Chapter 46

Three months later, Jamie had learned that love wasn’t always grand gestures and late-night passion.

Sometimes, it was Blake making coffee exactly the way Jamie liked it.
Sometimes, it was Jamie folding Blake’s shirts just the way he preferred.
Sometimes, it was quiet. Easy. Real.

And then sometimes, it was a surprise waiting inside a furniture showroom.

“I still think this is suspicious,” Jamie said, pushing open the glass door. “You’re not a spontaneous shopper. You’re a spreadsheet guy.”

Blake smirked. “Maybe I’ve changed.”

Jamie raised an eyebrow. “You planned this whole thing. There’s probably a seating flowchart in your phone right now.”

“I will neither confirm nor deny.”

They wandered through the showroom, trying out couches and judging chairs like a very stylish married couple. Jamie threw himself into a soft navy sectional and declared it “divorce-proof.” Blake called one overstuffed recliner “a cry for help.”

They laughed. They teased. They debated throw pillows with more intensity than international diplomacy.

Then they sat in a soft, modern grey sofa – low, deep, comfy, like a hug in furniture form.

Jamie sank into the corner, stretching out, watching Blake test the armrest like it was a diplomatic negotiation.

Blake turned toward him.

“So,” he said casually, “which couch would you prefer?”

Jamie shrugged. “Honestly? This one. The grey. It’s stupidly comfortable. But it’s for you, so which one do you like?”

Blake paused.

Then smiled softly.

“Actually… I was thinking it could be ours.”

Jamie blinked.

“What?”

Blake sat forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “Three months, Jamie. And somehow it feels like longer – in the best way. I miss you when you’re not there. I make two cups of coffee even when you’re not staying over. And I’ve been pretending I’m not already imagining you in every corner of my apartment.”

Jamie stared, heart hammering.

“So… what do you say? Want to move in with me?”

Jamie looked around – at the showroom, the couch, the man in front of him who made his world brighter just by existing.

And then smiled.

“I’d sit on a cardboard box if it meant coming home to you.”

Blake grinned. “Is that a yes?”

Jamie leaned in and kissed him, right there in the middle of the showroom.

“That’s a hell yes.”