The spring morning air carried the promise of a new beginning: Scott and Rose were about to get married. The big day dawned with a clear sky and a gentle breeze that stirred the white and golden flowers adorning the church. Outside, guests chatted animatedly while violins played a melody, enveloping the atmosphere in magic.
Inside, Scott waited at the altar, hands clasped and impatience reflected on his face. His black suit was impeccable, but what truly mesmerized was the sparkle in his eyes when he saw Rose cross the entrance.
Rose slowly walked down the aisle, dazzling in her delicate fabric dress that seemed made of light. Her father accompanied her proudly, savoring every step. As she approached, Scott felt time slow down, as if the whole world paused just to admire that moment.
When Rose reached the altar, Scott took her hands tenderly and, unable to help himself, whispered:
"You're more beautiful than I ever imagined, darling."
She, with a radiant smile, replied:
"And you are the man I always dreamed of, my love…"
The priest, with a knowing smile, coughed softly, reminding them that they still had a wedding to celebrate. Emotion filled the air as the ceremony began.
When it was time for the vows, Scott took a deep breath and spoke from the heart.
"Rose, from the day you entered my life, everything changed. You brought joy, love, and a reason to be better. I promise to love you, respect you, and be by your side every step of the way, no matter the problems we face…"
Tears filled Rose's eyes, and with her voice trembling with emotion, she spoke her vows.
"Scott, you are my home, my refuge, and my greatest happiness. I promise to walk with you, hold your hand, and build a future full of love and hope together. There is no one else with whom I wish to share my life."
The priest solemnly declared:
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Scott didn't wait a second. He gently took Rose's face and kissed her with a passion that sealed their union forever. Applause and shouts of happiness filled the church, as family and friends celebrated with emotion.
The celebration continued with an exquisite banquet. The dance floor was vibrant with people, and Elizabeth, her eyes misty with tears of joy, approached her son.
"You are the luckiest man in the world, Scott. Rose is wonderful."
Scott hugged her tightly and whispered in her ear:
"I know, Mom… I know."
The wedding bustle still resonated as Scott swept Rose into his arms with a triumphant gesture. The music, laughter, and cheers of their loved ones filled the air like a magical symphony. Rose let out a melodic laugh as he easily carried her, moving along the human aisle. Flower petals flew around them, and some hats were thrown into the air in celebration.
Before entering, Scott held her by the waist, gently pulled her close, and rested his forehead against hers.
"Ready for our new adventure, darling?" he whispered sweetly.
Rose looked at him with eyes full of love and smiled.
"I've always been ready for you."
Scott caressed her cheek and kissed her forehead before opening the car door with an elegant bow.
"Your carriage awaits, my love."
Rose giggled and settled into the seat, watching him tenderly as he slid into the driver's seat.
Before starting the car, Scott took her hand and intertwined his fingers with hers.
"Are you always going to make me feel like a princess?" she asked with a sparkle in her eyes.
Scott started the car and looked at her with a serene smile.
"No, my love…" he paused, letting the silence speak for him. "Because a princess is just part of a story, and you… you are the real story I want to write every day."
With that promise sealed in the air, they started the car, driving away from the party amidst goodbyes and shouts of happiness.
Upon arriving home, the atmosphere was filled with the anticipation of their trip. Rose and Scott prepared their suitcases, each gesture a silent caress of their new intimacy. Rose carefully folded each garment, while Scott, sitting on the bed, watched her in silence, a smile on his lips.
"I could watch you do this all day," he murmured, with the serene tone of someone who treasures an unrepeatable moment.
Rose looked up, amused.
"Watch me pack clothes? Wow, how romantic."
Scott leaned slightly towards her; his eyes full of tenderness.
"It's not the clothes… it's the way you do it. As if every detail matters, as if in every movement there's a little piece of you. Your meticulousness, your care…"
Rose felt her heart beat faster. A shy smile appeared on her face as she looked into his eyes, as if his words had touched something very deep.
She approached and gently slid her fingers across his cheek, with a tenderness that seemed to envelop everything.
"You don't know how much that means to me, love…" she whispered. "Sometimes I just want someone to notice. To see me, like you do."
He took her hand and kissed her palm, closing his eyes for an instant.
"And I… I just want to keep looking at you like this. Like the first time."
They both smiled, sharing that moment of complicity that made the world feel small, just for the two of them.
