《 kisses and surprises 》

"That was perfect." Flora lay back down on the pillow with a satisfied sigh. "You're so good at this!"

Beside her, Sean leaned over to kiss her bare shoulder. "You trained me well."

She turned and smiled, squinting her eyes lazily at him. The bed sheet rubbed against her skin. "Really hope to welcome you again back soon. How would you rate your stay?"

"Well, it's cramped in there with almost no room...it's also very hot, like is your air conditioner broken? The bathroom is leaking pretty bad too." He shook his head in disapproval, and then his fake frown smoothed out. "But I'd give it a ten out of ten and I wouldn't think of staying anywhere else than Suite Florgina."

She chuckled and covered her face with one hand. "Your blend words are awful."

Sean closed his eyes, his lips tilting up into a smile. He had said before that she could wake him up anytime when she was up for it, and he hadn't seem to mind when his nap was interrupted. It was a Saturday and they could finally take their time, lie in bed and not worry about being late for work.

His cell phone beeped.

Sean sighed with his eyes still closed. "Can you check who that is and answer for me?"

It wasn't the first time he made a request like that. He didn't have a password on his phone, and he always left his email account open on his laptop too. Flora couldn't even be bothered to snoop, knowing he hid nothing from her.

She reached over for his phone on the night stand, swiped and checked. "It's just Jake sending you another funny cat video."

He groaned. "Tell him to get a life."

Flora glimpsed at the previous messages and saw it was a group chat between the three musketeers. Dylan was saying something about his kids and Jake mentioned visiting Jessica. Sean didn't respond much at all. She knew he wasn't a fan of texting and would rather meet them in person instead.

"Hey, did you tell Dill and Jake about me?" she asked.

"Not yet."

She pushed him on the shoulder lightly. "Why not? It's been two months already."

"You're going to laugh," he said, "but I'm afraid I'll jinx it."

Flora had already shared the news with everyone she knew, from Sean's sister Linda (who couldn't stop crying through the hiccups, saying she was overjoyed), to her own parents (who told her it'd better be serious because they'd just spent the past eight years trying to get over him), to the girl who did her French Manicure as well as her hairstylist. The last two didn't know the significance of her getting back with him, but at least they were kind enough to squeal over his photos.

"Can I tell them?" she asked. "I want them to hear this from us." In Flora's world, being friends meant hearing relationship status updates firsthand. She got mildly offended when she was informed too late, especially from an outside source and she had to act like she knew already.

"I don't think they care where they hear it from," Sean said, "but sure, go ahead."

Flora started typing. "Sean can't come to the phone right now," she read, her fingers moving over the screen. "This is Flora Morgan reporting live from Brooklyn, NYC."

The phone buzzed alive with notifications.

Jake: 😱😱😱😱😱😱😱😱

Jake: does this mean what I think it means

Jake: wait lemme sit down first

Dylan: are you guys a thing now!!!!!??????

"Not a thing," Flora typed. "We're in a committed relationship."

Dylan: sean you sly dog

Jake:😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😂😂😂😂

Jake: been waiting for this

Jake: is heather still single 👅

Dylan: DUDE

Jake: kidding

Jake: don't tell Jessica 🙏🙏🙏💧

Dylan: what's sean doing now 😉

Flora stole a quick glance at Sean. "Recuperating," she typed.

Jake: oh.....

Jake: ♋🍩🍌💦

Jake: oops

Dylan:make our boy happy 😈😈😈😈

"I think they approve," Flora said, setting the phone down. She snuggled back under the covers, sinking once again into Sean's arms, where it was comfortably warm. Her eyes stayed open, and as she took in the eggshell white walls around her, she thought his bedroom was quite tasteful but awfully minimalist. It was bare aside from a single closet and the bed, almost resembling a hotel room.

"What are you doing later?" Sean murmured.

"Meeting a client at five," she said. "I'll get going in a while."

He let out a soft sigh of dismay. "So soon?"

"I have to shower and change and pick out something professional-looking," she said. He didn't have the hair products she needed at his place. He didn't have a loofah or a pink mesh sponge, either.

"You know, you can leave some of your clothes and beauty products here if it makes it easier," he said. "Saves you the hassle of traveling between two places."

