CHAPTER FIFTY SIX SOPHIA'S POV

CHAPTER FIFTY SIX

SOPHIA'S POV

Tuesday I left work early and went straight to the lot. Alexander was already there with the crew, reviewing the sheathing schedule. He looked up as I approached, and the way his face softened made my stomach flip.

"You made it," he said, pulling me into a quick hug.

"I told them I had a site visit. Technically true." I stayed close, breathing him in. "Show me where we are."

He took my hand and walked me through the framed structure. "Sheathing starts tomorrow on the north wall. But I held off the final layout until you saw it in person. The studio corner still feels right?"

I studied the space, imagining the windows. "It does, but I want the interior partition moved six inches toward the hallway. It'll give me a better workflow without eating into your drafting area downstairs. Is that doable?"

Alexander nodded immediately. "Done. I'll mark it now." He grabbed a chalk line and adjusted the mark while I watched. When he finished, he turned back to me. "Your changes always make the plan tighter. I love that about you. You see how we'll actually live in space, not just how it looks on paper. It fascinates me every time."

His words warmed me. I stepped closer. "And you actually make the change instead of just agreeing. That respect you give me so easily... It makes me yearn for more days like this. I sat in my office today thinking about your hands marking lines for me, then imagined those hands on me tonight. The pull toward you is getting harder to ignore."

The crew moved to the other side of the frame. Alexander kept his voice low. "Good. Because I feel it too. I kept checking my phone between meetings, hoping you'd text that you were coming. Having you here turns the build into something shared. I crave your eyes on every stage. Your questions make me think differently. They make me better."

I slipped my arm around his waist. "Then keep craving them. I want to give them. I told my assistant today to block every afternoon next week for site visits. I don't want to miss the sheathing. I want to stand here with you when the walls start closing in. That image keeps me going through long meetings."

Alexander's hand settled on my lower back. "You're clearing your calendar for this. For us. That choice hits me deep. I keep imagining the finished house and seeing you in every room because you helped shape it. Your strength, the way you show up even when you're busy, the way you speak up without hesitation it all fascinates me. Makes me hungry to earn more of your time."

We walked the perimeter slowly, discussing the exterior finishes and window placements. Every few steps our shoulders brushed.

"What was the hardest part of your day?" he asked.

"A donor who kept pushing for naming rights I didn't want to give. I held firm, but it drained me." I looked up at him. "Then I thought about coming here and it got easier. You make the hard parts feel smaller. I like unloading my day with you and hearing about yours. It already feels like a habit I don't want to break."

He stopped and faced me. "Then don't break it. I want your hard days and your good ones. I want to be the person you come to when the foundation work frustrates you. Your honesty pulls me in deeper every time. I yearn for these conversations, Sophia. For the way you make ordinary updates feel important because they're ours."

The crew wrapped their tasks and started packing up. Alexander checked the last marks, then came back to my side.

"Walk through the studio space with me again," he said.

We stepped into the framed corner. I turned slowly, picturing my easel placement.

"Right here feels good," I said. "And when you come up the stairs, I'll be able to see you from this angle. I like that. I like knowing I'll look up and find you there."

Alexander smiled. "I already planned my drafting table to face the stairs for the same reason. So I can catch you watching me. I keep building these small pictures in my head us moving through the house, finding each other in small ways. That future with you is what I think about most now. It makes the long days worth it."

His words sent a deep warmth through me. "I build those pictures too. Coming downstairs to find you at the table, then crawling into your lap and asking about your day. Simple things. But they make my chest ache with how much I want them. You make me want to protect this connection we're building. To keep choosing you even when my schedule fights back."

We left the lot as the light faded. Back at the apartment, we moved around the kitchen together, shoulders bumping while we made a quick meal.

"I like this part too," I said, handing him the salt. "Coming home and cooking with you after being on site. It feels like practice for real life in the new house."

Alexander took the salt and caught my hand. "It does. I keep thinking about evenings there us reviewing the day, then forgetting the build completely and just being close. Your presence next to me makes everything feel steadier. I'm fascinated by how naturally you fit into my days. How you challenge me on the lot and then soften with me here. Both versions pull at me."

I leaned against the counter, watching him. "I feel the same. The competent architect on site and the man who listens when I vent about donors. Both make me want more. I'm already addicted to the way you make me feel seen and heard. It makes me want to see and hear you just as deeply."

After dinner we settled on the couch. I stretched out with my head in his lap, his fingers running through my hair.

"Tell me what you're most looking forward to next week," I said.

"Sheathing the studio walls," he answered. "Watching the space close in and knowing it's exactly the height you wanted. But mostly watching your face when you first stand inside it. I crave that moment with you. Your quiet smile when something feels right. It's becoming one of my favorite things."