Every drive the couple had had together since Denise found out they were going to an Ed Sheeran concert was more of an opportunity to jam rather than a method to get from Point A to Point B. Currently as Chris drove them to a location he had yet to disclose to Denise, they were belting their lungs out to 'Castle On the Hill' in preparation for their concert tomorrow. It seemed logical for Denise to assume they were heading back to his mother's place, for where else would they have gone? But for the second time that year, Chris was taking her to yet another surprise.

There had been multiple discussions had about their future, plans made that she didn't expect him to execute so early in the relationship. But since he bought her ring, he'd been on a collector's journey to attain everything they needed to achieve the life they were both striving for. A year ago they had completely different lives, each living on their own planet circulating its own orbit. Today they had found their perfect half with the intention to live out the rest of their existence together. Everything was looking up for them, they'd sailed out of the storm and were on the brink of watching the sun rise above the beautiful horizon.

Over the next few years, there were several milestones they were eagerly waiting to mark off their calendar. 'Avengers: Infinity War' was wrapping up in December, bringing Chris home to Denise. His Marvel contract was officially coming to an end with no news of signing a new one at the current point in time. Her graduation was slowly but surely arriving on the 8th of June 2019, she'd then take her indescribable talent and join the big leagues. He'd move out from Captain America's limelight and gain recognition for his talent rather than his most popular role, if he could dabble in directing again he'd be ecstatic. There were plenty to come, but the milestone they were most eager for was the end of their long engagement and the beginning of their lifelong marriage. It was still a little ways away, the fact she was still living in her apartment charted a timeline.

Basically after Denise's graduation was when everything was going to come together for them, a decision had been made for her to move out of her apartment and move in with Chris after she graduated. Moving in together was the easy part, deciding where they were going to live location wise was a little trickier. It was an unanimous agreement Los Angeles was the smarter option as it was where their jobs would have them the most. That was if Denise became a success in Hollywood, she was still unsure though Chris assured her she would. But there was also the want to fulfill what she wrote and move back to Chris' hometown because that was his eventual. He'd said numerous times Boston was where he wanted to raise his family, and she was more than happy to comply because he was her family now. Anywhere he went would become home for her. She'd promised him that which was why he went behind her back with his big and amazing surprise without fear she'd be upset with him.

Chris' car pulled to a stop and Denise looked out the window, furrowing her brows. "This isn't your mom's, where are we?" She quizzed as she turned to him. The smile he had on his face worried her slightly as it was a smile she'd seen before. "Why are you smiling like that?" She asked with a chuckle. "Chris!" She laughed and gently slapped his arm when his smile turned into a smirk. "What is going on, what are we doing here?"

"No reason." He feigned innocence as his hand reached over and into the glove box, pulling out two keychains each with a single silver key dangling from the hoop. "I just thought you'd want to see our future home." Denise's lips parted in awe when Chris held up one for her that had a 'Mrs.' Minnie Mouse keychain, whereas his was a 'Mr.' Mickey Mouse one.

"Is this some kind of a joke?"

"Nope," he shook his head, jiggling her key in front of her face. "Take it, go open the door and see." He pressed and she chuckled in disbelief, taking the keys from his hand. "C'mon," he beckoned her with his head as he got out of the car. Her legs felt wobbly as she followed suit. This had to be a dream; all of it from the moment she met Chris till this very second. She was too fortunate, she was living out one of her perfect stories; it could only be a dream.

Chris stopped in the middle of the front yard, stretching his arms wide open. "What do you think?" He asked as he turned in a slow circle. He'd been there multiple times before, but with her it felt different; he didn't see a house, he saw a home. "It's nice, isn't it?"

Denise opened her mouth and waited for a string of words to leave her lips in response to Chris' questions, but all she heard was laughter. She could only laugh because she was having trouble processing everything in front of her. If she was being honest, her mind was still stuck on the fact she was going to see Ed Sheeran live.

"Was this the house you imagined when you wrote your series?"

