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When Julian and Kaylie pulled away, the first thing he noticed was that small smile on her lips. She smiled that way when shyness had overcome her and she had no words to utter. It was a familiar sight to him, a feature profoundly adorable in his eyes.
"Come on," Julian held out his hand for her to take. "There's something I want to show you," his voice was calming; welcoming. She could see it in his eyes as well. Kaylie had missed that; the way he looked at her without tenseness surrounding them.
Because without those external factors, one could clearly see the admiration and fondness in his eyes when he looked at her. And that alone was enough for her to put her complete faith in the man before her.
Kaylie placed her hand in Julian's, holding it tight. They walked hand in hand down the stairs and onto the street. "Where are we going?" She asked eagerly. "You'll see," there was strong enthusiasm in his voice.
She couldn't keep the idiotic smile off her face as he began telling her about the shops that they were passing. The tailor's, the florist, the cafe, the bakery Julian visited religiously. "I'm surprised the baker doesn't recognize me," he chuckled.
They soon entered an apartment complex unfamiliar to Kaylie. But seeing how comfortable Julian seemed, she easily put two and two together. "This is your apartment building?" She queried as they stepped into the lift.
He nodded. "Woah if you're taking me to your apartment, I don't think that's appropriate, Julian Draxler," Kaylie flashed him a amused smile. Julian winked, "oh no, I have something much better in mind."
The lift halted to a stop at the highest floor, the 6th floor. He led her past the apartment doors, and toward what looked like a trapdoor on the ceiling. Kaylie watched as he tugged on it, and pulled down a ladder.
Kaylie raised an eyebrow at him, "is this legal?" A cheeky look passed in Julian's eyes before he shrugged, "maybe." Not an assuring answer to Kaylie, but she complied anyway. Emerging from the ladder, Kaylie found herself on what she assumed to be the roof of the building.
"What are we doing here?" Her eyes followed Julian as he walked toward the edge. He casually sat himself down just before the edge, beckoning her to follow suit. "You're crazy," Kaylie spoke from where she stood, shaking her head with a smile.
"Crazy in love, I think," he quipped, earning himself a sheepish chuckle from Kaylie. Eventually, the latter sauntered over to occupy the empty space beside him. "When I was choosing an apartment two months ago, this place stood out," he spoke without being prompted to.
Kaylie's listened quietly, her eyes fixated on his face that was dimly lit by the lights illuminating the streets below. "I didn't know why exactly," he gazed at the view before him in a manner which Kaylie found to be adoringly, "but then I came up here and it hit me."
Julian sat with his legs stretched out in front of him and his palms on the floor on either side of him. Kaylie on the contrary remained comfortable sitting cross legged beside him. He gestured to the view, finally meeting her eyes, "this view, it reminds me of home."
Hearing those words, she turned to face the view he was talking about. It hadn't occurred to her that this gorgeous ensemble of lights scattered in the horizon and brick walls spanning for miles in a beautiful pattern was of such importance to him.
The view itself gave her a feeling of tranquility, a sense of belonging. Like there was something about the view that struck a chord in her brain. "It's beautiful, Julian," she uttered softly, the corners of her lips curling upwards.
"You went to Westfälische Hochschule for university," she couldn't tell if he was asking or stating, "this would have been your view too." It was then that she realized what he was trying to do. Julian was trying to show her a slice of home.
"The university is about an eight minute drive from Gladbeck, which is where I grew up in. Which means that I assumed you would-" Kaylie interrupted by placing her hand on top of his, causing him to stop almost immediately.
"It's gorgeous," she breathed, "I would probably have been in love with this view." Julian felt accomplished, because this was exactly what he had wanted. He knew it definitely wouldn't be enough to remind her what home was. But he was willing to take those baby steps with her.
A smile graced his lips as he held her gaze.
Neither party saw it coming as he leaned forward, crashing his lips gently into hers. It was soft and slow, comforting in ways that words could never be. It was a kiss that signified trust and affection. A union of two beating hearts, separated only by the space of air between them.
Kaylie never seemed like she would pull away. Instead she drew closer to him, while his hands gingerly cupped her face as they grew deeper into the kiss.
It was a kiss of passion. Of unspoken feelings both had been harbouring for so long. Of faith and joy. Of love.