Finally, with their suitcases ready and their hearts full of expectations, they held hands before leaving. The night enveloped the city in a warm whisper, and as they walked together towards the car, Scott paused for a moment.
"Rose…" he called softly.
She turned, and before she could ask, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.
"This is just the beginning," he whispered against her lips, before kissing her with the promise of a story that was just beginning.
With a smile that said it all, Rose took his hand and intertwined her fingers with his.
"I'm ready for every page of that story… as long as it's by your side."
Without letting go of their hands, they got into the car and set off on their new adventure, carrying with them the certainty that the love they shared would always be their greatest destiny.
──•─•──•✦•──•─•──•
The flight passed with whispers and soft caresses. Scott absently caressed Rose's fingers, observing every line of her skin, as if each curve told a story he wanted to memorize. She rested her head on his shoulder, closing her eyes for a moment.
"I never imagined a flight could feel like this… like we're floating in a dream," Rose whispered.
Scott gave her a warm look, a sparkle in his eyes that reflected devotion.
"It's not the flight… it's you. You're the reason everything feels light, as if the whole world is suspended in this instant just for us."
When they landed at dawn, Rose felt her heart beat faster as she recognized the destination. Her lips parted in awe, her eyes reflecting indescribable emotion.
"Scott… it's here…" her voice trembled between nostalgia and happiness.
Scott watched her with infinite tenderness, intertwining his fingers with hers.
"I always knew this place meant something to you. But what I didn't know… was how much it would mean to me to see you happy here."
Rose couldn't help but wrap her arms around him and rest her head against his chest, feeling the steady beat of his heart like the rhythm of her own refuge.
After coffee with an ocean view, they walked barefoot along the shore. Rose let the waves kiss her feet, but all she felt was the warmth of Scott's hand in hers, a connection deeper than the sand beneath their feet.
"If time stopped right now…" she murmured.
Scott squeezed her hand gently.
"I wouldn't mind being stuck in this second for the rest of my life with you, my love."
Later, they rented a paddleboard. The crystal-clear water reflected the golden evening sky. Scott, with a mischievous smile, tried to move more skillfully, but a wrong move made him lose his balance.
"Careful!" he exclaimed, just before falling backward, raising a wave that drenched her completely.
Rose blinked, feeling the water run down her skin. She stared at him, with an unreadable expression.
"Love…" Scott tried to say, but she had already plunged into the water and swam towards him with a dangerous smile.
She caught him in her arms and, instead of getting him wetter, rested her forehead on his shoulder for a brief moment.
"Do you know what the worst part of this is?" she whispered.
"That I'm cold now?" he joked, smiling.
She gently shook her head.
"That even soaked and trembling… I still want to stay here with you."
Scott remained silent, holding her gently as the waves rocked them.
When night fell, the magic continued. At a beach club lit with warm lights, Scott led her to the dance floor. He wasn't the best dancer, but he made up for it with love in every movement.
"Trust me…" he murmured, wrapping his arms around her.
Rose rested her head on his chest, listening to his firm, steady heartbeat.
"I always trust you…"
They danced slowly, as if they were the only ones in the world.
Later, they had dinner by the sea. Rose slid her hand over Scott's and caressed it with her fingertips.
"Thank you for bringing me here, darling," she whispered.
Scott held her gaze, his voice barely a murmur among the waves.
"Thank you for existing, Rose. Thank you for being my world."
She felt her heart melt, and in that moment, she knew it didn't matter where they were, as long as it was by his side.
──•─•──•✦•──•─•──•
Back at the hotel, the sun began to set, painting the sky with golden and crimson hues that reflected in the sea like tiny flashes of light. Scott sank into a book in the living room, while Rose sat on the leather sofa, an old photo album on her lap. One she hadn't opened in years. Each page smelled of aged paper and stories that still hurt. Her fingertips traced the images with a mixture of tenderness and respect. Some photos brought a smile to her face. Others, a silence.
Suddenly, a loose photograph slipped onto the carpet, as if it had decided to escape to say something. Rose picked it up without thinking... and froze. It was a gray shot, captured from the window of her old room, the one where she lived alone for the first time.
It wasn't a beautiful image. It had no light, no artistic angle. It was raw. Real. And just by seeing it, Rose felt a door open that she didn't want to cross again.
In a second, the world around her blurred. She was back there, in that cold-walled box where she heard the echoes of other people's laughter excluding her at school, the hurtful words that were etched like invisible scars. She remembered the thin mattress, the damp smell, the breakfasts made with counted coins. She remembered sleepless nights, Sundays when no one called her, the photos she took not for art but out of necessity, to prove she existed. Loneliness, a silent and constant companion.