Her imagination couldn't have prepared her for how perfect the house was. It was a simple suburban house on a large corner lot, surrounded by tall trees, strong hedges, and a white picket fence. The front yard looked like something out of a landscaping magazine, the garden beds circling the house even had bushes of roses growing already. It was the perfect size for their future children to run around with Dodger, a sight they craved. The exterior of the house was blue wood paneling; a serene ocean blue, the kind of blue one saw after a storm. Denise had always babbled on about how awesome a colored house would be so during his search, he kept a lookout for colored houses. He saw red ones, yellow ones, even one in lilac, but nothing compared to the current blue one they were standing in front of. It wasn't just because it was in her favorite color that it won him over, it was everything; the house was made for them.

Chris dropped his left arm to his side, then reached his right out towards Denise. A smile crept onto his face as he gestured for her to take his hand. She did so with a smile that only widened when he drew her hand up to his quirked lips and kissed her knuckles. From the look on both their faces, he knew he'd nailed it.

"If you think the exterior is nice, you're going to love the interior."

Chris pulled her alongside him as he padded up the steps to the front porch, or better yet- their front porch. It was theirs, Denise couldn't believe it. She could actually say the house was theirs; hers and Chris'. He released her hand and proceeded to open the red front door with his key. She stifled her chuckle when she realized their house looked like her fiancé's Marvel character. It'd probably be painted white when they moved in but it was quite the sentiment.

"Earth tones, stone feature walls, marble benches, and hardwood floors. That's the dream, right?" He glanced back at her and chuckled when he saw her nod with a wide grin. "Well, now it's a reality." The lock clicked and he pushed the front door open triumphantly. "Welcome home, honey."

"Oh my God."

The air was knocked out of her lungs. She stood in the foyer, breathless as her gaze washed over her surroundings. She knew she wasn't dreaming, she was with Chris and this was her life now. The house she was standing in was the home she and Chris were going to raise their family in. It'd been months since Chris set foot into her life, she'd had enough time to attain cognizance and become acclimated with the changes. Yet somehow it felt like the first day all over again, like she'd stumbled onto unfamiliar terrain in a completely different dimension. She didn't have control, he did; he was the one leading and she could only follow.

Denise wasn't the kind of person who enjoyed giving up control, it terrified her when she didn't know what came next. His decision to buy their future home without her knowledge would've sent her into a frenzy if the guy who did it wasn't him. Any other guy, she would've ran for the hills after the first curve ball. But not with Chris, with him she enjoyed every twist and turn they encountered together because she trusted him. Denise trusted Chris enough to be able to turn all her fear into genuine excitement. Chris was the one man she would've followed on a voyage into the murky unknown with no questions asked.

"It feels like deja vu, doesn't it?" Chris closed the front door behind them. "When I first came to see this house with our moms, they both freaked out." It came as no surprise to Denise they came with him, he would've wanted a second opinion before he decided; it wouldn't surprise her if Luca knew too. "They swore this was the house they saw when they read your series. It was a unanimous agreement that it was perfect and that I should get it because you'd love it too. So do you?" He asked as she turned around; her lips were still parted in awe. "Do you love it?" He asked with a hopeful smile.

"Are you kidding?" She laughed. "This is amazing! Like I want to call Luca right now and tell her I'm moving out of that apartment, out of California, and into this house. I don't even care if I have to transfer universities, I'll go to your alma mater. I'll- I'll buy a plane and fly to school if I have to!" She exclaimed and he laughed, wrapping an arm around her to steer her towards the kitchen. "This is spectacular, Chris. Oh my God," she breathed, "I can't breathe."

"Okay," he chuckled, "calm down. This is our forever home, so we'll move in when we start on that forever. Right now you're going to stay in that apartment, stay in California, and finish school." She pouted, running her hand along the smooth, off white walls she was passing. "This place isn't even properly furnished yet, babe."

"We can go to IKEA right now and furnish it."

