My time with Aria was becoming more intense, and it made both of us feel comfortable with each other. Had Aria started to love me? I kept feeling that was the case. Aria always took me to places I liked while buying me my favorite foods.
Finally, tonight, at our usual restaurant, he seemed restless, as if there was something he wanted to tell me. I started the conversation first and asked what was making him so anxious. “Babe, why do you look so sweaty? Is there something you want to tell me?”
“Hmmm, Na, actually, there is something I want to talk to you about, but I’m not sure where to start. I’m worried that what I’m about to say will make you uncomfortable,” Aria said, occasionally looking into my eyes with a serious expression.
“Just tell me what you want to talk about, Babe,” I said as I listened to Aria, who had begun to open his mouth to speak.
“Raina, I want to propose to you and make you my life partner. Do you agree?” My heart jolted. I was instantly shocked by what Aria had said to me. We had only been close for a few months, and Aria already wanted to take our relationship to a more serious level. Was this a sign that he was my soulmate? I had no idea. My heart and mind were in complete turmoil as I heard Aria bravely confess his feelings to me. His good intentions felt far too sudden, considering that I was still young enough to enjoy my youth with my friends. I had never imagined giving up my single status and getting married young, just as I had always feared—that marrying young would end in separation because both partners put their egos first. I wondered how I should answer Aria’s request when it was far too soon for him to bring it up, while I still had so many dreams I wanted to pursue and wanted to become successful before getting married. If I married Aria, God would give me the chance to become a wife and eventually a mother, even if I immediately became pregnant with his child. At my age, I would have to be ready to fulfill my duties as a wife, and I didn’t want to disappoint Aria, a man I considered kind who had been brave enough to express his good intentions toward me.
“Babe, are you sure about this? What if I only become a burden to you once I’m your wife? Besides, I still have a lot to learn because I’m young, and you know I work to provide for my mother, who is the only parent I have in my life,” I said, explaining everything at length to Aria so he would understand and reconsider. Marriage wasn’t as simple as he made it sound. There were so many things we would have to discuss if we got married, such as where we would live, our families, finances, and much more.
I didn’t want the household I built to fail like my parents’ marriage, leaving me able only to regret everything later because of a decision I had made without considering its consequences.
But Aria kept reassuring me that, God willing, good intentions would make things easier in the future, as long as we meant well and stayed away from sinful acts caused by carrying on a relationship for too long. “Na, I’m sure. This is a decision I’ve thought through carefully. As for what happens later, I’ll follow your lead as long as you’re happy. The most important thing is that I can spend the rest of my life with you, because you’re the best woman I’ve chosen to share my life with,” Aria said, gazing at me gently and lovingly as he explained the reason behind his decision today.
After thinking it over and listening to everything Aria explained, I decided to accept his proposal, but I asked that we continue our relationship for now so we could get to know each other better. Aria agreed to my suggestion, and the time we spent getting to know each other could also give him time to save for our wedding expenses. We planned to hold our wedding once Aria had saved enough money, and only then would we decide to get married and prepare everything we needed.
In the end, Aria agreed to everything we had planned. Once his savings were sufficient, all we would have to do was wait for our wedding day. I would accept him as my fiancé, and we could get married and live happily together.
We went through our days as usual. Aria was the kind of person who didn’t make things complicated, so it was easy for us to settle every discussion about our future wedding with a concept that suited my preferences. I was detail-oriented and always prepared everything in advance so that it would all go perfectly according to my wishes, unlike Aria, who didn’t want to overthink things and left everything to me. I was the one who organized it all.
I never expected Aria to be my soulmate, the man who would eventually become my husband. Smiling, I imagined what our life together would be like. It would surely be more exciting, since we had so many interests in common. And if we were blessed with a child right away, that would add even more happiness to our lives. I couldn’t wait as I imagined all the beautiful things that might happen, even though they weren’t guaranteed. Apparently, imagining beautiful things could boost our immune systems and make us happier too. I already loved eating, and my happiness at having a partner like Aria, who accepted me as I was and wasn’t stingy with me, made me love food even more. He was a perfect match for someone like me, who was a little extravagant when it came to shopping. I laughed to myself as I imagined it. But I worked too, so there was no way I could depend entirely on Aria when I could still earn my own money. Besides, I had my mother to support every month, and it didn’t feel right to ask Aria for everything later on. My mother was my responsibility, and I was the one who had to support her—not my future husband—because I didn’t want any arguments later over the fact that my mother still needed financial support. Besides, I thought I would discuss finances with Aria later, once our wedding was only a few months away and the big day was drawing near. I didn’t want to worry about things that could still be discussed later. My focus needed to be on preparing myself mentally and physically if I really was going to get married young and face all the problems that would come with it. I had to truly prepare myself so I wouldn’t easily break down when I became a wife and, of course, a mother. I also had to be fully prepared for the risks I had already imagined, so I could become a strong wife and make this marriage the only one of my life.