Chapter 6

Days went by... it was Saturday morning, Liz wasn't going to the office; she had arranged to go out with Henry. They had been dating for 3 months now and had planned to spend the day together. She wanted to get ready because she didn't know what he had planned. He only mentioned taking her to lunch at a special place. She was already excited as she waited for him at her home.

Henry arrived at Liz's house just as she was finishing getting ready. She opened the door for him, greeted him, and said she was almost ready. "You look beautiful!" he exclaimed, enchanted by her beauty. She smiled and replied, "You look very elegant too, Mr. Henry Carl. Can I know where we're going?" "We're going to have lunch at a restaurant owned by a chef friend of mine. I've wanted to take you there for a while. Just grab your purse, and we can go."

Affectionate as always, he took her hand, and they set off for the lunch he had kept secret. "Are you going to tell me where we're having lunch now?" Liz asked eagerly. "We're almost there. Don't be impatient," he teased Liz, smiling warmly as he held her hand and gently touched her face. Occasionally, he took his attention off the road to look at Liz. "I still can't believe you're my girlfriend," he said. She gave him a beautiful smile and touched his hand. "Here we are. Henry, what a beautiful place! How did you find this place?" "I've been here only once before and said I would come here someday with my girlfriend, which is you. I've dreamed of bringing you here. That day has come. I hope you like it." "I already love it, Henry! You always surprise me. You'll spoil me," she said. "First flowers in the morning, now this perfect lunch at a restaurant you've reserved for us. I think you didn't want to be seen with me; you're quite popular with women..." "Don't say that. I want everyone to know I'm a taken man. But today, I just wanted to be with you. Because I need to give you something." "What?" Liz asked, surprised.

He handed her a small box. "What's this, Henry?" she asked. "Open it," he replied.

"What a beautiful ring, Henry! Today marks our 3-month anniversary, and you wanted to give me this gift. You send me flowers every day, breakfast baskets... I feel like I don't deserve all that you do for me." "This is a promise ring. Now you're officially my girlfriend. When we're ready to meet our families, we'll choose an engagement ring together." "Henry, you're so kind, and I hope I can reciprocate all this love." "Aren't you going to put it on my finger?" Liz asked. "Of course," he said. "But what about your ring? You should wear one too." "Ah, yes, I have it with me. I thought you wouldn't want me to wear it. I want everyone to know you're mine now," he said. "Yes, I'm all yours. Let me put it on your finger too. There, now everything's perfect. Let's take a photo to capture this moment. The waiter will take it for us," he said as the waiter took their picture and left them alone.

"Can I kiss my girlfriend now?" Henry asked. "Of course," Liz replied, and they kissed passionately.

"Henry, you make me so happy that I'm afraid something bad will happen," Liz said. "I want to make you happy too. I'm already very happy with you by my side, and nothing bad will happen. I've waited a long time for you, and now we'll always be together. I can't stand being apart from you anymore." "I love you too, Henry. But I also want to give you a gift for our 3-month anniversary. Let me tell you a secret: on our first month of dating, I prepared a dinner to celebrate together. You were traveling and couldn't make it on the day, and I was so disappointed. On the second month, I planned a surprise, but it didn't work out. This time, you've surprised me so beautifully that I feel like crying." "Don't cry. Let me tell you a secret too: Penne, your good friend, told me that if I ever made you sad, she wouldn't like what she'd do to me. Is that why you made plans with me today, Mr. Henry?" "No, I just realized I need to prioritize what's most important in my life. Today, I just wanted to spend the day with you." "That's great. I didn't want to be anywhere else either. And you've taken care of every detail. Thank you for this perfect day. I loved the ring you chose for us." "Thank you for accepting to wear it. I was afraid you wouldn't. Why wouldn't I? I want every man who looks at you to know you already have a boyfriend." "I'm glad you think that way. The same goes for you. As if you needed it. I only have eyes for you, Liz." "What a coincidence. I only have eyes for you too. Let's take a walk now, and then I want to take you home. There are people wanting to see you." "Is that serious?" "Yes, my parents are only asking for that. And you already know them, so it's not news." "It is news, before when we gathered at your house, which is in the same garden as your parents' house, we were just good friends. We're still good friends, but now we're more than friends, we're dating."

