The One Where The Lines Get Kinda Blurry

The One Where They're Unconventional

"Are you serious?" Jen asked, her heart still pounding from the surprise and burst of excitement at his out of the blue suggestion.

"I'm deadly serious" he replied, his eyes sparkling with emotion. "You're right about this place, it is special. There's something magical about it. It kind of reminds me of the pull I feel towards you, it's invisible but overwhelming. I can honestly say I've never felt this way about a property, not even my home in New York. Sure, I love it and I enjoy living there, but this place is tugging my heartstrings hard in a totally different and completely surprising way."

"Wow!" Jen breathed after a few more seconds of surprised silence. "I mean... wow... I'm not sure you've ever rendered me speechless like this before. And I mean it in a good way... just... I..." She stopped even trying to speak anymore and shook her head as emotions took over and tears began to flow easily down her pink flushed cheeks. David still had hold of her hands as they sat, fully clothed in the empty bathtub and she interlocked both sets of fingers with his, using their grip to pull herself up his legs, ending up on his lap, their faces merely inches apart. He brought one of their conjoined hands up to her face and began to gently wipe away at the steadily falling tears, which she then swiftly brought to her lips, kissing his fingers as she fought to regain her composure and find the words she was fighting to speak.

"I know it's crazy, but I can so easily imagine living here with you" he said quietly as she continued her battle against the tears and the giant lump in her throat. "We could convert those stables outside at the front into a gym, maybe even with an indoor pool. And we could get a hot tub out on the terrace. Can you imagine sitting together out there, watching the sun go down over the ocean after a day of walking the hills, away from prying eyes and lurking photographers, just the two of us and total and complete freedom and privacy." He stopped talking, choosing instead to just sit quietly and observe Jen's reaction to his suggestion. As much as this vision had suddenly taken over his brain, she hadn't given any real response at all, and he was suddenly concerned he'd made a big error of judgement and she'd think he'd lost his mind. The smile behind her tears was reassuring however and as he gave her hands a gentle squeeze she leaned forward and kissed him with complete tenderness and heartfelt emotion, her lips speaking the words she was struggling to find.

"Yes" she whispered joyfully as they gently pulled apart, "oh God yes, I want that... I want all of that." She sat herself more upright again, still on his lap, hands still entwined as their fingers played little games with each other's. "Are you completely serious about this? You're not just getting swept away on a whim?"

"I'm surprisingly serious" he replied, "I mean was the thought on my radar even an hour ago? No, it hadn't even crossed my mind beyond thinking what a beautiful area this is and how private and secluded it feels, but never did I expect to be suggesting this... and yet somehow it feels entirely right... like it's meant to be.

"Fate" she whispered, with a smile that drew another couple of stray tears from her eyes, "it obviously is meant to be." She leaned in for another kiss, breaking apart their fingers and placing hers behind his neck where they tugged gently at the short, downy hairs. "I want it too" she said quietly but with absolute determination. "I want that life, here, with you. Maybe it won't be for another ten years, but I want it... I want to live the exact vision you just painted." She paused and shook her head gently in a show of disbelief, a smile spreading wider and wider across her cheeks, her eyes so filled with love and tears she could barely see a thing except for a very similar look shining closely back at her. "Just when I think you can't surprise me anymore, you somehow manage to surprise me more than ever."

"To be honest I'm surprised at myself. I don't really do impromptu, especially over something as big as this, but if I've learned anything over the past few years it's that life is too damned short and too damn precious not to do the things that make you happy." He flashed her one of his warmest smiles as his hands rubbed gently up and down her back. "And you make me happy.  And I think we could both live very happily here, so why not throw caution to the wind and go for it. What's the worst that could happen? We decide when the time comes that we don't want to live here and so we sell it."