"It doesn't work like that," she said. "I can't just pick out a few items because I need my whole wardrobe as inspiration, then I pick out my outfit and shoes to match depending on my current mood. I also decide on my makeup accordingly."

He smiled. "Bring your whole wardrobe over here, then."

He mentioned it so casually, it took her a moment to grasp what he was suggesting. She sat up. "Are you asking me to move in?"

"Only if you want to," he said, propping himself up on one elbow as he lay on his side. "This is just a suggestion because I know you love your roommates, but even if you move in with me, you'll still have your Tuesday yoga nights and you see them every Sunday for brunch."

"They'll be sad if you never come over again, though."

"You can tell Liz and Carrie I'll be there to offer tech support anytime they need me."

"Are you sure you want this? I mean, don't you need your personal space?" she asked, even though they didn't spend that much time together now as it was. They were both busy with work, and on most days they could only squeeze in a quick half hour. If it was entirely up to her, she'd love to give up some space in exchange of time spent with him.

"I wish I could see more of you, so honestly I don't feel the need to take a breather," he said, echoing her thoughts, "but if you're worried about personal space, I think it's actually more beneficial this way. I mean whenever you get a free moment now you'd spend it on me, which I love, but if you live with me, you can plan your evenings without me and hang out with your friends and check out all the new places you want."

"And you can go to the gym...or work some more."

"Exactly. We can do our own thing, but we get to come home to each other. You know there's nothing I like more than staying home with you. That way we get the best of everything. "

"I don't want you to turn into a roommate. You'll go out with me sometime, right? I still want to see you outside the house."

"Of course. I like going out with you too," he said, and it reminded her of how cute he was whenever he acted all excited and asked where she was taking him. She liked planning dates and taking charge, and she couldn't remember why they ever fought over that anymore.

But speaking of fighting...

"You'll have nowhere to hide if we live together and we get into a fight."

"I don't need to hide," he said. "When have I ever tried to avoid you after a fight? Besides, I don't know how we can stay angry at each other if we go to bed together."

That was true. It was hard to stay mad at someone you loved when they were right next to you.

"I mean," Sean said, "I'll just handle it like a mature, reasonable adult by taking off all my clothes."

Flora chuckled. "That doesn't work anymore."

What a lie. It totally still worked.

She shifted on the bed and stroked his face. It was obviously a big step for him and she was touched. "You've already thought this through, haven't you?"

"I've wanted to ask you to move in the day we got back together," he said, "but I don't want to pressure you. You can think about it and let me know. If you're worried about rent—"

"Finance is the one thing I don't worry about."

He smiled and cupped her face with both of his hands. "Think about it, then. I know you'll drive me crazy with your constant chatter and how messy you are, but I'm willing to endure all that in exchange of waking up every morning to something that starts with a b—"

"Bacon?"

"—and ends with job."

She hit him on the shoulder. "You just can't be nice."

He chuckled and leaned in to kiss her. "I want you to move in because I love you and I want you to be the first and last thing I see everyday."

"That's more like it." Flora glanced up at the ceiling. "If I move in, can we repaint this room?"

"Anything you want."

"One more thing," she said slowly. "I need a bigger closet and places to keep my one hundred pair of shoes."

Sean narrowed his eyes, pretending to think. "Can we back up to five minutes ago? I want to rethink my proposal."

Flora laughed. "Just kidding." She leaned in and kissed him. "Darling, I have one hundred and twenty pairs of shoes."

∞

"Flora is officially moving in with me," Sean announced as he walked in the office pantry to see Fred and Melissa. "I'm buying everyone drinks after work!"

"Why?" Fred asked dryly. "To mourn your last free days on earth?"

Sean ignored his friend's lack of enthusiasm and poured himself a cup of coffee. There was a monogrammed door mat in place, the freezer was stocked with Flora's favorite ice-cream, the dining table was decorated with peonies and hydrangeas in glass vases since she loved those, and he had written a card to welcome her, because for some reason she found his letters romantic. All he needed to do was to get more closets for her and let her choose what color she wanted to paint the bedroom, and they should be all set.

"Can't you just let him be happy?" Melissa said disapprovingly to Fred. "Sometimes I think you're against all relationships."

