My short stories: Chapter 3 - I love you

She still got those pretty eyes and glowing smile like the first time they met in their friends birthday. They were still going to University, when Mario decided to have a big birthday party at home and invite all his friends and neighbors.
He saw her sitting there with some friends, eating, listening to the music and talking. She was intelligent and got a smart answer for everything. They had a nice conversation and met many times after that.

They graduated all in the same year and everyone chose a different way. He chose to be a teacher and she got a job in an insurance company. She was a hard working person and kept working her way up. For him things were a bit complicated and he couldn’t really do much. The sickness of his father and all the other responsibilities he had toward his young siblings.

He was torturing himself by the thought that she was doing better than him , even they were married for about 10 years. He grew up in a traditional family and had always the idea that the man is supposed to work and provide.
Mario always told him "Love can cross borders and break walls".
He believed in it, but that couldn’t change the fact that she was better than him and supported the family more than he did in the past years.

He started avoiding his friends and stopped enjoying the things he always enjoyed. Tried always to hide his depression from her and his family, but could never hide it from his best friend who tried to support him all the time .
Even she started noticing changes in his behaviors and started asking him about it, but he had always excuses.

"These are just negative thoughts that you should ignore " said Mario, and he was right.
His life was perfect. She loved him, respected him and tried always to be a good friend and wife standing by his side. He just couldn’t stop thinking about all this, till he took a decision one day. It wasn’t really and he worried a lot. She would think that her only love and partner was jealous of her and run away.

It was their eleventh wedding anniversary and he wanted to surprise her and make the night very special. Mario helped him to get a projector and small screen and set it up in the garden. He ordered her favorite Japanese meals and baked a cake with their adorable daughter, who wished more care and time from him. He was so happy to see her smile and excitement in that night. Just set there watching her while she was so engaged in decorating the cake. He knew that he had a sensible and talented girl. She was playing musical instruments in her primary school and enjoyed performing in the school band. He felt guilty for a while then took her to her room and left her playing with her favorite doll.

He wore the same suit that they chose together for their marriage ceremony and applied her favorite fragrance. Made sure that everything was perfect, before calling her to make sure that she was on the way. Came down and set in the living room. Everything was still and silent. He could hear his heartbeats following each tick of his watch.
Once she entered the garden, the movie started playing their memories. Their love that was never a past, but something that is still alive deep inside them.

She was very happy and thanked him for the nice surprises he prepared every year. He wanted to say many things...But only three words came out of his lips “ I love you”...