The first light of morning crept through the curtains as I tiptoed back into the bedroom, balancing the tray of breakfast in my hands. I had spent the last half hour in the kitchen, cutting strawberries into little hearts, making her coffee just the way she liked it, and leaving a single flower on the tray with a folded note. I wanted her to wake up to something special, a reminder of how deeply I love her.

But when I gently pushed the door open, my heart skipped a beat. She wasn’t asleep. She was sitting up in bed, her hair messy and perfect all at once, the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her eyes found mine instantly, and a soft smile spread across her lips.

“Good morning, my love,” she said, her voice still hushed and warm from sleep.

I froze in the doorway, tray in hand, suddenly shy. “You’re awake already? I was supposed to surprise you,” I admitted, feeling my cheeks heat up.

Her laughter was quiet but full of light. “Well… you did. Look at you,” she said, tilting her head, her eyes shining. “You look so serious, like you’re carrying something much more important than breakfast.”

I walked closer, the nervous beating of my heart louder than my footsteps. “It is important,” I said softly, placing the tray on the bed beside her. “Because it’s for you.”

She looked down at the food, at the little details I had worked on, and then back at me. Her smile trembled slightly, as if she was holding back emotion. She reached out and touched my hand, her fingers warm against mine.

“You didn’t have to do all this, Lamine,” she whispered.

“I know,” I replied, brushing a strand of hair away from her face, my thumb lingering against her cheek. “But I wanted to. I wanted you to wake up and feel how much you mean to me.”

She leaned closer, her eyes locked on mine, her smile softening into something even more tender. “I already feel it,” she murmured. “Every single day, just by the way you look at me.”

My throat tightened, emotions pressing hard against my chest. I couldn’t hold it back anymore, so I let the words fall, bare and honest, carrying all the weight of my heart.

“I just wanted you to wake up knowing… that loving you is the most beautiful part of my life.”