"I'm not against relationships," Fred corrected. "A happy employee means a productive employee. I'm against people breaking up and bringing down the morale of the entire group."

"Flora and I won't break up," Sean said. "Besides, I've never brought personal affairs into the workplace." Aside from a few texts he sent her during lunch breaks, he thought he remained highly professional and Fred hadn't had any complaints.

"You better stay focused even if things start to go south," Fred said. He glanced at Melissa. "I mean you and William too."

Melissa nearly choked on her orange juice. She swallowed and shot a startled look at Sean. "You told him?"

"I knew it!" Fred snapped his fingers.

"Um, Mel, I think you just told him yourself," Sean said.

Melissa dropped her forehead into her hand.

"Don't worry, he's not allowed to fire you," Sean said.

"Do you really think you can hide this from me?" Fred sipped from his coffee calmly. "Nothing flies under my radar, Mel. I'm just deeply hurt you told Sean but not me."

"He isn't the one who keeps going on about the hazards of workplace romance," Melissa mumbled.

"As long as you keep acting like an estranged married couple around the office, you have my blessing." Fred flashed a smile before turning to Sean. "I'm more worried about you."

Sean pulled out a chair and sat down. "Why?"

"How long has it been? Two months? Three months?" Fred arched an eyebrow. "Don't you think you're rushing it?"

"I think we're eight years late," Sean said.

Melissa smiled but Fred was less than impressed. "Have you talked about what it means to move in together?" he asked. "Like is this a step towards marriage or is it a substitute for marriage?"

This is a step towards forever, Sean thought, but he kept his mouth shut. He already knew Fred would make some patronizing albeit well-meaning comment, like he was a kid that didn't know any better.

"This isn't playing house," Fred said anyway. "You need to be on the same page about important issues like marriage and kids and finances and household chores...even things like interior design."

Flora didn't want kids either, right? They were both career-driven people who were fortunate to be madly in love and wanted a future together, and that was all they wanted, right?

"I don't care about interior design," Sean said. His definition of interior design was having Flora in the house. "I'll do all the household chores and take care of the bills. I didn't ask her to move in so we could split the rent. Besides, we have a joint account already."

Fred almost spat out his coffee.

"Wow. Joint account?" Melissa asked with alarm in her voice.

Fred shook his head. "Do you know the fastest way of breaking up a couple? Have them move in together. Combine their finances. Send them off on a trip to Paris. Oh, wait..."

"Those are things that speed up the process when a couple is already doomed," Sean said. "If we're confident about the relationship, which we are, then we're only going to get closer."

Fred shrugged. He smiled sweetly. "Who's going to keep the apartment if things don't work out? You have a spectacular apartment, Seany."

"Freddie, I don't like you very much right now," Sean said. "I won't buy you a drink anymore if you keep this up."

"You're head over heels and I'm worried." Fred pointed at him with his coffee stir stick. "You don't even sound like yourself anymore with all that chirping. I half expect you to break out into a musical number every time you float into the office."

"I don't chirp," Sean said, annoyed.

"All I'm saying is, take it slow. Moving in together can kill your relationship and I don't want to see that."

"I didn't just meet Flora like two weeks ago online. We've been friends for years," Sean said. "Of course I know there will be conflicts and petty arguments after we move in. I'm not that naive. I'm nervous too and she has to give up part of her life and some independence...but do you believe you can be with someone, and you're certain that you can face anything together?"

Melissa nodded. "Absolutely. I get it."

"I'm not in that mindset where I think everything's going to be perfect," Sean said. "I don't. I just know that it'll be nothing we can't handle because breaking up isn't an option."

"Don't fuck it up," Fred said, still looking unconvinced. "I hate to be wrong but I can't wait to be proven wrong."

∞

Flora lay on the newspaper-covered bedroom floor and watched as Sean brushed over the last strip of wall with paint. Music could be heard drifting though the door, and he seemed to enjoy himself, nodding his head occasionally to the beat. She helped him paint part of the the room earlier but decided soon that it was more fun watching him do it.

When she first chose maroon as the new color,  he had agreed it was retro and said that he liked it. Now he stepped back and scrutinized his work, before taking the spot next to her and sitting down.

