It is said that some love tales are written in the stars, but ours was written in the chaos of spilled coffee, sarcastic comebacks, and furtive looks across packed rooms at the same time. It seemed to me that I was familiar with him. To my mind, we were a cohesive unit. However, then the revelation came, which was the moment when I found out that my partner had gone to astonishing and nearly terrible lengths… merely to test my allegiance. Our lighthearted love story was now on the verge of being betrayed, and it was all too soon.

Adrian and I first met on a Wednesday morning, which was a chaotic day. Within a noisy café in the heart of the city, I had just accidentally spilled a whole iced caramel latte over what seemed to be his entire work portfolio. Isn’t it a complete and utter cliché? Real life, on the other hand, does not often seem like a romantic comedy—until it does.

It’s a miracle! Sorry, I’m very sorry! I blurted out while quickly blotting at wet spreadsheets and collecting as many napkins as I could. “If I’m being honest, I’m not often this clumsy. Then then, maybe it is a lie. A little bit, I am.”

Surprisingly, he grinned as he glanced up, blinking through the drips of espresso and ink that were around him. It’s possible that destiny is trying to advise me to take a break.

The uncomfortable chuckle, the eye contact, and the spark are all cued up now. That is how I came to know Adrian Turner, a man whom I had previously assumed was nothing more than a broke logistics guy.

We spoke for a considerable amount of time. He informed me that he was employed for a low-volume shipping firm. I discussed my work in digital marketing with the audience. It gave off an honest vibe. All right. No pressure at all. No gimmicky pickup lines, and no pretension at all.

By the time he finished stirring his second cup, he continued, “You know, I usually despise it when other people spill drinks on me.” On the other hand, I could abide by the rule this time.”

“Shall we say it again?” I taunted her.

“Well, that truly depends on the number of additional beverages that you intend to weaponize.”

At that point, things began to take shape.

The next year, Adrian and I were inseparable from one another. In addition to being kind and attentive, he was remarkably grounded. One thing that stood out to me as peculiar was… We never hung out at my apartment; instead, we always went to his. Initially, I didn’t mind at all. In addition, Adrian’s apartment was… charming, and my roommate had a zero-tolerance policy about visitors.

In the sense that it was barely lit, the pipes were old, and the heater moaned like a dying walrus, the room was quaint. I pray that God blesses the sofa since it seems to have endured three wars. The midsection was sagging, and the only thing that was holding it together was duct tape and probably hope.

“What is this infant?” During one of the nights, Adrian smiled as he patted the armrest. “This is the best seat imaginable. “My name is Darla.”

Did you give the sofa a name? I am snorting.

“She has been with me for a longer period of time than any other lover. I was able to make it through ramen nights, horror marathons, and two seasons of the flu.

Regarding ramen, his cooking talents were just as endearing as they were adorable. His only burner was one. The only one.

In his boastful manner, he would say, “I make a mean spicy ramen with a soft-boiled egg.”

I’d say that it’s “impressive.” And strangely enough, I meant it. mostly due to the fact that I enjoyed both of our time together despite the craziness. Whenever I moaned about my job, he listened to me, and he never once made me feel like I had to be someone other than who I am. He made me laugh till I really sobbed.

It was never a concern at all. We were in a good mood. I was under the impression that we were.

The first anniversary of our relationship has arrived. A thoughtful act, such as a handmade note or even a movie night, was what I was anticipating. What I received instead was a shocking revelation.

As Adrian knocked on the door of my flat, he addressed me by saying, “Close your eyes.”

“No peeking,” he gave a warning.

When I opened the door, I couldn’t move.

In front of me came Adrian, who was dressed in a fitted jacket and was carrying a dozen flowers that were a rich crimson color… in close proximity to a classy, candy-apple red premium sports automobile.

The smile on his face said, “Happy anniversary, Isla.”

I blinked my eyes. “Whose automobile is that?”

It was the back of his neck that he massaged. I am mine.

It made me chuckle. “All right, let’s be serious.”

In response, he did not laugh.

It was at that point that he informed me.

This is the truth.

