Say Hello For Me

b o n u s || the fourth question

two years later

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There's a small art studio a couple of blocks away from their new apartment. A cursive N is carved onto the front door, the workings of a structural engineer who has finally found a home for his heart. Paint splatters cover the wooden floor inside, footsteps marking some spots with stolen kisses, playful hugs, and mindless teasing. Some of the colors have found their way onto Nessa's clothes, dotting her ripped denim jeans and worn out white vans. As she locks up for the day, she's just glad she managed to keep Liam's maroon sweatshirt away from the chaos.

The walk home is around fifteen minutes on a good day. Even though Liam always offers a ride on his way to work, there's just something about walking along the streets in the city she calls home that's addicting. Maybe it's because she passes by the AskAway building whenever she decides to take the long way home. Nessa's waiting for a crosswalk sign to change when her phone starts ringing in the back pocket of her jeans.

"You haven't called me in ages." Nessa laughs, stepping onto the pavement as the sign switches to the white, walking man.

"I've missed hearing your voice," Liam says.

"You hear my voice every day, Liam. You should probably be tired of it by now."

"I've missed hearing your voice over the phone, but I could never get tired of your voice. Remember when I used to call you almost every day?"

Memories of late night phone calls, fluttering heartbeats, and anticipation flood Liam's memory as he runs around their apartment scattering rose petals on the floor. Some days he just called to hear her voice.

Candles outline a path onto their balcony that overlooks the entire city. In the distance, the sun is starting to fall beneath the horizon, leaving the sky like a mixed paint palette. He's been planning this moment for a couple of months, trying to find the right time.

"At ten o'clock," Nessa says with a grin so wide that it catches the attention of passersby. "I remember the calls well. I also remember that time when you dropped your phone in the lake and called me because of pizza toppings."

"And then you hung up on me."

"But then I bought you a pizza! Doesn't that make up for it? You're not going to hold this over me for the rest of our lives, are you?"

The way she says our lives makes Liam's heart flutter as he lights the candles, running from one to the next at an alarming fast rate. In less than ten minutes, Nessa is going to walk through that front door. He wants everything to be perfect, worthy of being painted on a canvas.

"You bought me a pizza from Papa John's," Liam reminds her, shaking his head as he blows the flame from the match in his hand.

"Pizza is pizza, Liam."

They agree to disagree, something they've both adopted in the household. The apartment they signed together is relatively small but big enough to fit both of their personalities. Their bedroom has pictures of them pinned onto the wall hiking mountain ranges, camping out in Vy's backyard, and exploring the world together. Liam's engineering models find a place wherever they can among Nessa's paintings, pieces of their lives intertwining in more ways than one.

"You know what they call it when someone orders you an entire pizza without you even asking?" Liam asks.

"What?"

"True love."

"Then how come you've never ordered me a pizza even though it's almost been three years?"