*****
The next day, Gavin and I went to check out the open house that I'd basically fallen in love with online.
As we were driving, Gavin tried to prevent me from getting my hopes up too high. "We just started looking, so don't be upset if this house isn't the one for us. Sometimes the pictures look a whole lot better than the actual house," he warned.
"Gav, I'm just excited to actually find something we might like after weeding through garbage for the last few weeks." This was partially true. I'd been getting so disheartened looking through the listings, and it was so wonderful to find a house worth checking out in person. But when I'd seen the pictures, I'd felt more than relief. It had just felt.... right. Like slipping on a pair of jeans that fit perfectly. I wouldn't admit it to Gavin, but my hopes were high.
It took us roughly half an hour to get to the house from my apartment. ("That's with Sunday traffic, though," Gavin pointed out.) Despite Gavin's efforts to manage my expectations, I couldn't help but feel flutters of excitement as we got closer.
The neighbourhood was perfect. It felt so quiet compared to where I was living. There were a few families outside, with kids riding their bikes or being pulled in wagons. On the corner, there was a cute little park with a jungle gym and a swing set. It was so quaint that it made my ovaries tingle.
Finally, we turned into Winchester Road, and pulled up to a stop outside of number 349. It was an olive green stucco bungalow with white trim. I got a little nervous as I noticed many people coming and going, mostly young couples like ourselves.
Gavin took my hand as we walked up the cobble stone path. "Remember," he said in an undertone, "this is just the first house we are looking at."
I rolled my eyes at him and laughed. "I knoooooow," I replied, exaggerating my exasperation.
We stepped into the entryway and immediately all of Gavin's attempts to manage my expectations flew out the window. I was hopelessly in love.
As we walked through, I only became more certain that this house was the one. The kitchen and living room were open concept style, with hardwoods throughout. There was no dining room, but instead a bar with tall stools built into the kitchen island. The master bedroom was a fair size, and opened up onto the deck and a nicely landscaped yard. The basement was finished, with a deep pile carpet and a second bathroom. It wasn't the most opulent house, and most people might not have given it a second thought. I couldn't put my finger on why, but I just felt like it was home.
Gavin pointed out some imperfections and mused aloud about the wiring as we walked along, but I couldn't even really focus on what he was saying. All I wanted to do was kick the rest of these people out of my house, dammit!
We walked back through it twice more before Gavin finally convinced me to leave. We got into the car and he turned to face me. "Well, some of the electrical needs to be replaced, and the roof will need to be done in a few years..." He trailed off as he took in the smile on my face. He grinned at me. "You loved it, huh?"
I smiled even wider and shrugged. "I more than loved it. I want to live there."
He raised his eyebrows. "You do realize that would mean moving in the middle of the school year, possibly during your finals? I know we weren't really thinking about actually MOVING right away. I mean, this is only the first house that we've looked at! This was just supposed to help us figure out what we did and didn't want so we could look seriously in the spring."
"I know, but this house is just... Perfect. I could just picture us living there so easily. Couldn't you?"
He half-smiled, conceding. "I really could." His brow furrowed again as he asked, "You're sure that you're ready for this? It's not what we had discussed..."
I smiled and leaned over the console to press a gentle kiss on his lips. I pulled back slightly, brushing a piece of his hair out of his eyes. "Know how I know it's the one?"
"How?"
I touched my forehead to his. "I got the same feeling that I had about you on our first date. I just knew that you were the one, and I know this house is the one, too."
He laughed his low rumbly laugh again, his breath tickling my face. "Well, how can I argue with that?" he teased, planting a kiss on my forehead.
I leaned back into my seat. "You can't."
"Alright then," Gavin said, grinning. "I'll call the realtor tomorrow and we can put in an offer."
He started the car and pulled out of the spot. I turned back as we drove away, my hand on Gavin's knee as I gazed upon the house that I hoped would become our home.
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