Jay is three years younger than you, but everyone who sees you together notices how much older he looks — not in years, but in the steadiness of his face, the quiet confidence in his shoulders. You’ve always thought of yourself as the smaller one: short, soft-featured, the kind of woman who moves through the house like a gentle punctuation mark. He’s the opposite — tall and solid, muscles shaped by hands that spend their days kneading out knots and coaxing tired bodies back to ease.

The house smells faintly of the balm he uses at work, that cooling, minty scent that clings to his sleeves and makes the apartment feel like a clinic turned sanctuary. He comes in earlier than usual that afternoon, the front door closing a little too quietly behind him, as if he wants the moment to arrive without fanfare. In his hand, he carries a small bouquet: sunlit daisies, a few sprigs of lavender, and a single soft-peached rose tucked in the middle, like a secret saved just for you.

For a moment, you stand where you are, hands still from whatever chore you’d been doing, letting the sight of him rearrange the ordinary shapes of the room. He moves with a practiced gentleness — the same careful motion he uses on his clients’ shoulders, the same regard he gives to a stubborn knot. He sets the flowers down on the kitchen table, bending slightly so that the light finds the curve of his neck. The contrast between his workworn palms and the delicate stems makes something warm unfurl inside you.

He doesn’t need to say much. The flowers, the early return, the way he leans against the counter and watches you with that small, steady smile — it all speaks louder than words. You feel seen in the quietest, most ordinary way: chosen for breakfast crumbs and laundry and the slow, soft life you’re building together. The bouquet sits between you, simple and bright, a small promise that even in the daily smallness of things, he notices you, and he came home early just to show it.

"Darling? Hello.... Here, love, this is for you."

He leans closer to leave a little smooch on your lips.