She heard those voices again. Those from school, those from her family, those from her own head:
"You're not enough."
"You'll always be invisible."
"What's the use of trying if you're going to fail?"
She closed the album with trembling hands. She looked at the photo as if it were an open wound. What had she achieved since then? Taking photos? Pleasing clients? Getting used to surviving? And now what? Grow old peacefully beside someone who seemed to know what to do with his life?
The image didn't just show her past. It also showed her most current fears: the possibility that everything she had experienced was in vain. That Scott loved her more than she loved herself. That, perhaps, she would never feel complete. What if she was simply… failing at living?
Scott, still with the book in his hand, looked up when he felt Rose's sudden silence. He noticed her gaze lost in the void, her rigid posture. He closed the book softly and approached her, worry tinting his voice.
"My love, are you alright?" he asked softly, almost afraid of breaking something he didn't understand.
Rose blinked, coming out of her trance. She saw the genuine concern in Scott's eyes and, in an attempt to protect him from her own shadows, forced a smile, though her lips trembled slightly.
"Yes, darling, of course. Just… a little tired from the day. I'm going to rest for a moment."
She got up, hiding the photo in the album and walking towards their room. Each step was a battle between the desire to cry and the need to appear strong. She closed the door, sat on the bed, and let the tears do the work the smile couldn't.
What's the point of all this?
What was I made for? To work, to love, to grow old… and then disappear?
Am I truly living… or just functioning?
Scott watched her disappear behind the door and returned to his book, but his eyes no longer saw the letters. Unease settled in his chest. He knew Rose, he knew her smiles, and above all, he knew the truth she sometimes tried to hide. He debated whether to give her space or go after her. Should he wait? Or does she need to know I'm here, now?
While indecision gnawed at him, Rose was in her room, where she was an echo of her thoughts: silent, static, without answers. She looked at her own hands as if expecting to find a sign, a map, something. But they were just empty. Like her. She sat on the bed and allowed the crying to come. She no longer had the strength to hold it back.
Her thoughts were dark, but not false. They were the thoughts we all have sometimes, those that are not said aloud. The fear of not having a clear purpose. Of wasting time. Of not being enough for the one who loves you. Of happiness being a mirage that disappears as soon as you blink.
She hugged herself. She trembled, not from cold, but from inner loneliness. That loneliness that is not filled with company, but with meaning.
In the living room, Scott closed the book without reading another word. He remembered something: once, Rose had told him that tropical places made her happy. "Palm trees make me feel free", she had said, laughing like a child.
Then, without saying anything, Scott began to transform the hotel bathroom. He placed small green leaves he collected from the terrace. He adjusted the lights to be warm, like an eternal afternoon. He put on background music from his phone with sounds of rain and jungle. He let the shower water run, creating a soft murmur that filled the room. He found coconut-scented oils and let them permeate the air. He took some flowers from the reception arrangement and put them floating in a bowl of water. It was imperfect, improvised… but genuine.
When he was ready, he knocked on Rose's door.
"My love… can you come for a moment?"
Rose, her face still damp, looked at him bewildered. She walked with him, without asking. Upon opening the bathroom door, she froze.
Everything in her broke… and rebuilt at the same time. It was a simple gesture, yes, but it came from such a pure place… that it hurt.
She turned to him and hugged him without a word, tightly. Her tears returned, but now they were not from emptiness, but from fullness.
Scott held her. He caressed her back. And in a low, real voice, he told her in her ear:
"Life doesn't always make sense… but it does have beauty. Sometimes it's not about understanding why we're here, but about creating moments that make it worthwhile. You don't need big things, Rose. Just breathe, feel, love… and keep dreaming. There's no age for that. There's no lost time as long as you're alive."
Rose squeezed tighter. She closed her eyes. She said nothing.
She just rested her forehead against his, trembling slightly. And she smiled. Not with her lips, but with her eyes. With her soul. It was that kind of smile that only comes when someone reminds you who you are… and why it's still worth being here.
Scott held her without asking for an explanation. He didn't need one. He had understood everything.
And as the music played on, and the soft water covered the walls like an invisible caress, the world outside kept turning. With its noise, its haste, its unresolved questions. But inside that bathroom, in that imperfect scene, someone had found their place.