"Okay, today I'll do whatever you want, even though the boyfriend meets the girlfriend's family first," Liz said, laughing, which Henry took seriously. "It's true, we need to plan a dinner with our families. You know mine doesn't live here, remember?" "Yes. So let's check our schedule and make it a priority now. Shall we go?" "Yes, let's go."

"I was thinking, should we keep our rings? Won't your parents think we're moving too fast? We haven't even been here as your girlfriend before and now we're wearing promise rings?" "Don't worry about that. No one will notice anything. You're already part of the family. How many years have we known each other? My mom loves you. She says you're like the daughter she never had. Remember how she used to say that to you?" "It's true. I don't know why I'm nervous. Don't leave me alone, please." "It's okay. Finally, we're here."

Henry got out of the car, opened the door for Liz, hugged her, and noticed her hands were cold. He kissed her and told her to relax. When they heard the car approaching, Henry's mother, who was sitting in the garden, got up and came to greet them. Henry had already planned their entire day. "Welcome to our home, Liz. You've been absent, but now you're here with us. I'm happy to have you in our home. I know you work a lot, just like our son, and we hardly see each other, even though we live in separate gardens." Liz replied, "I'm also glad to see you again. I've been working a lot lately, so I haven't had much free time. But it's good to be here too. Let's go inside; your dad is in his office. I'll let him know you've arrived. Make yourself at home. Come in. Would you like some water?" "Yes, please. Thank you."

"Hello, young Liz. It's great to see you here again. It's been a long time since we last met. But from now on, I want to see you here more often. After all, now that our son has decided and found the courage to tell us what he had hidden for so long, both his mother and I are very happy. Welcome to our family." "Thank you. And this beautiful ring?" Henry's mother asked Liz. "It's a promise ring," Henry replied. "Today marks our 3-month anniversary, and Liz accepted this gift from both of us." "You two will be very happy. You have our blessing. We've prepared a little snack to celebrate," she said, taking Liz's hand and leading her to the living room, while Henry followed with his father.

It was a very pleasant afternoon. "I enjoyed being with you all. I promise I'll come more often," Liz said. "We'll be waiting. You're always welcome in our home," Henry's mother replied, bidding Liz farewell with a warm hug, and his father also said goodbye, embracing her. "See you soon." Henry held Liz's hand, they got into the car, and left. Dropping Liz off at home, he said he wouldn't come in; he would stop by the office to pick up some papers and then go home. "Do you want to do something tonight?" Liz said she would see and call him. "I'll wait then. Today was very special, and my parents were also very happy. They were eager to see you. I said I'd bring you as soon as possible. But see you later." This time, Liz hugged and kissed her boyfriend. "I love you so much, Henry. See you later." And she went inside.

Penne was already waiting for Liz, who had disappeared all day, wanting to know the news. "I want to know everything. Henry took me to lunch at a perfect restaurant, a beautiful place where the chef is his friend, and he closed the place just for the two of us. Look what he gave me," Liz said, showing her finger to her friend, who immediately noticed the beautiful ring. "Are you engaged?" she asked, excitedly. "No... It's just a promise ring. Then we went to his house, had lunch with his parents. It was a very special day. I hope we're not moving too fast. Henry says he loves me a lot and has wanted me to be his girlfriend for a long time. And both of us just formed our team at work. I think I should be more focused on work." "Liz, you can balance your professional and personal life. You were so determined. I haven't seen your eyes sparkle like this in a long time, my friend. I'm very happy for you. He's the right person for you, as I always said. You two look beautiful together. Just be careful with Piter and Zoe. Why are you saying that?" Liz asked, concerned. "Piter said he hasn't given up on winning you over. We know him well; we know how he behaves when he wants something..." Liz interrupted, "He won't do anything. We're friends, and I don't think he'd do anything to make me sad just to disrupt my relationship with Henry." "I hope you're right... I hope so too."