"I only brought you here to show you the place," he dismissed her suggestion. "There are no plans to move back to Boston just yet, we've got too much keeping us in LA. We're not even married yet," he reminded her. "I know it's exciting, believe me. But this- it's for later, okay?" He looked over at her and tittered when she nodded with a sad pout. "Come on, let's see our kitchen. That will cheer you up."

"Doubt it if I don't even get to use it," she muttered and he laughed, squeezing her tightly against him. A smile was cracked as she wrapped an arm around his waist. "Okay, fine," she giggled. "I'll stop whining, I mean- it is officially ours. It doesn't matter if we use it today, or tomorrow, or in a few years. It's ours and that's amazing."

"Exactly," he agreed. "Look," he gently took her by the shoulders and pushed her in front of him as they turned the corner walking through the archway separating the hallway from the kitchen. "Marble surfaces, island bench, breakfast bar, sun nook." He listed while pointing to the respective objects. "It's an open floor plan, so we can do dining area there and living area there?" He suggested and she nodded. "I'm just winging it at the moment, there's a room in the front of the house we can use as our living space."

"We can have more than one living space, I like the idea of one in the kitchen."

"Me too," he nodded. "'Cause I'm thinking I can watch you cuddle up with our future children while I'm doing the dishes." He said and she giggled because it was an obvious reference to one of the many significant moments in her series. "And look there, I even have a little fridge." He pointed to the corner where a little beer fridge was stowed away in-between the kitchen cabinets. "I'm going to keep my beers there so they won't get in your way in our actual fridge, 'cause Lord knows I hoard beer. What do you think, sweetheart?" He asked. "Is this the dream kitchen?"

"This is the dream everything."

"C'mon," he smiled. "Let's go see upstairs. Unlike the house in your story, this one has three stories instead of two. Oh, hold up." He grabbed her hand and stopped her before she headed for the stairs, pulling her towards the sliding doors that led out to the backyard. "We've got an entertainment deck on the side that you can access through that door," he pointed and she nodded in acknowledgment. "Then these doors lead to the backyard, where we don't have a pool but can install one because there is a lot of space out there. So if we want to dance to Ed Sheeran's 'Perfect', we can." He teased another reference and she chuckled. "The laundry's behind us on the right, I think? Then there's a back room which I'm thinking of turning into a den where I can watch football games and be a slob with my friends out of sight, y'know so you don't go into labor early." He tried not to laugh as he referenced another significant moment in her series.

"Quit referring back to my series, you weirdo." She shoved him playfully and he laughed, wrapping an arm around her to steer her back towards the stairs. "You keep saying you're with me because you're in-love with me," she teased, "but I'm starting to think otherwise."

"Drats," he clicked his fingers together, wincing. "My ulterior motives have been revealed, my true colors are out." He commented sarcastically. "What am I to do?" She laughed and poked his side which made him laugh as he squirmed out of her reach. "Hey, this is your fault, darling." She scoffed with a smile. "Don't scoff, it's true. Your writing ruined me for reality, I am now as insane as you are when it comes to my expectations for life and love."

"It's better to aim high then settle, right?"

"Absolutely," he nodded. "What's that saying? If you aim for the moon, you'll land amongst the stars?" He quizzed and saw her nod. "Well, I aimed for the moon and somehow got the whole freaking universe." He leaned forward and kissed her forehead as her cheeks turned a light pink. "I'd like to think I've got it even better than Fan fic Chris."

"Just show me the upstairs before I swoon," she bit playfully. He smiled and took her hand, taking the lead up the staircase. Denise admired each step she walked up; black walnut hardwood floors throughout the entire house. "Ooooo." She pulled her hand from his and walked into what she assumed was to be the master bedroom. "Is this going to be our bedroom?" She circled the room while Chris stood in the doorway. He nodded when she looked over at him. "This is ginormous! I love-" she cut herself off and asked, "wait, what's the wardrobe situation like?" Her eyes darted around the room and a grin formed when she spotted a set of double doors. "Is that a walk in?"

