The magic words

They seem to be the perfect match. But are they really?

They seem to have a happy relationship. But are they really happy together?

Lydia and Scott met a year ago and started dating 8 months ago.

Their relationship started in the most unpredictable way that no one can understand but them. We can say that they have a unique relationship. No one can completely understand why they are together, maybe that is why they still are. It’s their little secret. Their secret is the reason why it all started. Every couple has their own secret, haven’t they?

Under a sky riddled with bright stars, the charming couple has just finished eating their dinner gently prepared by Lydia. She loves cooking, but what she prefers is seeing Scott enjoying each meal she cooks with love and devour them together every night. Eating their dinner together was their ritual even if they did not live together.

“Thanks for the dinner, it was delicious as always.” He gently kisses her on her right cheek and keeps his eyes on hers a moment before saying “I love you”. Her tawny gold eyes flutter away, she can not hold his gaze anymore.

His eyes, however, wait on her for an answer but as usual, she does not respond back to those words. Instead, her lips curl into a hesitant grin.

Lydia stands up and starts clearing the table.

“Do you love me? “, Scott asks suddenly.

Her heart skips a beat. His question catches her off guard. “Uh…” She stumbles over her words.

“You never told me you love me.“

“I know…”, she trails off, “I’m just not ready yet, sorry”, She replied with trembling lips.

He looks down and takes the plates from her hands and heads to the kitchen.

He looks a bit disappointed; he has been waiting for her to say those magic words to him for a long time.

For him, saying ‘ I Love You’ is a natural way to express his feelings. It’s natural and easy to him as breathing.

However, it is not as simple for her. She has never said those words to him even after months of relationship. Why?

She may have her own way of expressing her love. People have all kinds of different loves languages.

Saying “I love you“ is not the only way to show love and affection. Some people show their love by doing kind things to others, through physical touch, by giving gifts, or by spending quality time together.

Saying “I love you“ may be tough to get out of her mouth because she needs time.

Scott fell in love with Lydia quickly and he expressed his feelings the first time without hesitation. But Lydia does not work that way.

Some people are cautious when it comes to love, and that’s not always a bad thing. When they finally say it, you know they really mean it.

It may be one of these reasons why she does not express her feelings. She may be unsure of what she really feels for him or maybe she just does not love him back, as simple as that.

The days go by; Lydia spends days thinking about her boyfriend, their relationship, and her feelings for him. Something is wrong about their relationship, they both know it but neither of them dares to say it out loud.

What is the problem? Is she the problem? Is something wrong with her? Does she love him? She keeps asking these questions to herself over and over again even if she knows the answers.

As she wakes up one morning, realization slaps her in the face. She knows what she has to do now. This relationship can not go on this way, not anymore. She has made her decision, and she is quite confident that it is the right decision. Her heart grows too heavy to hold.

She will tell him tonight.

The day begins bruising into the night. Lydia is preparing dinner, Scott is coming in any minute. The clock ticks and tocks. He usually comes at 7 o'clock. He finally comes, she is acting as usual. She does not want him to get suspicious but he seems different. Does he know what she wants to tell him? No, that is impossible. She did not tell anyone, not even her best friend whom she usually tells everything that happens in her life and asks for any advice. Thus, why is he behaving so strangely? Is it because of what happened the other day? At that moment, she realizes he did not tell him he loves her since that day. It has been a week. Are his feelings for her fading? She chases those thoughts away. It is not the time for overthinking about that, not before what she was going to tell him.

During dinner, Lydia is unable to sit still, neither is he. They do not talk much. She is clearly nervous but his behavior is weird. He usually laughs and talks non-stop. Why is he behaving this way?

Lydia clears her throat and speaks with quiet conviction. “I have something to tell you.”

She can feel her pulse getting faster and warmth spreading over her. While Scott adjusts his position on the steel, she rubs her hands together under the table. She takes a deep breath and exhales. She is ready now.

“I have been meaning to tell you that for a moment but I needed time. I love you."

She puts her hands on the table showing a ring. She fixes her gaze on him. His eyes and nose crinkle, and his teeth gnash into a grin.

He is so happy to finally hear those three magic words.

“Wait…” He puts his hand in his pocket and takes out a red box. “I was going to propose to you too”, he says with a humming voice.

Her heart is pounding fast against her chest. Her mouth is wide open. She was not expecting that at all.

“Marry me”, he says on his knee as he opens the little box between his fingers.