𝐍𝐅𝐋 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

⋆ ࣪. 𝐣𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐬

❝ 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐦𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐈 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐲𝐨𝐮?❞

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。

Grace's eyes widened when Jalen parked the car in the field in front of an oversized cardboard strawberry.

To the left and right are countless long aisles in a huge field where you can pick strawberries.

"We're picking our own strawberries?" Grace almost squealed as she jumped out of the car.

"Yeah," Jalen grinned as he got out of the car and walked around it to Grace.

Grace's lips had a big grin on them as she jumped up and down almost like a little kid.

Grace loved strawberries so much that she ate strawberries every day in the season when they were available and was sad every time the strawberry season ended.

"The last time I went strawberry picking was when I was six or seven," Grace babbled excitedly as Jalen grabbed two baskets and handed one to Grace for them to put their picked strawberries in.

"Then my idea for the date was a complete hit. But as a strawberry lover, the last time you went strawberry picking was with six or seven strawberries, which should shock me, right?" Her boyfriend grinned as he gently placed his hand on her back and pushed her over to the field.

Several other people were already filling their baskets in the field, so Jalen pushed Grace over to an aisle where countless strawberries were still waiting to be picked.

"No, because this is going to be another great experience and I'm glad to be doing it with you," Grace grinned, standing slightly on tiptoe to plant a kiss on Jalen's cheek.

"You're really cute," he grinned and shortly afterwards the two of them started picking strawberries.

Grace was actually the one whose strawberries ended up in her mouth rather than in her basket.

But she couldn't help it, because the strawberries were just too delicious.

-

Less than an hour later, Jalen had spread out a blanket at the edge of the field, where Grace and he had now made themselves comfortable with the full baskets of strawberries.

While Grace happily munched on all the strawberries in the field, Jalen had successfully filled Grace's basket with strawberries so that she now had a full basket too, thanks to him.

"That was one of the best dates in a long time," Grace mumbled with her mouth full as she leaned against the strong chest of her boyfriend, who wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm really glad to hear that." A proud smile spread across Jalen's lips as he rested his chin on Grace's head and looked out over the field where they had been standing picking strawberries just a few minutes ago.

"I like that we're still dating so much, even though we've been together for almost two years," Grace smiled.

And she really meant her words. In most relationships, dating often took a back seat as it somehow became commonplace to barely go on dates.

But it was different for Jalen and Grace. Every other week, the two of them went on a date and experienced things that they had either never done before or wanted to experience together.

This included skydiving, for example, which was high on Grace's list.

"I like it too," Jalen replied and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of Grace's head.

The two of them sat snuggled up close to each other while Grace occasionally popped a strawberry into Jalen's mouth.

The two of them enjoyed the closeness and warmth of each other, while the odd bird chirped in the background and made sure it wasn't quite so quiet between them.

"do you know how much I care for you?"

Jalen broke the silence at some point when Grace had pushed the baskets of strawberries to one side and placed her hand on her full belly.

Grace lifted her eyes and looked up at her boyfriend, who looked down at her in the same second and gave her a smile.

"Do you ask me that on every date?" She inquired with a grin.

Grace actually knew that it was important to Jalen that she kept hearing how much she meant to him and how much he loved her.

Jalen never skimped on compliments himself, as he thought it was never too little to shower someone with compliments.

"Now you've ruined the romance," he pouted slightly, causing Grace to laugh lightly and apologize.

"So again," Jalen began as he brushed a strand of hair out of Grace's face. "do you know how much I care for you"

"Do you?"

"Yes, Grace. You mean so much to me. I'm so glad that we met over two years ago by a stupid coincidence at the supermarket and fought over the last box of cereal...I gave in in the end, but your guilty conscience didn't agree, so you offered to share your cereal with me."

Grace and Jalen started laughing at the same time as they thought back to that moment.

"I thankfully declined, but then we went out for dinner together and then everything took its course. I couldn't stop thinking about you. Then we started dating and I fell more and more in love with you until I was completely overwhelmed and at some point I confessed my feelings to you. And luckily you returned it. And now I'm sitting here. Not only with the woman I love, but also with my best friend. Because no one understands me better than you, Gracie."

A wide grin formed on Grace's lips, while her cheeks turned slightly red and tears gathered in her eyes.

"You're the best thing that could have happened to me, Grace. I love you more than anything and can't imagine a day without you. You mean everything to me."

Jalen leaned down to Grace so that their lips hovered a few inches apart.

"You mean everything to me too, Jalen," Grace almost whispered against his lips before she closed the distance and kissed him.