Sometimes you don't need answers. It's enough for someone to hug you at the exact moment and tell you, without saying it: "You still have time."
And with that… everything changes.
──•─•──•✦•──•─•──•
The next morning, they continued exploring the city. At an ice cream shop, Scott ordered the largest ice cream.
"Scott, do you really need that much ice cream?" Rose laughed.
"It's not a need…" he said, looking at her intently. "But when I like something, I want to enjoy it completely."
She felt her skin tingle under his gaze.
They walked to the boardwalk and rented bicycles. Rose pedaled with cheerful lightness, enjoying the fresh air, while Scott, with comical effort, tried to keep up.
"You're getting away!" he shouted, laughing.
"Maybe I'm just faster!" she joked.
Scott tried to catch her, but an unexpected turn made him lose his balance and fall into a bush, with a rustle of leaves and laughter. Rose ran to his side, worried.
"Are you okay? Oh, love!"
Scott looked up from the ground, a leaf in his hair, and extended his hand with a mischievous smile.
"If you give me your hand, I promise to recover faster. Only then."
She offered him her hand, and when he took it, he intertwined his fingers with hers for a moment longer than necessary, a small gesture of intimacy.
"Better?"
Scott stood up without letting go, his smile widening.
"Now yes… much better."
The nights continued to be magical. Candlelit dinners, shared laughter, and silent promises between caresses. Every moment with him was a memory etched in her soul, a love that burned like a star in the immensity of the sky, guiding them.
──•─•──•✦•──•─•──•
On the last day, the sun began to set, painting the sky with golden and reddish hues that reflected in the sea like small flashes of light. The breeze played with Rose's brown hair as the air carried the salty scent of the ocean. Scott and she lay on the warm sand, holding hands, feeling the heat of the day gradually fade.
"Rose…" Scott whispered, with a softness that only she could hear. "I've seen hundreds of sunsets in different parts of the world, but none can compare to the reflection of the light in your eyes when you look at the horizon. The most beautiful light isn't in the sky, but in your gaze, my love. That is my true sunset."
Rose felt a lump in her throat, her heart pounding. She gently squeezed Scott's hand and looked at him with emotion. Her crystalline eyes shone like stars, reflecting everything she felt at that moment.
"If I had to choose one place to stay forever…" she whispered, touching his nose with hers in a soft caress. "It would be here. Only with you."
Scott closed his eyes for an instant, as if he wanted to engrave those words in his soul. Then, without taking his hand from hers, he gently pulled her close to caress her cheek with the tenderness of someone holding something invaluable.
"If time forced me to forget everything I am and everything I know disappeared, the only thing that would remain in me would be the certainty that I once loved you, Rose. Because in you I found my second home…" he murmured, his voice barely a breath.
Rose closed her eyes for an instant, letting those words be etched deep into her soul. Then, without haste, she rested her forehead against his, feeling the warmth of his skin, the soft brush of his breath. Scott sighed, as if in that breath he carried all his love for her.
When the moon began to rise in the sky, Rose rested her head on his chest, listening to the beat of his heart, synchronizing with hers. Scott slid his fingers through her hair, as if caressing the breeze of an endless night. There, with the sun hiding behind the horizon and the stars appearing one by one, they knew, without words, that their love would last… until the end of their days, an eternal promise under the immense sky.
Later, back at the hotel, Scott wanted to make a romantic gesture and, with a mischievous smile, tried to carry her in his arms to the room.
"I'm going to carry you like in the movies, my love," he joked, winking at her.
But halfway there, he miscalculated and lost his balance a little.
"Oh, Scott! Don't drop me!" Rose cried between laughs and a slight scare.
He laughed, regaining his balance.
"I would never let go of you, Rose. Even if everything around us crumbled, even if the world forgot us… you would still be protected in my arms."
Between laughs and clumsy attempts to regain stability, they managed to reach the door. Upon entering, Rose couldn't help but laugh harder, feeling happiness fill the room. Scott gently placed her on the bed and looked at her with an intensity that seemed to stop time.
"Every day with you is a day worth remembering," he murmured, leaning down to kiss her forehead.
"And I only need one thing in this life," she replied, intertwining her fingers with his. "You. Only you."
They embraced tenderly as the night advanced and the moon covered them with its silver light. They knew that this trip was not just a getaway, but an unforgettable chapter, a canvas painted with the colors of vulnerability and the strength of a love that grew with every challenge overcome.