The Love of a Stranger

The Wonderful Life

The sheer perfection of life right now was almost unbelievable and I wasn't sure if I was ever going to get used to it. I was constantly pinching myself thinking that this was all a dream, but it wasn't. With Dan by my side, the bakery came on well. My baking was a massive hit throughout London and the publicity was going through the roof. Not only had I been getting attention but also Dan and the new release of his album, and I had to say - as his girlfriend and as a fan - that is was absolutely amazing. His recognition became more frequent as he would simply walk through the park and about 20 people would be swarming around him, I don't think he minded, I would laugh from afar as he was surrounded in a sea of screaming fans.

A month after the opening of the bakery, Dan and I had the money to move into a larger house. It was beautiful; it was open, welcoming, homely, everything you'd ever dream of having in the perfect house. That same night we moved in, Dan had planned a surprise for me when I came home from work.
I couldn't lie but I was quite nervous, I wasn't quite sure why.

"See you later, Charlotte." I waved goodbye to my collegue, leaving her to lock up the bakery. These past few months my speech was increasingly improving at an unbelievable rate, I was no longer reluctant to speak as the mumbling and stuttering wasn't a problem anymore. It wasn't perfect but I could live with it. I walked through the streets with my earphones in place and my pace going in time with the beat. I almost forgot that we moved house and already began walking to Dan's old flat, laughing it off I set myself in the right direction. As I got closer and closer I could see that all the front living room lights were off, along with the halls lights. Slotting my keys into the door I reluctantly opened the door expecting somebody to surprisingly jump out in front of me, but nothing stood in front.
Down the hall I could see the outlining of the kitchen door as the kitchen light shown through, I assumed that was where the surprise was. Step by step I made my way towards the kitchen eager to find out what Dan had planned. The first thing I saw when I walked in was the candle-lit table where sat a pleased looking Dan.

"Oh my God." I breathed, it was simply breath-taking, the calming and romantic atmosphere had me in a state of shock. Dan arose from his chair and walked over to me, engulfing me in a heart warming hug.

"Surprise." He whispered. I simply sunk into his arms, grateful that he would something like this, and for me.

With the lights dimmed and the peaceful music setting the mood we sat together, our dinner comfortably sitting in our stomachs.

"Thank you so much Dan." I smiled.

The rest of the night consisted of us, lying on the sofa is each other's embrace in the surrounding aroma of peacefulness and years of growing old together waiting to be spent. This was going to be our lives from now on.

All because of the love of a stranger named Dan.

A/n: Well, the end. I just want to say thank you for all the support and the surprising attention this story has received ever since the first chapter. It's been a joy to write and a joy to listen to the comments I have received. I'm hopeful to continue writing more stories in the future.