Although he worked in logistics, Adrian Turner was not a suffering employee. It was a nationwide freight conglomerate, and he was the CEO-in-waiting for the company. That run-down apartment, right? It is a ruse. I rented. In order to determine whether or not I was the sort of lady who would remain faithful even if she believed that he was broke.

I was attracted to him. “You pretended to be poor… in order to test me?”

Slowly, he gave a nod. “I’ve been burnt from time to time. When women see my surname, their expectations shift in a noticeable way. I needed the knowledge that you loved me—for me.

I made a cross with my arms. Is it true that deception and manipulation seemed to be the most apparent solution?

He acknowledged, “It was not an easy task.” “I detested concealing things. On the other hand, that was the only way I could be certain.

At that moment, he reached into his pocket and brought out a velvet box.

I have no doubts now. The man knelt down on his knees. “Would you be willing to marry me, Isla Reynolds?”

An eerie quiet prevailed.

After that, I gave him a little smile, grabbed the vehicle keys from his fingers, and said, “Allow me to drive.” I’m going to show you something right now. After that, if you are still interested in marrying me… I am completely at your disposal.”

Although he seemed to be in shock, Adrian gave up the keys.

We went for a drive.

Get away from the city. Beyond the outskirts of the city. There was a meandering path that went up to a private property that was surrounded by cherry blossom trees and had wrought-iron gates that were higher than the majority of the buildings.

He wore a frown. Where exactly are we?

I turned to face him with a broad grin. “Move in.”

The code was entered by me. The gates were set open.

The huge home that belonged to my family was located behind them. It had tennis courts, stables, and a marble fountain that served as the focus of the property.

The jaw of Adrian fell to the ground.

He chuckled and said, “You grew up here?”

Indeed, it did.

“Are you… wealthy?”

“Rich beyond the private trust level, spanning multiple generations,” I affirmed.

Looked at him. “Are you saying that you were testing me while I was testing you right?”

I gave a little nod.

“And all those times when you pretended that the food I prepared on my hot plate was gourmet…”

It wasn’t an act, that’s for sure. It continues to astonish me that you did not set fire to the building.

There was a prolonged period of silence from Adrian. Following that, he let out a hearty, contagious chuckle that reverberated throughout the vehicle.

“What are we doing?”

The correction I made was, “Perfectly matched.”

As he held out the ring, he posed the question, “So… is that a yes?”

I drew closer to you. “Without a doubt.”

Six months later, we tied the knot in a beautiful garden wedding that took place on the estate that belonged to my family. It was impossible for our family to refrain from discussing the falsehood.

The celebration was attended by my mother, who screamed at me, “You mean to tell me that you ate instant noodles for a whole year? It’s impossible for you to tolerate MSG!

While I was watching Adrian spin my grandma around on the dance floor, I responded by saying, “The things we do for love.”

He was interrupted by his sister, who said, “Do you remember when he spent the entire weekend spray-painting water damage on the ceiling?” Authenticity was something he was looking for.

You did what, right? As I turned to face Adrian, I saw that his face had become crimson.

He said, “I was committed to the role!” while putting on an act of pride.

His father shook a glass in his hand. “To the couple who has been put through the world’s most intense tests!”

It was a toast.

After a few months had passed, we found ourselves cuddled up in Adrian’s very real and very beautiful penthouse, looking through ads for other residences.

He looked seriously at me and said, “You know what I miss?”

“In the event that you say that couch is a deathtrap—”

It was his defense that “Martha had soul.”

The response I gave was, “She had rusty springs.”

My forehead was kissed by him. “It is well worth it. Every nook that was covered in mold and every phony water stain… brought me to you.

I cracked a grin. In spite of the fact that you are a lousy actor who believed that duct tape is synonymous with sincerity.

He wore a smile. “The quality of that duct tape was exceptional!”

And there was us: two foolish, insanely affluent individuals who, by chance, fell in love for all the right reasons while, at the same time, living two of the finest lies of our lives.

It turned out that the most genuine aspect of us was the fact that we were not at all concerned with the amount of money we had.

Simply put, we desired in each other.

If we had to make our way through ramen noodles and fake water stains in order to get there, we would do it still.