"All done," he said. "What do you think, baby?"

"Good job. Now we can lie together and watch paint dry like the hardcore romantics we are."

So they did. Flora thought this was strangely therapeutic and she couldn't think of anything else she'd rather do. The room was empty after he moved the bed and his single closet to the open space outside, and for days they had been sleeping among cardboard boxes and her strewn clothes and take-away food. It was a chaotic paradise.

"I gotta say..." he started slowly. "The whole room in maroon doesn't seem like such a hot idea now."

She chuckled. "Yeah. Almost feels like we're swallowed by a whale or something."

"If Janet's here, she'd try to psychoanalyze me the Freudian way and tell me I have a desire to crawl back to the womb."

Flora smiled and turned to look at him. He was sitting up, his back muscles taut against his black tee, and as if sensing her gaze, he tilted his face to her.

After all those years she still found him incredibly handsome. She felt a nice warm flutter in her stomach.

Sean leaned down and grazed her cheek with his thumb. Flora's feelings towards him were as intense as they'd always been, like a bucket of paint spilled over. It was instant, electrifying attraction. She knew it wasn't exactly the same way for him, as he was more rational and reserved, deepening his affection like adding one layer of paint cautiously over the other.

It didn't matter, because at their own pace, their love had reached the same shade of red.

"Are you nervous about this?" he asked. "Moving in with me?"

"Of course. We're going to fight over all kinds of stuff," she said. "Luckily we've had lots of practice and we're extremely good at making up."

He smiled. "Exactly. Fred said we were rushing it but I don't think so." He shifted and settled down next to her, stretching out his legs. "I know this is a big leap, but I'm all in. Do you want to talk about where we're heading with this?"

"This just feels like a natural next step. I'm not sure exactly where we'll be a few years down the line, but I know you'll be there beside me. Right?"

"Wouldn't miss it for anything," he said softly, leaning in to press a peck on her lips. Flora pulled him down by the neck, kissing him back, and they both laughed as they rolled around on the newspaper with their clothes wrinkled.

"We're not rushing," she said. "I thought we were eight years late already."

Sean hugged her close. He buried his face in her hair, circled her waist tightly, and sighed a happy, relieved sigh. Like she said something to touch him, like he felt exactly the same way.

∞

Sean surveyed the new state of his—their apartment. If he hadn't known better, he would've thought they were robbed and then went through a police search.

Clothes, shoes, magazines and beauty products were scattered everywhere. There wasn't a vanity table at their place yet and her makeup kit was on his desk, sitting beside his computer. Bottles of lotion stood around like a troop. He couldn't move the mouse without knocking a bottle of her nail polish to the floor. There were at least five bottles of shampoo in the bathroom and another six different conditioners and various other products, including cans of mousse, spray, nourishing cream and hydrating mask.

"They're for different purposes," Flora had explained. "This one is for shine, this one is for volumizing, and this is for straightening and smoothing. These other two are for rare occasions when I'm unusually dry or fuzzy."

He couldn't complain so he didn't. He loved her hair and she obviously knew what she was doing, but while her hair was in perfect condition, his living condition was rapidly getting out of control.

"Baby, can we please put some of your clothes away? Starting from this pile." Sean pointed to the nearest heap. A mountain had started to form on the sofa and there was a silk chiffon Alexander McQueen scarf nestling right on top. He hadn't been able to find anywhere to sit for days now.

She scratched her neck. "I can't just put them away. I'm leaving them out here until I figure out how to reorganize. Should I rearrange them according to color or designer?"

"Does it matter? No matter how you Florganize them, they're going to end up back on the sofa in a week."

"Fine." Flora sighed. "But I'm really tired today. Like exhausted, I-only-have-energy-to-eat kind of tired. Not really feeling my unpacking inner goddess."

"You probably smothered her with your clothes," he said.

"Do you know scientists have discovered that messiness provoke creativity? This mess is a sign of intelligence, darling boyfriend."

"Baby, come on, please. You're completely blocking everything. I can't go to the bathroom without tripping on something and I can't find any of my stuff."

