Delayed Love

The house was quiet, wrapped in the kind of peaceful silence that comes when the world outside has gone to sleep. Tristan had been in bed for hours, and now, it was just Ava and I, sitting together on the couch, the low hum of the TV in the background. We weren’t watching it, though. Instead, we were both lost in thought, letting the quiet moments stretch between us, filled with all the things unsaid.

I stole a glance at her, the way she leaned against the couch, her legs tucked beneath her, a soft, relaxed smile playing on her lips. Her hair, long and loose, fell in soft waves around her shoulders. She looked at peace, something I hadn’t seen in a long time. Not since the days when we were just friends, long before things had gotten complicated.

I still couldn’t believe it sometimes; how we’d ended up here. Living together for seven years, raising her son like he was mine, all while keeping my feelings buried deep inside. Four years. Four long years since I’d realized I was in love w