"You tell me." He moved to open the double doors. "Surely you knew I wouldn't deprive you of your dream wardrobe situation." He said as he revealed the walk-in wardrobe. Her jaw dropped for the fifth time that day, a breathless laugh escaped. The wardrobe was bigger than she'd expected it to be, it could've been another bedroom if they needed. "And the ensuite is completely disconnected from the wardrobe 'cause I listen when you talk about the layout of your dream house."

"Christopher Robert Evans." She turned around with a smile so wide, it was hurting her face. "You are full of surprises, aren't you?" She walked over to him; he sported a smile as wide as hers. "This is by far," she emphasized as she wrapped her arms around his neck, "the most amazing thing you've ever done for me. How am I meant to live up to all of this?"

"I don't need you to live up to anything, sweetheart," he shook his head, resting his hands on her waist. "Just having you in my life, Denise, it's enough." He assured her and she smiled, brushing his cheek with her thumb. "You chose me, that's more than I can ask for." She understood the sentiment, but she was still confused by his statement. "Baby," he chuckled. "I wish that was just a term of endearment but it's more than that, you are a baby compared to me."

"Excuse me?"

"You're twenty years old, Denise."

"So?" She laughed. "Age is just a number."

"I know, I'm just saying you-" he cut himself off with a huff. "Okay, how am I going to get you to comprehend what I'm trying to say?" He ran his tongue along his lips as he pondered. "I guess-" he huffed again. "You had a whole world waiting for you, y'know? At twenty, I mean- you definitely had a string of hearts to break," he joked and she giggled. "I've done everything I wanted to do when I was twenty. I traveled and dated and- I don't know, drank myself blind probably. I just did a lot of stupid things I feel like I'm not giving you a chance to do."

"I don't want to do those things, I'm happy with you. You are my-"

"I know," he interrupted because he already knew what she was going to say. "I know I'm the guy you've dreamed about being with, I know I'm Chris Evans, I know you think you're lucky to be with me. But that's your perspective, that's not how I see things. I..." He trailed off, unable to explain what was running through his mind. "I never thought this would happen for me," he told her with an explicit about of sincerity that brought tears to her eyes. "I spent so many years trying to settle down and start a life with a myriad of different girls, none of them worked out and- I don't know why but it just didn't."

"Chris," she reached to brush the tears he had forming in the corner of his eyes.

"No no no," he chuckled, gently pushing her hand away. "I'm not- those are happy tears because upon meeting you, I realized why none of my relationships worked. It's because the universe was making me wait for you." A fresh set of tears filled both their eyes as he said that. "I think it's a little unfair it decided to make me wait so long, I mean- sixteen years for you to even be born into this world? That's a little cruel," he quipped and they both chuckled. "But um-" his voice quivered as he smiled through his tears, "I realize now that- the wait was everything. If we were the same age and I'd met you earlier in life, we wouldn't be together right now. I think I'd be too much of a hot mess for you to want to spend the rest of your life with me."

"Chris," they both started to weep, "you're wrong. I would've loved you through a thousand lifetimes," she asserted. "That's why people call it soul mates, right? You fall in-love with someone's soul and nothing else. I think-" she placed her hand on his heart, "my heart would've known you were the soul waiting for me. So you're wrong," she told him and he smiled, tilting his head back to stop himself from weeping, "I would've loved you."

"Yeah," he chuckled, shaking his head. "You don't need to live up to anything. You're fucking killing me with just your words," he said and she giggled as he brushed her tears away with his thumbs. "Just promise me you won't ever leave me and I promise you, we're squared."

"I promise," she drew herself closer to him and his arms wrapped around her, hands pressed against her lower back. "I am yours eternally. Even if we die and come back as-" she chuckled, "Barbara and George." They both laughed at the randomness of those names. "I'm going to find you and live out whatever life we'll create together. Because I love you, like- imagine my love is Mount Everest, 'cause that is how much I love you."

"You know what, Barbara," he chuckled when she giggled, "I Mount Everest love you too."

"Believe me," she smiled, inching her lips closer to his, "that message has been well received."