“Sehun, will you finish sometime today?” I asked, already feeling irritated at his antics. “We need to visit a lot more places and you’ve been looking at a single table for an hour.”

Sehun looked up and glanced at me, squeezing his eyes, hinting that I should just wait for him more.

To my surprise he had woken up earlier than the whole town that morning and not so very gently shaken me from my sleep, whining that we had too much work to do during the day, if we still wanted to invite his grandparents over in the evening. I had quickly changed into jeans and comfortable pair of shoes and soon we were in Sehun’s car, driving around the town while I was making a simple to-do list in my notebook, so we wouldn’t forget anything.

We needed a new couch, a dining table, a couple sheets for the bedroom and maybe new curtains. Any decorations that would catch our eyes during our strolls in various shops were also welcome.

The list wasn’t very long since we’d decided we would just see what more was needed when we actually started living in our new house, so I thought we’d finish quickly, but all my hopes were very swiftly crushed by a handsome man named Oh Sehun who decided it was okay to stare at every single piece of furniture for at least ten minutes straight.

At first I found it cute since I thought maybe he just wanted everything to be perfect for his new house but after sixth shop full of similar tables and sofas my patience ball was on the edge of exploding.

“Sehun, that couch is exactly the same model as the one you saw fifteen minutes ago, if you didn’t like that one what makes you think you’ll buy this?” I asked as calmly as I could.

“Why are you so whiny today?” he looked up, brows furrowed. “If you don’t like my ways of shopping then you should just choose.” His passive aggressiveness was almost funny.

“I already chose everything like an hour ago and you also liked them, so now quickly just pay the money and let’s get out of here, I’m hungry.”

Sehun straightened up and made a face that very much reminded me of a scolded child.

“I didn’t know I was married to a witch.” He murmured.

“What was that?” I asked.

“Nothing. I’m paying, let’s go.” He quickly recovered and headed to the exit.

While Sehun swiftly swiped his card, I noticed the price on the check.

“Wait, Sehun.” I asked astonished. “Isn’t this too much for just a table and a couch?” the number on the screen was at least one unit more than expected.

“A table, a couch and a bed.” Sehun corrected me.

“A bed?” I asked. “When did you choose a bed?”

“When you were scolding me for taking too much time.” He rolled his eyes. “I decided to change the kids’ room, I’ll move the old beds in the basement and sleep there for a while. You can stay in the main bedroom.”

Move into the kids’ room?

My mind went fuzzy. I knew it was expectable, since Sehun and I hadn’t made our relationship into anything serious or official. It was just sensible that sleeping in the same bed wouldn’t be right in any sense. Why was I expecting him to stay in the same room with me? A person he had no real connection with. However strange it must have been, I still felt disappointment flow somewhere deep inside me.

“Did I make you uncomfortable?” I tried to ask in a tone that wouldn’t seem sad from the news.

“Oh, not at all.” Sehun answered as we walked out of the shop. “On the contrary, till when would you be comfortable sleeping in the same room as me? Men are gross, you know.” he chuckled and opened his car door.

You’re not gross. I wanted to say. You don’t make me uncomfortable. But I knew that would make me seem desperate. However childish it may have sounded, it was the truth.

The ride home was almost silent from my side, while Sehun seemed on one of his best moods. He the radio almost to the fullest volume and did a funny dance with his shoulders for the whole ride. His childish side didn’t fail to bring a smile to my face however sour I must have really felt on the inside.

When the furniture was delivered the sun was already setting and I had started few of the dishes for the night. No more than ten minutes later after Sehun called his grandparents, they were knocking on our door, with big smiles. Sehun’s grandmother brought a big basket of the ingredients she called essential and a very thick notebook full of recipes apparently she had received from her grandmother as well. No words could ever describe what I felt right then. This woman had accepted me as someone important enough to count as family and I didn’t know how to feel more blessed.

The evening went on quickly, I finished cooking soon with the help of my new favorite person and in just minutes our new table was already set.

“This is amazing.” Sehun’s grandpa clapped his hands together “If you’re going to invite us for dinners like this often, I’m glad you moved in here.” He chuckled.

“You’re talking as if I don’t feed you.” Grandma let out an exaggerated sigh.

