She positioned herself between my legs and rested her fingers against my lips. ’Shhh, I know, but I’m here, I’m not going anywhere.’ Her thumb traced a tender path along the contours of my lips, before she moistened hers and kissed me, like she did in recent months over and over again, as to prove that she wasn’t going anywhere. ’I was thinking,’ A mischievous glint flickered in her eyes as she pulled back slightly, biting her bottom lip with a seductive playfulness. ’I was thinking in a couple of weeks the shooting is done. So maybe we could go on a holiday, somewhere sunny, the beach, just you and me, sexy and in love.’ Her voice, a sultry whisper, carried a promise that made my heart race.

I took her hand again as we continued our stroll. ’You mean like, having long dinners at a restaurant at the beach and then later holding hands while strolling the beach barefoot, I could whisper sweet nothings in your ear and look at you while you watch the sunset and make love till the sun comes up.’

’You’re such a romantic, but yeah that’s exactly what I had in mind. I want to start making new memories.’ She planted a kiss on my shoulder as we rounded the corner and entered our street.

We stepped into the bar, its once lively atmosphere now a faded memory. I could almost hear the echoes of merry laughter and clinking glasses and the stories that were exchanged. The tables and the plush velvet couches were gone, the walls bare. Soon, the clamor of construction workers would fill the air, their skilled hands breathing new life into the aged establishment. It would be a gallery, for young and upcoming artists with my name on the front. Honoring both the past and sowing seeds for the future, Tina had said.

I picked up a bottle of wine that Paul had left behind, and we settled onto the floor, leaning our backs against the bar. I gazed at her; the dark circles had vanished, and a faint color graced her cheeks. ”Are you okay?” I asked.

’I’m getting there,’ she responded, a smile gracing her lips, ’I want to try again, not now, but soon, when we’re both ok.’

’Tee, I…’ I stammered, a mixture of nervous excitement causing my palms to sweat and my breath to turn shallow. Uncertainty weighed heavily on my chest, like an invisible force threatening to pull me back from the edge of this daring leap. Doubts and fears swirled within my mind, casting shadows over the glow of anticipation. Yet, amidst the chaos of my racing thoughts, an undeniable surge of joy welled up from deep within. It was as if a beacon of happiness pierced through the storm, illuminating the path ahead with a brilliant, iridescent light.

’I understand; I know everything,’ she said taking my hand her fingers tracing the contours of my wedding ring. ’But it will be okay. Nothing bad will happen.’

’How can you be so sure? How do you know?’ I asked, dazed by her audacity.

She held my gaze and smiled, ’Because I have you,’ she whispered, her eyes, on the verge of fiery amber. ’You still want to have a child with me, right?’

Taking a deep breath, I took the plunge, as if my feet had left solid ground and my heart soared with joy. ’I do,’ I declared, cupping her face in my hands and covering it with a multitude of butterfly kisses. ’I do, I do, I do.’

Laughter bubbled between us, carrying shared secrets, whispered dreams and tears of happiness as we made love on the wooden floor.