C

It had been another bitingly cold October day in your small Midwest town, not much else to do besides camp out in front of the small fireplace. Lars was happily reading a book, fingers tracing soothing circles over your calves as they draped across his lap, when a sharp gasp tore him from the story he was entranced by. He looked up with wide eyes, only to be met with your broad grin peeking out from behind the phone screen pointed in his direction. He squinted at the video playing before him, it seemed to be a quick montage of a couple matching beads to one another’s eye color and making bracelets with them.

“Lars, please can we do this? Look how cute it is! We can match.”

Your shiny, pleading eyes are not lost on Lars as the corners of his mouth tug into a smile.

“The craft store doesn’t close for another hour! That’s plenty of time!” You say as you rocket off the sofa and start pulling your boots on.

You’re practically vibrating with excitement as Lars follows suit and pulls on his coat, passing a scarf to you before wrapping his own around his neck. You lean forward and press a warm kiss to his cheek as you pass through the door, all but skipping to the car as Lars locks up and follows behind.

The drive was quick, Lars listening intently as you babble over the hum of the radio about what you had learned from reading the comments under the bracelet video. Inside, a soft laugh is pulled from Lars’s lips as your hand closes around his wrist, leading him wildly up and down the aisles of the craft store as you search for the needed materials.

You finally stumble upon the rows of colored beads with a squeal of delight, loosening your hold on Lars to reach out and brush your fingers along the varying textures in front of you. After pulling a few options from the display, you hold up each string to compare the shade to the beautiful eyes looking back down at you. Lars beams, a warm blush beginning to crawl up his neck as you examine each set of beads thoroughly.

“Mm, there we go.” You nod, holding up the winning selection as if it were a fish you just caught. “Aren’t they pretty?”

The beads were a vibrant grey-blue with small specks of a green shade scattered throughout. They were round, almost like a string of pearls hanging down from your fingers. The blush from before has now fully engulfed Lars’s cheeks, skin burning as he nodded back at you with a wide smile.

“My turn.” He says quietly, pressing a chaste kiss to the tip of your nose, his wide smile stretching into a grin before placing another kiss to your lips.

His brow furrows slightly as his fingers trace over each row of beads, eyes flicking between you and the wall. He pulls a few strings from the wall, holding them up to your face just as you had done moments before. His eyes twinkle as he compares each color to your loving gaze. You think your heart might leap right out of your chest at the way Lars looks back at you, so full of love and devotion. Lars smiles sweetly as he holds up his final decision to you, a beautiful string of earthy hues glinting in the fluorescent lights of the department store.

“They’re beautiful.” You murmur, taking the beads from his hands and adding them along with your selection.

“Hm, not as beautiful as you.” Lars says, wrapping one arm around you and pulling your hand to his lips to press a warm kiss against your knuckles.

Now it’s your turn to blush as you melt into his touch, staying there for a moment, as if you were the only two people in the world.

“Okay, we just need to get some neutral beads and elastic thread and I think we should be set.” You grab a set of small gold filler beads and spin around to the other side of the aisle to grab the first spool of clear cord your eyes land on.

The cashier rings up your items and you two are on your way, Lars slipping his hand into yours as you step out into the brisk winter air. The drive back to the house is uneventful, you are just happy to be in Lars’s presence with his warm hand enveloping yours as they rest in your lap. He peers over at you every once in a while, his usual shy smile creeping up each time under the warm flashes of the streetlights.

Once you return home, you both settle on the floor in front of the fireplace, a blanket spread out beneath you and the beads organized on a spare plate. Lars hums softly to the music playing through the living room as you both string colorful beads onto the elastic cord. You finish your bracelet first, holding it up in the flickering light of the fireplace, marveling at the pattern of blue and earth toned beads separated by small gold spheres. It’s beautiful. The two colors of your eyes joined together in harmony.

You turn to Lars, who is already gazing at you with a fire of his own burning behind his eyes. Barely containing your grin, you crawl over to where Lars is seated on the plush blanket and reach for his hand to slip the bracelet over his wrist. He stares at the new jewelry adorning his wrist where your hand still rests against his skin, mesmerized by you and your touch.

“I love it, sweetheart. Now I get to have a piece of you wherever I go.” He whispers, giving you the brightest smile he could muster. “I’m never going to take it off.”

Lars leans closer to you, long fingers brushing against yours as he slips his creation along your soft skin. The pattern differs slightly from your own, making it one of a kind. He raises both your hands up and peppers feather-soft kisses to your pulse point where it’s hammering against your skin. You’re certain he can feel it.

“I love it, Lars. I love you.”

“I love you too, my angel.” Tears glisten in Lars’s eyes as he looks between your clasped hands, clad in the matching bracelets, and your face.

You bring your free hand up to his face to brush away the tear threatening to fall, resting your palm against his cheek. Lars leans into your touch as you carefully swing a leg over his, slotting yourself into his lap. Your hands settle in his hair, fingers raking softly through the locks as Lars wraps himself around you, palms flush against the small of your back.

A content sigh leaves your lips as Lars tightens his hold on you, catching your lips in a tender but searing kiss. It’s this moment, here with you on the floor of his apartment, that Lars realizes there’s no one else he’d rather spend the rest of his life with. The glint in your eyes as you pull him into another dizzying kiss, tells him that you feel the exact same.