Talia stared at her phone for a long time before pressing "Call."
It was a quiet Sunday morning. Rain tapped against the windows, Ezra still asleep beside her, his face soft in the early light. They had spent the whole weekend together — coffee runs, flashcard battles, takeout containers littered between textbooks. It had been peaceful. Easy.
But there was a weight she hadn't let go of yet. A conversation she'd put off for far too long.
Her mother answered on the third ring.
"Talia," came the familiar, warm voice on the other end, full of sleep and concern. "Is everything alright?"
"I'm fine," she said quickly. "I just… wanted to talk. Properly."
A beat of silence. "Alright. Talk to me."
Talia stood, pacing the kitchen barefoot. She chewed her thumbnail before starting, "There's someone I want you to know about. Someone important."
"Okay…"
"His name's Ezra. We met in med school. He's kind, really kind. And smart. And… he gets me in a way that nobody else ever has."
Another pause. Then, gently, "This is the boy you didn't want to tell me about last year?"
"Yes," Talia admitted, heart thudding. "Because I was scared. Of how you'd react. Of how serious it's gotten."
Her mother's voice softened. "Talia, you've always been so careful. So guarded. If you're telling me now, that means this boy must really matter."
Talia sat down slowly. "He does. He's been through a lot. So have I. But somehow, we still fit. It's messy, and I've made mistakes, but we always come back to each other."
Silence stretched between them.
Then her mother asked, "Does he love you?"
Talia smiled. "Yes."
"And do you love him?"
"I do."
A sigh. Not exasperated. Resigned. Maybe even relieved.
"Well then," her mother said, "bring him next time you come home."
Talia blinked. "Wait, really?"
"I want to meet the boy who finally cracked my daughter's armor."
Talia laughed, tears burning in her throat. "Thank you."
"I just want you to be happy, Talia. Even if it doesn't look the way I pictured. Even if you fall. You always get back up."
She hung up a few minutes later and returned to the bedroom, slipping under the covers beside Ezra.
He stirred. "Everything okay?"
She smiled and kissed his shoulder. "Everything's more than okay."
That afternoon, while Ezra studied on the couch, Talia found something tucked into the pocket of his hoodie. A folded piece of notebook paper. The corner frayed.
Curious, she opened it.
Talia,
If you're reading this, I probably chickened out saying it out loud. But this is me trying. I want a life with you. Not just the easy parts. I want the tired nights, the burnt dinners, the arguments, the hospital shifts that leave us wordless. All of it. Because every version of life is better with you in it.
Love,
Ezra.
Her heart caught in her throat.
He hadn't said those words aloud yet. Not all at once. Not like that.
But he'd written them down, folded them quietly into a jacket she was bound to borrow, like he knew her too well.
She padded to the living room and sat beside him, sliding the letter wordlessly into his lap.
Ezra glanced at it, then at her.
"Found it, huh?"
"Did you mean it?" she asked, voice soft.
"Every word."
She leaned into him. "Then say it out loud."
He set his textbook down and turned to her, brushing a curl behind her ear.
"I want a life with you, Talia. All of it. The chaos. The quiet. Whatever comes next."
She kissed him slowly, then whispered, "Good. Because I just told my mother about you."
Ezra's eyes widened. "You what?"
Talia grinned. "You're officially in."
He laughed, wrapping his arms around her. "God help me."
And in that small apartment, surrounded by rainy windows and open hearts, two futures finally began stitching themselves together — messy, imperfect, and full of love.