“You feed me best food, honey, but it just feels better with them here, doesn’t it?” grandpa reached for her hand and rubbed her palm with his thumb. The action was so small and innocent, yet it was stronger than anything I had seen in my life. Their relationship, which had lasted for decades, was based on those little gestures I could see that. And I questioned myself would I ever be lucky to experience it too?

The evening went on calmly and only hours later I realized that my cheeks were hurting from pulling them in an ear-to-ear smile for so long. I couldn’t help it, though. The situation I was put in was the warmest one I had ever seen. And just the thought that maybe I’d feel it a lot more from then on made happy buzzes appear in my belly.

Leaving Sehun’s grandparents in a cozy conversation by the fireplace, I left the living room to clean up in the kitchen. Putting the dishes in the sink, I realized that doing chores had never been as pleasant before. Turning the tap on I put on my gloves, I started washing the plates and cutlery while humming a song I’d heard on the radio earlier.

After I was done, I turned around and closed the tap, ready to dry them off with a cloth, but almost screamed when I saw Sehun leaning on the wall next to the door, smiling a holding a glass of red wine – like a gentleman.

“You scared me so much!” I whined. “How long have you been standing here?” I pressed a palm to my chest trying to calm it down.

“For a while.” He smirked. “I didn’t know you liked to sing.” He said and walked over to lean on the counter.

“I don’t.” I slapped his arm with my towel. “I was just humming that stupid song because you made me listen to it in a car today.”

“No need to get so defensive, I liked it.” he smirked even more, and I wanted nothing more than to spill all his wine over his pretty face.

“Why did you leave your grandparents alone?” I asked, picking up a first plate to dry.

“Nah, I’m sure they have something to talk about.” He smiled and put down his glass before reaching for another cloth. To my surprise he walked up next to me and picked up a plate to clean with his towel.

Before I could even ask him about it, his voice cut through silence.

“I’m proud of you.”

Proud? He was proud of me?

“I don’t know where this came from,” he continued. “But I am saying the truth. For making them fall in love with you, for leading this dinner like a true lady, for being strong enough to live through the situation we have put ourselves in… I don’t know, for… for just being who you are. I’m proud of all this.” He finished without looking up, still diligently rubbing the dishes.

For a second I was speechless.

For a second I didn’t care that he could be a little ignorant. Or that he was often annoying to live with. I also didn’t care that we didn’t have a clean past, or that he had embarrassed me not only once. I didn’t care that he had kissed me in London and stayed the night, but woke up next day as if nothing had happened. I didn’t care that he didn’t realize how his now empty wine glass was just another dish I had to wash all over again.

I just cherished the moment when he spoke his heart’s matters and what his feelings told him to say.

Smiling to myself, I just said. “I’m proud of you too.”

 "Come on, that’s not even realistic.“ I managed to say between fits of laughter. Neither I nor Sehun were people who liked bringing attention to ourselves in the middle of the street, but neither of us could care about anything other than calming our hearts that were threatening to burst out of our chests.

We had just exited a club in the early hours of morning and I could already distinguish that pretty blue color which paints the sky before the sun comes out.

Sehun had his arm slung around my shoulder as we crossed the streets in a happily manner, marching, then slowing down and bursting into laughter every few seconds.

 "Look they have the lights on!” Sehun pointed to one of the houses on the left, which was illuminating its garden from the inside. “Why are they even awake right now? Let’s pay them a visit, come on!” Sehun pulled me after him as he tried to cross the empty street and run to the house.

 "Stop!“ I laughed as pulled on his arm, trying to stop him from embarrassing himself. "No one would be keen to see a young and very, very drunk married couple that shouldn’t even be married in the first place, knocking on their door at four in the morning. They’ll call the cops!” I tried to persuade him to come after me.

 "You’re probably right,“ Sehun blinked several times. "You’re always right, right?” he asked and then turned his head around as if observing the surroundings. “And I’m sure you know the way home, yeah?” he asked, his eyes turning wide. “I think I’m lost.”

 I laughed loudly again as he followed. If someone had told me a few months ago, that soon I would be trying to find my house, which was also Sehun’s house in the middle of the night, as drunk as ever, I would call them crazy. But here I was… and it felt refreshing… and fun. I needed fun like this in life.

 "You know, let’s just walk around and somehow we’ll get there, right?“ I asked, blinking at Sehun. "And it will be a nice walk, the weather is so, so good.” I rubbed my arms with my hands, sm