The city was quiet, wrapped in a blanket of soft darkness and streetlights that glowed like warm stars. The sidewalks were still a little warm from the summer day, and the faint hum of distant traffic echoed through the night. James, now 19, walked slowly beside Grace Mulgrew, his girlfriend, their hands gently intertwined as they strolled through a quiet Melbourne neighborhood.

Neither of them spoke at first. They didn’t need to. The kind of silence they shared was the easy kind—the kind you only get with someone who knows you, all of you, and loves you anyway.

Grace wore an oversized hoodie and bike shorts, her hair pulled back, no makeup, just glowing naturally under the streetlights. She looked over at James and smiled softly.

“This is my favorite kind of night,” she said. “No cameras. No planning. Just us.”

James looked at her, his thumb tracing circles on her hand. “Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more calm. Just walking with you feels like the world slows down.”

They passed a closed café and a row of quiet houses, the city beginning to sleep as the stars peeked through the clouds.

Grace nudged him with her shoulder. “Do you remember when we first started dating? You were so nervous.”

“I still am,” James laughed. “You’re Grace Mulgrew. You have two YouTube channels, a million followers, and you could’ve dated anyone.”

She stopped walking and looked at him seriously. “And I chose you. Not because of who I could’ve dated… but because of who you are when the cameras aren’t rolling. You’ve always seen me, James. Not just the YouTuber.”

He looked at her, heart full. “I love you. Like, more than I’ve ever said out loud.”

Grace smiled, stepping closer. “Then say it again.”

“I love you.”

She wrapped her arms around him, and they stood like that for a while, in the middle of the quiet street, where the only sound was the wind brushing past the trees.

Eventually, they continued walking, her head resting gently on his shoulder, their steps in sync.