"What do you need to find?" Flora smiled, tilting her head as she circled her arms around his neck. It was the most effective way to shut him up. Sean gave in to the kiss and softened immediately, wondering how he didn't get the least bit tired of kissing her after all those years.

"Maybe we can put away the shoes first?" he asked when she pulled apart, hating how nagging he sounded.

"Okay. This pile can be sorted first." She pointed. "This is the pile that I don't wear."

He raised his eyebrows. "And you bought them because...?"

"I don't wear often, I mean," Flora corrected. "Some of them are added to the collection merely for the fashion significance of them."

"Opening a museum, I understand." He glanced at the pile that she did wear, which included a dozen of identical red Ferragamo shoe boxes, all opened with the contents spilling out, because Flora could never find the one pair that she wanted so she had to go through everything.

Sean wasn't a neat freak and he thought he was prepared for this. Her bedroom in high school, her dorm in Tokyo, and her shared apartment in Tribeca all looked like different versions of this and he'd always found it sort of endearing. He thought he didn't care much about personal space and interior design, but this felt like a direct invasion when he had to be living among this mess.

There was no way they could go on like this.

∞

"I still can't believe Sean kicked me out," Flora said as she collapsed on Elizabeth's bed.

"Don't be so dramatic," Liz said. "Isn't he coming to take you home in half an hour?"

Sean had simply asked her to stay with Liz for a few days so he could tidy up the apartment, but she suspected there was more to that innocent request. "He's probably tired of living with me and he needs a breather," she said. "Otherwise why can't I stay and help him clean up?"

"I don't know," Liz said. "Could it be because if you were there, the only thing you'd be doing is each other?"

Flora forced her lips into a smile. "That's true, but I'm still a little scared he's having second thoughts."

"How about you? Do you like living with him?"

"Well, aside from the fact that I miss you and Carrie, I love living with him. We don't necessarily do stuff together...sometimes I read a magazine while he makes a business conference call, but it just feels really nice having him there in the same space, you know? Sometimes we have those small moments, like one night we binge-watched a YouTube channel together, and the other night when I couldn't fall asleep, he got up and made me food and stayed up chatting with me for two hours."

That night she had been tossing and turning on the bed, her stomach churning, when Sean mumbled with his voice thick with sleep, "You okay?"

"Just hungry," she whispered. "Didn't mean to wake you."

He mumbled a few incoherent words and turned over. Seconds later, he rolled back and sat up. "I can make you something to eat," he said as he tried to rub the sleep out of his eyes.

"No, go back to sleep."

"How about scrambled eggs on toast?"

Moments later, Flora watched with admiration as he cracked eggs expertly into a bowl before starting to whisk them, his face still full of sleep. He added a pinch of salt and pepper, then he added butter into a saucepan. As it started to bubble, she asked,

"Where did you learn to do this? You seem to really know what you're doing."

"Heather used to...shit." His eyes widened, as if the sentence startled him awake as soon as it left his tongue.

Flora felt a thud in her heart. It was the first time he accidentally mentioned her, and right then, in the tiny kitchen, she was reminded of how real Heather really was and so was the time Sean spent with her.

"Heather cooks, doesn't she?" she asked after a few seconds of awkward silence.

Sean snuck a quick glance at her and nodded. "She used to make breakfast and I learned by watching. I'm sorry, baby, it just slipped out."

"It's fine. You had two years together and you can't just erase that from your memory," she said, which was the truth. She had been trying to be understanding and not dwell on the past, while he was obviously scared of going into it, afraid that she would get upset. She realized that maybe this wasn't right, either, to avoid the subject altogether and act like Heather didn't exist.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he said, stirring the eggs gently with a spatula.

She inhaled. "Why did you break up?"

"We wanted different things." He kept his eyes on the stove, then he said, "She wanted to get married. It was very important to her, but I couldn't see myself doing that so we ended it."

"You mean see yourself marrying her...or getting married at all?"

He lifted his eyes to her, as if pleading for understanding. "I'm just...not interested in marriage. It wasn't because I was unhappy with her or that I wasn't serious about that relationship. We were both hoping the other person would change their mind, but in the end I didn't want to waste her time anymore."

