𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓼𝓮𝓬𝓻𝓮𝓽 𝓸𝓯 𝓾𝓼
ˢᵒᵐᵉᵈᵃʸ

Aurelie stirred awake as the morning sunlight filtered through her curtains, casting soft golden rays across her room.

She blinked a few times, her senses coming alive to the quiet hum of the world outside and the steady warmth pressed against her side.

Turning her head slightly, she found Walker still asleep beside her, his arm draped lazily over her waist.

She smiled to herself, her heart swelling with affection. They had stayed up late the night before, watching movies and talking until they couldn't keep their eyes open.

It wasn't unusual for Walker to crash at her house these days—her mom trusted him, and after a long night of hanging out, he often ended up dozing off on the couch. Somehow, though, they always ended up like this, tangled up in each other in the most comfortable way.

"Good morning," Walker murmured groggily, his voice thick with sleep. His eyes opened slowly, a small smile tugging at his lips when he saw her.

"Morning," Aurelie whispered back, her voice soft. "Sleep okay?"

"Perfect," he replied, tightening his arm around her. "You?"

"Best sleep ever," she teased, earning a quiet laugh from him.

For a while, they just lay there in comfortable silence, the world outside seeming to pause just for them.

Walker traced absentminded patterns on her arm, his mind wandering before he finally broke the quiet.

"Can I ask you something?" he said, his voice quieter than usual.

"Of course," Aurelie replied, tilting her head to look at him.

Walker hesitated, a shy smile playing on his lips. "Okay, don't laugh, but... have you ever thought about, like, the future? You know, like, where we'll be when we're older?"

Aurelie blinked, surprised but intrigued by the sudden question. "Yeah, sometimes," she admitted. "Why?"

He shrugged, looking a little sheepish. "I was just thinking about it. Like... what it'd be like if we had our own place someday. Or... you know, kids."

Aurelie's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but the grin on her face was immediate. "Kids?" she echoed, trying not to laugh. "Walker, we're sixteen. Don't you think you're jumping ahead a little?"

Walker chuckled, his cheeks flushing. "I know, I know. I'm not saying now or anytime soon. I just... I don't know. I was thinking about what it'd be like if we had a family someday."

Aurelie rolled onto her side, propping herself up on her elbow so she could look at him better. "Okay, Mr. Future Planner," she teased. "What kind of family are we talking about here?"

Walker grinned, his eyes lighting up. "I don't know. Maybe two kids? A boy and a girl. Or maybe three. What about you? Have you ever thought about it?"

Aurelie tilted her head, pretending to think deeply. "Hmm. I guess I've always liked the idea of having four kids. Two boys, two girls , But let's be real, they're probably going to be little chaos machines if they're anything like us."

Walker laughed, his nose scrunching up in that way Aurelie secretly adored. "Okay, fair point. But I think they'd be adorable."

Aurelie smiled, her heart warming at the thought. "Yeah, they probably would be."

For a moment, she let herself imagine it—Walker with messy hair and a toddler on his hip, her chasing after a giggling little one in the backyard.

It was a sweet thought, one that made her chest feel light and happy.

Walker's hand found hers, his thumb brushing over her knuckles. "You'd be an amazing mom, you know that?"

Aurelie felt her cheeks heat up, her heart skipping a beat. "And you'd be a pretty great dad," she said softly.

Walker smiled, his gaze steady on hers. "Guess we'll just have to see someday, huh?"

"Yeah," Aurelie said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Someday."

He leaned closer then, his lips brushing hers in a soft, sweet kiss that made the rest of the world melt away. It was moments like this that reminded her just how much she loved him—how much she couldn't imagine her life without him.

When they finally pulled back, Aurelie couldn't help but grin. "You're such a sap, you know that?"

"Guilty," Walker said with a laugh, pulling her into a warm hug. "But you love it."

"I do," she admitted, resting her head against his chest. "I really do."

They stayed like that for a while, wrapped up in each other and their quiet daydreams of a future that felt impossibly far away but also just close enough to touch.

— THE SECRET OF US —