Chapter 15: Where Love Grows

The world felt softer here, beneath the canopy of white and blue roses. The wind carried the faintest whisper of petals brushing against each other, the scent of blooms thick in the air. It was our place—untouched by time, hidden from everything else. Here, nothing else mattered.

She walked ahead of me, her fingers trailing over the delicate petals, pausing now and then to admire a bloom. The sunlight slipped through the trees, catching in her hair, turning each strand into gold. I watched her, feeling something settle deep within me—something peaceful, something certain.

She turned, her eyes finding mine, and smiled. "It's grown," she murmured, gesturing toward the roses. "They're even more beautiful now."

I stepped closer, reaching out to touch one of the flowers. "Maybe love does that," I said. "Maybe when something is nurtured, it only becomes more beautiful."

Her gaze softened. "Is that what we're doing?"

I met her eyes, feeling the weight of every moment we had shared, of every unspoken promise lingering between us. "I think so."

She reached for my hand then, lacing her fingers through mine. We walked deeper into the garden, past the wooden home that had stood through every season, past the small library where our stories waited in silence. Everything here had a piece of us woven into it—the laughter, the stolen glances, the quiet nights beneath the stars.

She stopped near the fountain, where the water shimmered in the afternoon light. "Sometimes I wonder," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "if we'll always have this."

I squeezed her hand gently. "We will."

She looked up at me, searching for something in my face, in my words. And then, without hesitation, she rested her head against my shoulder. "Good," she breathed. "Because I don't ever want to lose this."

I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the warmth of her presence, the scent of roses, the hush of the wind settle into me. This place, this moment—it was more than just a garden. It was where love grew, where time stood still, where we belonged.