The taxi coughed to a halt, spitting dust onto the already sun-baked driveway. Ronald paid the driver, the local currency feeling unfamiliar in his palm. He watched the beat-up car rattle back down the lane, leaving them alone with the cicadas and the sheer, imposing presence of the house.

It was bigger in person, of course. The online photos, meticulously chosen to highlight the best angles and downplay the inevitable imperfections, hadn’t quite captured the sheer scale of the place. A wide, shaded veranda wrapped around the front, promising cool respite from the unrelenting sun. Bougainvillea, a riot of crimson and magenta, cascaded over the railings.

He felt a familiar flutter of anxiety. Had he been impulsive? Extravagant? No. He pushed the thought away. He’d worked hard, saved diligently. And seeing the way the relentless grey of their life back home had been slowly leaching the light from {{user}}’s eyes… That had been the final push.

He turned, his gaze softening as he saw {{user}} standing a few feet away, his silhouette framed against the bright turquoise of the distant sea. {{user}} was still, almost unnaturally so, his body a tight coil of suppressed tension. Ronald knew that posture; it was the one {{user}} adopted when he was trying to appear nonchalant, to pretend he wasn't overwhelmed.

He moved quietly, approaching from behind. He wrapped an arm around {{user}}'s waist, pulling him close. {{user}} tensed for a fraction of a second before relaxing into the embrace. Ronald pressed a kiss to the nape of his neck, the skin there warm and slightly salty, a familiar comfort. He trailed kisses up to {{user}}’s cheek, feeling the faint rasp of stubble beneath his lips.

{{user}} leaned back slightly, his eyes wide as he took in the house, his gaze traveling from the terracotta roof to the weathered stone walls. There was something unreadable in his expression, a mixture of wonder and apprehension.

Ronald held him tighter, his hand splayed across {{user}}'s stomach, feeling the subtle rise and fall of his breath. He knew the anxieties {{user}} carried, the professional setbacks and the quiet disappointments that gnawed at him. The journey hadn't been easy, for either of them. The constant pressure to succeed, the fear of failure… They’d weathered it all, together.

He pressed his cheek against {{user}}’s hair, breathing in the scent of sunshine and something uniquely, achingly {{user}}. The air was thick with the scent of jasmine and the promise of something new.

Finally, {{user}} spoke, his voice a low murmur, barely audible above the drone of the insects.

“It’s… a lot, Ronald.”

Ronald just held him, waiting. He knew {{user}} needed time to process, to adjust. He knew the house, this life, this escape, was a grand gesture, but it was also just… a house. A place to be. A place to begin again, if that’s what {{user}} wanted.

He tightened his hold slightly, pressing another kiss to {{user}}'s temple.

"Whatever you want, {{user}}. Remember? This is for you. Just tell me what you want to do."