Flora's stomach dropped to her toes. She got what he was saying. If Heather hadn't pressured him, he would've gladly stayed with her. She'd always suspected that Sean was the kind of guy who'd be happy with any girl, since he was tolerant, patient, and easy to get along with, and he just confirmed that he didn't end it due to an epiphany that he should be with Flora. He and Heather ended on their own. The only small comfort was that she didn't have to carry the title of a boyfriend-stealer and she was mildly relieved.

He was also implying that he didn't want to marry her, either. At this stage in life, Flora was happy with a job she loved in a city she loved with a man she loved above all else, but she wouldn't be so sure to say that this was all she'd ever want. Somewhere down the line, she thought she might want to marry him, too.

"What was it like with her?" she asked.

Sean removed the pan from the heat and slid the eggs onto buttered toast. He took her hand and led her to the dining table, carrying the plate with his other hand. She sat down, and he went back to pour her a glass of water.

While she ate, he slowly started to talk. "I don't want to lie to you, but Heather and I were...fine. At least, I thought so. We were roommates at first and after we started dating, it still felt like we were really compatible roommates. We didn't argue about anything and we stayed home all the time, which was just what I liked, and I told myself that gradually all relationships turned into friendships and the excitement changed into this...comfortable, enjoyably boring state and I was okay with it. But that was before I met you again."

Flora nodded. "I get that, but I think in the beginning there should still be passion and a sense of urgency and lots of sparks before you gradually settle into family mode. It's like you skipped a few years ahead and missed all the fun stuff. Maybe you need to go through all the...you know, shy, nervous, scalp-prickling, heart-racing stages before you can gracefully make that transition. Like you need that fuel in the beginning."

"I know that now," he said, reaching out to trace the back of her hand. "Would you believe me if I told you that when I met you again, I thought of everything you just mentioned? Honestly, you make me feel like no one ever did. I'm just...I feel so alive with you."

Flora met his gaze and wondered if she could ever get out of this heart-racing stage with him. She couldn't imagine ever not feeling this passion towards him, or ever growing accustomed to how his hand felt on hers, or even seeing him as just family. He was her best friend and partner and soul mate and lover. "I believe you," she said.

"I don't want you to think for a second that I came to New York at the right time and you just happened to be here," he said, gripping her fingers tighter. "I'm sorry I didn't act sooner, but I'm grateful things work out this way. I think of how lucky I am everyday, to be with you. I love being in love with you."

That made Flora felt a whole lot better. So what if fate played a part in their relationship? He was here now and he loved her, which was all that mattered. Besides, this was the best midnight food she'd ever tried. The eggs were creamy and fluffy while the toast was crunchy on the outside with a light, delicious crust. She wouldn't be eating this now if his past hadn't helped shape him into who he was today.

"I love being in love with you too," she said. Sean rubbed his thumb over her knuckles and it was comfortable yet full of sparks at the same time. If they both worked at this, Flora was certain they could always keep the excitement alive. They would form a solid, relaxing friendship, but they'd never be boring together.

"That was beautiful," Liz said now. After Flora finished summarizing this late night event, her roommate was practically rolling on the floor with jealousy.

"You think so too?" Flora asked. "He can't be thinking of kicking me out, right? I feel so close to him now."

"Sean wouldn't do that to you," Liz said, "but you could clean up after yourself more often. Or maybe give away more of your clothes?"

"I can do that," Flora said, although she had already given away loads of her assets and wanted to hang on to what was left of them. She was considering if she really needed two Moncler jackets (yes, yes she did) and three Acne Studios scarves (probably not) when the doorbell rang.

Sean looked happy to see the both of them. When Flora went to check if she left anything behind, he stayed in the living room and chatted easily with Liz. It was one of the things she liked about him; she never had to worry about leaving him alone with her friends or family. He got along with them. He didn't need her there as buffer and there was no awkwardness.

When she joined them, Sean thanked Liz for taking care of his girl, then he smiled at her and asked if she was ready to come home. Flora wondered when the word home had started to hold a different meaning. It was the warmth of him on the bed next to her, the sound of him taking a shower after his morning jog, the fragrance of freshly brewed coffee on the kitchen counter, his kisses before leaving for work, post-its on the refrigerator, impromptu back rubs, brown grocery bags, the taste of his toothpaste and the creaks of the hardwood floor and the lingering smell of their newly painted maroon room and the sunlight through his floor-to-ceiling windows. It was being in love with him.

