Time after time

What makes your eyes shine

Noah POV

The sun was setting over the horizon creating a golden landscape as we drove down the highway in New Mexico on our way to Boston. It was quiet outside and the open road was welcome after the traffic around Los Angeles. Elle and I decided to ride as late as possible today before stopping to eat and sleep. I didn't want us to put pressure on ourselves to make the journey as quickly as possible. Our football and soccer camps don't start before another week and we've been stressed all summer with moving and wedding preparations. As long as we were making the drive, I wanted us to be able to enjoy this road trip by reminding me of the one Elle had done with Lee that I would have wanted to take part in so much. It's not every day that we cross the country! Today was our longest day of driving and I had activities planned along the way until we arrived in Boston in 5 days.

After a bit of nostalgia when we left my parents' house, Elle quickly recovered and began to enjoy our road trip. She had rolled down her window and put her bare feet on the front of the car with her hair blowing in the wind. She looked so free with her bright eyes looking around with delight. Seeing her like this could only make my eyes shine too. I let myself admire how beautiful my wife is. I fully savored this possibility that life offered us to be able to be together and even every day. That I will be able to wake up every morning with this girl next to me, join her for dinner and fall asleep next to her at night. This prospect made me smile so much and of course, Elle noticed.
- What makes you smile so much?" She asked me with her suspicious look.
- You!" I said, looking at her briefly.
- For what?
- I told myself that I was really lucky that life gave me the chance to be able to experience this adventure with you! I so wished you would come live in Boston with me during my first year of college. I told myself during this year that I did not deserve to have this privilege. The last year has been great but I'm really looking forward to arriving at our home with my wife." I said to her, caressing her left hand which sported her engagement ring and wedding band before bringing it to my lips.
- It's weird how life can change. Yesterday, when I was with Lee in Santa Monica, there was a part of me that couldn't wait to be home. And my house is now in Boston! Our college is there, our friends are there and our life is there. But there will always be a part of me that will love LA." She said to me with a half-smile.
- Maybe we'll come back to it one day." I told her with a smile.
- It's weird to talk about this now but probably when we will talk about having kids, I'm going to want us to get closer to your parents. It certainly reassured me to have your mother close." She said to me, looking at her hands.
- It's not weird, Elle!" I said to her, twisting her wedding ring on her ring finger. "We are married and one day we are definitely going to have this discussion. I don't think we're gone to Boston forever. We'll see where life will take us once our studies are finished.
- It's a lifetime to build! And dreams to build...

We stopped a few hours later at a coffee shop for dinner since Elle seemed to be tired and hungry. And I learned the hard way that a hungry Shelly is to be avoided at all costs. We were sitting in a booth at Starbucks. Elle had a mocha coffee with cream and when she took a sip, there was cream on her nose. I burst out laughing at her usual awkwardness. It's all part of my Shelly, I wouldn't change her for anything! I ran my finger over her nose to remove the cream before placing a kiss on it. Elle also started laughing, saying to me :
- Looks like it's my lot at Starbucks.
- You wouldn't be my Shelly if you weren't a little clumsy." I said to her, letting my hand go down her cheek. "It brings sunshine to my life!
- I felt so nervous that famous time at Starbucks after prom. I was sure you were going to tell me that it was over for the two of us! When you told me that you had been admitted to Harvard it just confirmed it in my head." she said to me without really looking me in the face.

I sighed and took her hand in mine before answering :
- If I had been given the choice, Elle, I would have chosen to stay in LA for you! But, my parents were adamant, I could not refuse such an offer." I told her, remembering the feeling I had that night when my parents told me it was an offer I couldn't refuse. "When I saw you walk into the coffee shop that day, I knew I would never be able to break up with you and go to Harvard. The conclusion was clear, I had fallen madly in love with you and either I went there by trying long-distance love or I didn't go there at all!
- Would you have given up your dream for me?
- I knew then what it was like to be with you, Shelly! I think if you would have kicked me on the way, I would have been left alone. I would never have wanted a poor replacement. I was absolutely euphoric when you said you had applied to Boston, the dream of you coming to join me started to germinate.
- Your dream finally became my dream too, Noah!" she said to me, taking my left hand and intertwining our fingers, letting our wedding rings sparkle in the light. "And I think that's what becoming a couple is all about! When my things becomes our things, when my home becomes our home, when your dream becomes our dream!
- From now on we will do all this together. And I want you to know, Shelly, that your dreams will be my dreams too. It goes both ways!

With these promises in the air, we finished eating and then checked into a room for the night. When I came out of the bathroom, I found Shelly asleep on the bed. She was exhausted! I took care to put one of my T-shirts on her for the night. Then I tucked her in before lying down next to her. It didn't take long for me to fall asleep and I dreamed of : when your dreams become our dreams...