked softly.
"That's what you're thinking about at one in the morning?"
"Yes."
The answer came immediate.Without shame.
Of course.A smile tugged faintly at her mouth.
"You're emotional over books."
"You mixed your life with mine without hesitation."
The honesty wrapped tightly around her chest.Because Adrian sounded genuinely affected by tiny things like that.Her books beside his.Her shoes near the door.Her handwriting on grocery lists stuck to the refrigerator.Every small domestic detail mattered too much to him.
Lia brushed her fingers slowly through his dark hair.Immediate reaction.Always immediate.Adrian closed his eyes briefly while a soft breath escaped him.
"You really love that."
"You really love doing it."
Fair.
The rain outside softened further while warm silence settled around them.The apartment glowed dim beneath soft bedside lighting.
Safe.
Still.
Then quietly—without opening his eyes—
"You know what I thought about today?"
Lia swallowed carefully.
"What?"
A long pause followed.Then Adrian finally opened his eyes slowly.
Dark.
Sleepy.
Completely honest.
"I thought about marrying you."
The world stopped.Completely.
Lia physically forgot how to breathe for a second.Because Adrian didn't sound nervous.Or dramatic.He sounded thoughtful.Like he'd casually stumbled into imagining forever and realized it felt natural.Her chest tightened painfully.
"Adrian..."
His hand slid slowly higher along her waist while his gaze stayed fixed entirely on her face.
"I'm not proposing."
"That clarification does not help."
A quiet laugh escaped him softly.Then his expression softened again.
Dangerously soft.
"I just..." His thumb brushed lightly beneath her shirt against warm skin. "I saw your books on the shelves and suddenly wondered what our last names would sound like together."
The confession shattered straight through her heart.Because he sounded almost embarrassed by the tenderness of it.Like loving her had turned his thoughts soft in ways he never expected.
Lia stared at him silently while rain echoed softly around the apartment.And suddenly—she realized Adrian no longer imagined temporary things with her.Not weekends.Not months.A life.A full life.The realization overwhelmed her instantly.
"You think about things like that?" she whispered softly.
A faint flicker crossed his face.
"All the time."
The honesty physically hurt.Because Adrian admitted it so easily now.No walls.No fear.Just truth.Lia's fingers paused gently in his hair.
"What exactly do you think about?"
A slow breath escaped him.
"Waking up beside you at forty." His eyes softened further. "You stealing my coffee forever." A tiny smile appeared. "Arguing with you about closet space until we're old."
Tears nearly burned unexpectedly behind Lia's eyes.Because Adrian sounded so sincere.So certain.Like forever with her no longer felt impossible.
Then quieter—almost vulnerable enough to ruin her completely—
"I think about building an entire life around loving you."
The confession cracked something open inside her chest.
Lia moved without thinking.Her arms wrapped tightly around him beneath the blankets while Adrian immediately pulled her closer instinctively.Protective.Certain.Like he already knew how to hold her through every version of life.
"You can't say things like that casually," she whispered weakly against his shoulder.
A quiet laugh vibrated softly beneath her cheek.
"I didn't realize it was a dangerous statement."
"You literally brought up marriage at midnight."
"That feels on brand for us honestly."
Unfortunately—he wasn't wrong.
Lia pulled back just enough to look at him again.Big mistake.Because Adrian looked completely gone.Soft eyes.Sleep-messed hair.Love written everywhere across his face without restraint anymore.
"You really see me in your future."
Silence.
Then Adrian reached up slowly, brushing his knuckles gently against her cheek.
"There is no version of my future," he whispered softly, "where I don't spend it loving you."