When she thought of the word home, she thought of being with him doing nothing, yet somehow it was everything.

Sean was still holding her luggage for her when they reached their doorstep. He set it down on the floor and turned the key. "Close your eyes. Don't peek."

Flora felt his fingers clasped around hers. He covered her eyes with the other hand and led the way. He seemed to be pulling her all the way to the bedroom.

"Someone's horny," she teased.

"I am," he said, leaning down to brush his lips against hers. "But check this out first."

He removed the hand from her eyes.

Flora almost didn't recognize the bedroom. The walls were still maroon, but instead of the bed and the single closet, the room was transformed into what appeared to be a huge changing room. There were open closets along one side with her expensive coats and dresses neatly arranged, her designers bags were stacked on shelves, and he even placed a beige sofa and a beautiful rug that completed the look. In one corner she could see her shoe boxes, and on each one of them, he had stuck a Polaroid photo to show what was inside.

"I thought this would be easier to find the pair of shoes you're looking for," he said. "Do you like it?"

"Do I like it? You built me a walk-in closet!" Flora was barely able to keep her voice steady. It looked like her favorite place in the world, which was inside a clothing store, but it was more special than that because the Eiffel Tower he built for her was lit up. It was placed on a new vanity table and used as a jewelry rack.

With so many distractions inside, the maroon walls weren't so suffocating anymore. This was a whole new world and it was shining, shimmering and splendid. She sighed. "I want to marry this room and never come out again."

"This can be your little corner of creativity and intelligence," he said. "I know you like to come home and change into something comfortable. You can chuck your work clothes and purses on the sofa or leave new clothes out there as inspiration."

Flora used to come home and the things she wore that day would be lying all over the place, but he was kind enough to put it so nicely. Sean always claimed he wasn't romantic, but he'd gone through so much trouble just to build her a haven to contain her mess.

"This is one of the nicest things you've ever done for me...and you've done a lot."

He shrugged. "My pleasure. You didn't have enough closet space earlier."

"I was prepared to give away more of my clothes."

"No way. I feel bad enough about making you give up Liz and Carrie. I wasn't going to separate you from Ralph Lauren and Valentino too."

She took a few steps away and checked out the loft space outside. It was bright and clean, with the bed in one corner, surrounded by bookcases as room dividers. She thought it looked modern and she liked it.

She turned to him. "You're willing to give up our bedroom for this?"

"I didn't give up our bedroom. We just have a bigger bedroom now." He sat down at the edge of the bed and his lips tilted up. "Besides, I counted. It takes eight less steps to get from the door to here and you know how desperate I get when I see you."

Flora sat down next to him and rested both arms around his waist. She leaned her head on his shoulder. "Thank you. This is...I thought you were having second thoughts about living with me. I know I'm too much of a slob and it drives you crazy."

"You're not. You're just...free-spirited," he said and laughed. "Even if you are, you're my slob and I love you."

"I love you too. And I missed you. I know it's only been three nights but still."

He stroked her hair and she felt pampered. It was a good feeling. What was even better than the open closet was that he chose to work around a potential problem instead of running away or ignoring it. She felt safe and loved with him, as how homes were supposed to make one feel.

"Welcome home," he said, his voice smooth and gentle.

She nodded, swallowing back a surge of overwhelming emotion. "It's good to be back."

"Great." The edge of his eyes crinkled up. "Can we have sex now?"

∞

thank you for all the wonderfully encouraging comments I received on the last chapter. seriously, thank you, thank you so much, you made me insanely happy. hope this chapter doesn't disappoint and i love you x

i planned out the rest of the book and there will be four more chapters (three regular ones and a short bonus) and we'll officially say goodbye to sean and flora but this has been an amazing journey and i can't possibly ask for sweeter and more supportive readers. you really are the best!!

(as i was editing i noticed they kissed so. many. times. ugh but you probably know how they behave around each other already so better get used to it ;)

this chapter is dedicated to @@roselliiiiiia for the beautiful cover. thank you lovely!!