Together

Spontaneous Purchase

Hello hello hello! Welcome to this exciting chapter! I got two chapters written today and I usually only write one so I feel productive yayyyy. I hope you all like this one- it's quite fun, I think. Comment/vote if you wish x
-ab

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July 9, 2026

Patrick

"Harper, guess what?" I say to my wife, looking up from my phone.

She sticks her finger in her book and closes it in her lap. "It's 'Last Kiss' Day! I was wondering how long it would take for you to remember!"

I let out a groan. "That's not what I was going for at all."

"But it is..."

"You're right," I concede. "You do whatever weird ritual you do on 'Last Kiss' Day and leave me out of it, alright?"

"I already did. I woke up at 1:50 this morning and listened to the song at 1:58, which is the exact time mentioned in the song."

"Oh my god," I roll my eyes, laughing as I do so. "So you came here, slept for about an hour and a half, and then woke up again?"

"Yep," she smiles. "Did you really expect less from me?"

"I really thought..." I trail off. "Just kidding. I shouldn't be the least bit surprised."

"You really shouldn't," she giggles. "Now, what was it that you actually wanted to speak with me about?"

"Remember a few weeks ago, when you were saying how much you'd like to try to move back to the Hampstead area?"

"Yeah," she nods.

"Well, I've found a nice house in the area, and it's expensive, don't get me wrong, but it really isn't too bad, considering the benefits of the area. Anyway, I went ahead and contacted the current owners, and they were able to fit us in for a tour... today. So, I mean, if you want to, that's scheduled for us after lunch..."

"Really?" she asks. I nod. "That sounds lovely."

"Now, it's a bit further from the tube than your old flat was, but it's still a relatively quick walk to the tube station, and I believe that there's a bus stop even closer. I know you don't particularly fancy the bus, but in the pouring rain, it may not be too bad of an option, just to simply get yourself closer to a tube stop."

"It sounds perfect," she smiles at me. "What's it like?"

"Well, it's just a simple little house, closer to Hampstead Heath than you were, but in quite a similar area. Rather simple compared to some of the others in the area, but it's in good condition. It has three bedrooms and two full bathrooms- one for us, the master bath, and one for any guests or children, perhaps. It's also got a nice, full sized kitchen and a living room. That's about all that I know."

"Well," she says, "what time is our appointment?"

I smile. "I was hoping you'd be pleased."

"I love you, Patrick. I can't believe that you arranged all of this."

"Save the praise until you actually see the place," I wink at her. She giggles.

After lunchtime has come and gone, Harper and I get on the tube with our stomachs full of sandwiches. We can't wait to see the house. Hopefully it is nice. With any sort of luck, this may be the beginning and end of our search for houses, as well as a step on the road to having a nice little family of our own.

It isn't too long until we find the address that was given to us. It turns out to be much closer to Harper's old flat than we expected- as the matter of fact, basically right down the street. Within a short walking distance is a Starbucks- a major plus for my wife and I- and a small convenience store. Just a bit further on is the Tesco Express where Harper used to buy nearly all of her groceries.

"I think that we would be paying partially for location," she admits. "It really is quite convenient, though."

"Don't be freaked out by the price. We have more money saved up than you might think, and we can take out a loan for the rest."

This is partially a lie. We really do have quite a bit of money saved up, but Taylor and Joe have offered to pay for any price that we have left over. They told me that it is a 'late wedding gift.' As much as I tried to refuse, Taylor insisted.

"You buy that girl the house that she wants, and you needn't worry about how to pay for it," Taylor told me.

With her large salary, she is always the first to offer to help out a loved one. That's only scratching the surface of Taylor's immense generosity.

In spite of being told this, Taylor insisted that I keep it a secret from Harper. "She'll feel bad," Taylor told me. "I don't want this to become about her picking the cheapest little hole in the wall house because she doesn't want to rely on me. I want her to have a nice place where she will be able to spend her time when she isn't onstage, and where the two of you will be able to raise a family."

I'll never be able to thank Taylor for her absolute kindness.

Inside of the house, it's easy to see how wonderful of a place this would be to raise a kid or two, with the lovely bedrooms and the park right down the street. It's quite a safe area, as well.

I know that, by the end of the tour, Harper is already picturing walks through the park, with a little toddler walking beside her. She's picturing moving our bed into the master bedroom and sitting on our sofa in the living room. She's picturing the two of us making dinner together in the kitchen.

"Is this the one?" I ask Harper at the end of the tour. "Do you love it, or do you want to view some other places?"

"I think that this is perfect," she says. I know that it may seem like a bit of a spontaneous purchase, but I feel the same way that Harper does. I can't quite picture us having a future anywhere else.

I know how much she would love to live in this area, and especially to be close with her best friends again. She would love to be close to the park where she spent so much time in her days at the Royal Academy of Music, up on the hill, studying or just daydreaming.

I agree with Harper. I think that this house is perfect.

I turn to the lady who has given us the tour. I think she's the current owner, but I'm not sure. No matter what she is, she is waiting for some sort of answer from us- whether that be committing either way, or risking losing the house but taking some time to think about it.

We won't be taking that risk.

"We'll take it."