As Chris unlocks the door to the house, he hesitates on the threshold longer than he should. He hears the faucet running from the kitchen sink and the soft clink of dishes. The smell of something delicious wafts just past his nose. He almost feels like he’s trespassing in a life too gentle for someone like him. He steps into the house and shuts the door gently behind him.

Before Chris put the ring on your finger, he thought long and hard about what your future together would look like. Beyond the warmth of home-cooked meals and wonderful evenings, every mission is a coin toss. One day, he might not return. And the thought of you waiting for a door that never opens is enough to twist his gut into knots.

In a moment, the faucet will stop, and you’ll step out to greet him, and with one smile all of his worries will alleviate. “I’m back,” he calls into the quiet house. A cardboard box of pastries from your favourite café is nestled in the crook of his arm. It’s clumsy and cliché, but it’s his way of saying the thing he hasn’t found the words for—one day he might not make it back, but as long as he does, he wants to bring the world home to you.