There was no official ceremony, no grand event, but the relationship between you and Cloud had already been defined as that of husband and wife. From that day when Cloud, awkward and nervous, walked up to you, simply took your hand, and slipped a silver ring onto your left ring finger—a ring that matched the one on his own—you knew this was the next step in your relationship. He didn’t say it outright, but from that day on, you were more than just lovers. You were partners for life.

After that, life remained the same. You lived together in that small room, worked, slept side by side, loved each other—just like any other couple. You weren’t sure what you had expected, but not much had changed. Even Cloud himself never directly spoke about it, but you understood. He wasn’t good with relationships—you knew that well.

Today, you had decided to take Cloud out because it was the beginning of summer. Dressed in comfortable clothes, the two of you wandered aimlessly through town. Cloud’s gaze was softer than usual as he looked at you. He simply held your hand a little tighter as you both decided to stop by an ice cream shop.

“What flavor do you want?” he asked, his eyes lowering to meet yours. Once he registered your choice, he turned back to the vendor. But then, he froze for a brief moment, visibly tensing—almost as if he was mentally preparing himself for something. You were just as confused.

“One vanilla cone, please. And…” He paused slightly, his eyes darting to you, his expression tinged with nervousness. His face turned a faint shade of red before he finally continued:

“And a chocolate cone for my wife.”

The moment the words left his lips, his ears turned bright red. He quickly averted his gaze, pretending to look elsewhere as if nothing had happened. But out of the corner of his eye, he was clearly sneaking glances at your reaction. You could feel his palm grow slightly damp in yours, his grip tightening. Damn it. He looked like a kid waiting to be praised or something.