Connection

The future is not something we enter, is something we create

"I can't believe it is my last day here," Perrie said sadly. "It went by so fast." She tried to savour every moment, every sound, every scent, as if she could keep it in her heart forever.

I pulled Perrie into a tight embrace, not wanting to let her go. "I know babe. I will miss you so, so much" I said, squeezing her tighter. We stayed like that for a few moments until she finally pulled away.

"I wish we could stay together forever" Perrie whispered, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I know" I replied, wiping away her tears. "But we'll make it work, no matter what."

With that, we shared a passionate kiss, clinging to each other as if it was the last time we would ever see each other. We both knew that our time apart would be hard. With each kiss and hug, we silently promised each other that — no matter what — we would remain in each other's hearts and minds until we could be together once again.

"I actually want to ask you something. You mentioned that you wanted to do your masters abroad, right?"

"Yes" I nodded.

"So I thought that maybe you could do it in Italy, there are plenty of good art universities there, and we could live together. You don't have to of course, like you could live somewhere else..."

I cut her rambling by replying, "I would love nothing more than to live with you"

Perrie's face lit up with joy as I said those words. She couldn't believe that I was so willing to move across the world for her. "Really? You'd do that?" she asked, her eyes wide with surprise and elation.

"Of course," I replied, smiling at her reaction. "I want nothing more than to be with you. Wherever you are, that's where I want to be too."

Perrie threw her arms around me in an excited hug. "This is going to be great" she said, a huge smile on her face. We parted ways and Perrie opened her laptop and pulled up a house project she was working on. "I want to show you something" she said, pointing to the screen.

"So...you remember I told you I was moving, right?"

"Of course babe" I nodded.

"So, this is our house. Since you'll live there too, I want your opinion and input on everything" she said showing me the 3D model she created. Perrie went on to explain what she had already started planning for our future together—the furnishings, the decorating. "I can't wait until we get there" she said, her eyes twinkling with excitement and anticipation.

Her enthusiasm was contagious—I could hardly contain my own excitement as we talked about our future home. I wanted nothing more than to be by Perrie's side as we created a life together in Italy. I knew it would be beautiful because Perrie was so immensely talented, but I had no idea that she was capable of designing my exact dream home without even knowing.

Perrie had designed an incredible home—it was industrial in style, with rugged metal accents and concrete, but it was also full of warmth and cosiness and details in wood. The bedroom she had in mind was spacious and airy, with lots of natural light streaming in from the windows. The living room area was inviting, with plush sofas and armchairs arranged around a large fireplace and with glass doors to the garden.

The garden she had planned out was absolutely stunning—with winding pathways leading through lush green lawns to a beautiful pool surrounded by colourful wildflowers. We would have a gazebo and outdoor kitchen, so we could spend more time outside enjoying the sunshine.

She even thought to include one of my favourite things—a reading corner! The library she drew up for us had cosy seating areas where we could curl up with a book.

We hugged each other tightly as we looked over Perrie's plans for our future home. It felt like a dream come true—all of my hopes and dreams were coming together right before my eyes. As long as I had her by my side, nothing else seemed to matter.

"Baby, this is absolutely perfect. This is like exactly the house I dreamed." we both got emotional looking at the house with tears in my eyes, I took Perrie's hand and said, "I can't believe how lucky I am to have you in my life. You truly are the best thing that ever happened to me."

"And you are the best thing that ever happened to me" she replied, squeezing my hand.

As we looked at the plans together, we could already picture ourselves living in that beautiful home. It would be our sanctuary, our safe haven, and our happy place. It would be the place where we would make memories that would last a lifetime.

I leaned in and kissed her passionately, our bodies entwined. Our minds lost in each other as we both felt the intensity of our love grow stronger. Then we both knew that no matter what life threw our way, our love would stay strong, and we would always make it through.

At the airport, we prepared to say our final goodbye, we knew that no matter what, we would always have each other. We promised to stay in touch, video call each other every day, and to never let distance come between us. We said our final goodbyes, knowing that this wasn't really goodbye at all—it was just the beginning of a new chapter in our lives.

As I watched Perrie's plane take off into the sky, I knew that I had made the right decision agreeing to move to Italy, it was scary and daunting, but I knew that it was worth it.

A year later, I found myself standing in line for my one way flight to Italy. After all this time sorting paperwork and studying Italian, I managed to get a scholarship at IED Milano. I was finally ready to start my life with Perrie.