Houston, Texas, in the Clarke Home, Thursday, September 25th, 2030, at 2:15 pm

Lucas

I unlock the front door and set all of the bags inside. I check my watch, and see that it's just after two o'clock. I only have about a half an hour before Rachel gets home to head to our next session with Dr. Wilson. I managed to leave early enough from work today to run some errands. Cooper and Tran took on some extra work so I could do this.

We have hardly seen each other this week, and with everything that happened last Friday I want Rachel to know that I'm still here.

I can feel my heart beating with excitement as I set the bags I brought in on the kitchen island. They're covered in colorful fruits.

I bet Rachel has a hundred reusable bags in the pantry.

I pull out a bouquet of pink roses and put them in the sink. I head over to the china hutch in the dining room and pick out a dark green glass vase. Rachel seems to always pick this one when she gets flowers, so I think it's her favorite. As I'm trimming the stems and putting the roses in the vase, I start to think about how excited Rachel is going to be when she sees this.

My heart is pounding with joy as I finish setting up the flowers. I look at them sitting beautifully on the kitchen island and my heart sinks.

Was she also excited when she saw the flowers from Sam sitting here?

My arrangement is only a dozen roses, and the way my mother described it made it sound like he got her hundreds. I start to doubt my efforts, thinking it's not enough. I've never spoiled Rachel with things. In our relationship, we usually just go out to dinner for anniversaries and birthdays. I've gotten Rachel a few gifts over the last ten years that we've been together, but that's over the course of years.

I have no idea what else Sam did for her when they were together, and he only knew her for a week. I clench my fists on the island and take a deep breath. It's all I think about constantly and it's beginning to take a toll on me. I've been trying to stay calm and collected through this whole thing; through therapy and through letting Rachel open up slowly. I've always pushed her too hard when it came to disagreements or emotional problems we've had, and I don't want to do that again. Our dynamic is too fragile right now.

I finish unloading the rest of the stuff from the bags onto the counter. I pull out some of her favorite candies and snacks and try to arrange them in a nice way in front of the flowers. It just looks like a small mound of food, like a kid dumped their halloween candy out after trick-or-treating. Rachel always makes these kinds of set ups look beautiful when she gives gift baskets or makes care packages for her students. I spend the next ten minutes arranging the snacks before it finally looks presentable. I check my watch again.

2:35 pm.

I grab a small, black gift bag out of the reusable bags before putting them away in the pantry. I pull out the black velvet box from the bag and open it up. A stunning pair of opal earrings displayed above a matching necklace rest delicately against the white cardboard in the box.

Rachel deserves everything. I've always thought this about her. I just didn't realize how much I don't deserve her until I was gone. I don't know what I would do if I lost Rachel, and I need to start showing her that.

The sound of the front door unlocking startles me and I quickly shove the velvet box into the silverware drawer. I slam it shut just as she opens the door.

"Lucas? You're home early!" she calls out from the entryway.

I rush out of the kitchen and around the corner to greet her before she comes in. When I see her I immediately slow my walking down. She has on a black pencil skirt and a dark green blouse that ties around her waist. Her legs look incredible in her short heels as she bends down to set her bag on the floor. She looks up at me and smiles sweetly.

"Hi, you look beautiful," I say to her as I place my hand on her elbow and kiss her on the cheek. I'm trying to be mindful of her arms. She takes a step forward and lays her head on my chest as she wraps her arms around my back.

"Thank you. I missed you," she says quietly. I can feel my heart fluttering at her words.

"I missed you too. I got you something," I say as I kiss the top of her head. She pulls away from me quickly, and her expression is pure surprise.

"You what?" she asks me as her lips curve into an excited smile.

I smile widely back at her and take her hand. I lead her into the kitchen, and as we round the corner I feel my hand get tugged back. Rachel has stopped walking and is staring at the display with her mouth open.

"Lucas," she whispers. "You did this for me?" her voice cracks slightly as she brings her free hand up to her face and rests it under her chin.

"I missed your birthday this year," she turns to look at me, her eyes watering. "Along with many other birthdays, and christmases, and valentine's days, anniversaries..." I start to list everything I haven't gotten her a gift for because I've been gone. Tears begin falling down her cheeks as I talk.

"I've let you down for years, Rachel. I promise it's going to be different," I gently pull on her hand to bring her towards me. She doesn't hesitate as throws her arms over my shoulders and kisses me on the lips. I wrap my arms around her waist and deepen the kiss as I tilt her back slightly. When she pulls away from me, she presses her nose against mine.

"I've never felt like you let me down when you didn't buy me something, Lucas," she says gently. "I've only ever needed you," her tone is sweet and makes my heart leap out of my chest.

Without saying anything, I press another firm kiss on her lips and tighten my grip around her. When she pulls away from me, she looks down at the floor for a moment, like she's about to say something else. An alarm on my phone starts going off from the kitchen counter.

Therapy, 3:00 pm.

It's time for us to leave. Rachel sighs deeply and closes her eyes. Something is definitely bothering her.

"We can keep talking when we get home," I whisper to her.

I'm not sure what it is that's distracting her so much, but I hope that I can fix it. We head to see Dr. Wilson and I completely forget about the jewelry box.