No Such Thing As A Hollywood Ending

chapter 27

Lucy and Henry sat at one of the corner tables in their restaurant, the warm glow of the lights casting long shadows on the walls. The place was closed for the evening, and the soft hum of the dishwasher in the back was the only sound filling the space. It had been a long but successful day, and as they sat together, they found themselves relaxing after the hustle and bustle of another busy shift.

Lucy absentmindedly played with the edge of the tablecloth, her thoughts far away as she glanced at Henry. He was leaning back in his chair, sipping on a glass of water, looking content. She smiled, feeling a sense of peace wash over her. They had come so far—not just in their relationship but in life, building something together.

After a long pause, Lucy broke the silence, her voice soft but curious. "Do you ever think about our future?"

Henry looked up, a bit surprised by the question. "Our future? What do you mean?"

"You know... like, where we'll be in a few years. What we'll be doing. Do you think..." She hesitated, biting her lip as she tried to find the right words. "Do you think we'll ever get married?"

Henry blinked, taken aback. Marriage was not something he had expected to talk about anytime soon. They were still young, still figuring things out, but the question hung in the air between them, and he knew Lucy was serious.

He considered it for a moment, leaning forward and setting his glass down on the table. "I mean, it's possible. We've been through a lot together, and we've got this whole restaurant thing going. So yeah, I think it's likely that we'll stick together long-term." He paused, glancing at her. "But... it's a bit early to be thinking about marriage, don't you think?"

Lucy chuckled softly, nodding. "Yeah, I know. It's probably way too soon. I was just... wondering, I guess."

Henry gave a small smile, appreciating her honesty. "It's not a bad thing to think about. But if we ever do decide to get married, we'd need a plan. We can't just rush into it, you know?"

Lucy tilted her head, intrigued. "A plan? What do you mean?"

"You know, like... where we'd move, how we'd handle everything that comes with being married. Are we ready to live on our own? Do we even want kids someday? Those are big decisions." Henry's voice was calm, but there was a seriousness in his tone. "We've got a lot going on right now, with the restaurant and all. I don't know if we're ready to take on that much responsibility yet."

Lucy thought about it for a moment. He was right, of course. They were still figuring things out, running a business, balancing their relationship. It felt good to talk about the future, but the reality of it all was daunting.

"I guess I never thought about all the logistics," she admitted. "It's just... sometimes I feel like we've been through so much already. Like, everything we've done together so far has made us stronger. So, maybe... one day, it wouldn't be so crazy to think about getting married."

Henry nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. We have been through a lot, and it has made us closer. But there's a lot to consider before we take that step. We'd need to make sure we're financially stable, that we're ready to be independent. And kids... I don't even know how I feel about that yet."

Lucy laughed, the tension in the conversation easing. "Yeah, me neither. One step at a time, right?"

"Exactly," Henry said with a smile. "I'm not saying we'll never get there. I'm just saying we need to be smart about it. We're building something good here, with the restaurant and our relationship. Let's not rush things."

Lucy leaned back in her chair, feeling a sense of comfort in his words. She knew he was right—there was no need to rush. They were young, and they had time to figure everything out. But it was nice to talk about it, to imagine a future where they were still together, making plans, building a life.

"I'm glad we're on the same page," she said softly, reaching across the table to take his hand.

Henry squeezed her hand gently, his smile warm and reassuring. "Me too, Lucy. We'll figure it out when the time's right."

For now, they were happy with where they were—building a future, but not in a hurry to fast-forward through it. They had plenty of time to talk about marriage, kids, and all the big things that came with growing up.