They had met a year ago in this very café, entirely by accident. Emma had been rushing in to grab her usual coffee, not paying attention, and had bumped straight into Ethan, spilling his drink all over him. Mortified, she had offered to buy him a new one. He had laughed, his eyes sparkling with warmth, and said, “It’s only coffee. But if it means I get to spend more time with you, I’ll take you up on that offer.”
What had started as a random encounter blossomed into something neither of them had expected. They began meeting regularly, spending hours talking over steaming cups of coffee, sharing stories, dreams, and fears. Ethan was a photographer, constantly traveling, while Emma was a writer, living in a world of words and stories. Yet, despite their differences, something undeniable had clicked between them.
Over the months, their relationship had deepened. Ethan had a way of seeing the world through a lens that fascinated Emma. He showed her beauty in the ordinary—a leaf caught in the breeze, the way sunlight hit the water, the fleeting expressions of strangers. She, in turn, shared her stories with him, weaving tales from the mundane and infusing their time together with imagination. It wasn’t long before they realized their bond was more than just friendship. Love had quietly, but unmistakably, taken root.
Today, though, felt different to Emma. Ethan had been away for weeks on a photography assignment in the mountains. His absence had left a void in her daily routine, and she realized just how much she missed him. Last night, she had received a simple message from him: “Meet me at the café tomorrow morning. I have something important to tell you.”
Her heart raced as she pushed open the door to the café. The familiar warmth enveloped her, and there, sitting at their usual table by the window, was Ethan. He looked up as she entered, his eyes lighting up the way they always did when he saw her. But there was something more today—something different in his gaze.
Emma approached the table, her pulse quickening with anticipation. Ethan stood up, pulling her into a tight embrace. “I’ve missed you,” he whispered, his breath warm against her ear.
“I’ve missed you too,” she replied, feeling the truth of her words deep in her chest.
They sat down, and for a moment, neither of them spoke. The usual ease between them was overshadowed by an unspoken tension. Finally, Ethan broke the silence. “Emma, these past few weeks, while I was away… I couldn’t stop thinking about you. About us.”
Emma felt a flutter of nervousness in her stomach. “I’ve been thinking about you too,” she admitted softly.
Ethan took a deep breath, his hand reaching across the table to take hers. “I realized something while I was gone,” he said, his voice steady but filled with emotion. “I don’t want to keep living in moments where I have to leave you behind. I want to share every sunrise, every adventure, with you. I want to come home to you.”
Emma’s breath caught in her throat as she processed his words. Was this really happening?
Ethan’s grip on her hand tightened slightly as he continued. “I love you, Emma. I’ve loved you for a long time, and I want us to be more than just fleeting moments. I want you to be my forever.”
Tears welled in Emma’s eyes as she looked at him, her heart swelling with emotions she had kept at bay for too long. She had always known, deep down, that she loved him too, but hearing the words from him made it all so real.
“I love you too, Ethan,” she whispered, her voice trembling with joy. “I want to be with you, always.”
A radiant smile broke across Ethan’s face, and in that moment, it felt as though the world had fallen perfectly into place. He stood up, pulling her into another embrace, and then, without hesitation, he kissed her—softly at first, then with a deep passion that spoke of all the love they had shared and all the love yet to come.
The café around them faded away, the world outside the window disappearing into a blur of golden light. In that moment, nothing else mattered but the two of them, wrapped in each other’s arms, ready to face the future together.
