WHEN I WAS 7 YEARS OLD, I CRIED AND SAID I WAS GOING TO MARRY MY NEIGHBOR. I WENT TO A JOB INTERVIEW 15 YEARS LATER — THE GENERAL MANAGER LOOKED AT ME AND SMILED: ‘THE GENERAL MANAGER… DID YOU APPLY TO BE HIS WIFE?

The restaurant was filled with laughter and soft music.

We were alone on the terrace for a while.

The city lights were shining below us.

“I’m proud of you,” he said suddenly.

“Is it because of the project?”

“Because of everything.”

The silence was closer this time.

“Lucía… I couldn’t help but think about what would have happened if I had stayed then.”

“I couldn’t stop thinking about you either.”

One step closer.

“When I saw you in the room that day, I didn’t see a candidate. I saw the little girl who believed in me when she had nothing.”

“I’m not small anymore.”

“No,” he said softly. “Now you are an extraordinary woman.”

The weather has become heavier.

“Can I ask something? If that seven-year-old girl was here now… Would he still want to marry me?”

I smiled.

“That girl was very determined.”

“I remember.”

I looked into his eyes.

“Yes. He still would.”

He did not hesitate.

He leaned over and kissed me.

This was not a hasty kiss.

It was a kiss that had waited fifteen years.

## Building Together

Our relationship was not a secret, but it was not a show-off either.

We were cautious at first.

Over time, the team realized that this was not a whim.

We worked hard. We grew the company. We opened new branches.

I became the project director.

And every success was shared.

He took me to Izmir on a Sunday.

He didn’t tell us where we were going.

When the car stopped, I immediately recognized the street.

The house of my childhood.

The house next door was no longer empty. It was renovated.

“I bought it two years ago,” he said.

“Why?”

He smiled.

“Because some words are unforgettable.”

He took out a small box from his pocket.

My heart raced.