I met Jack a year ago when I spilled my iced latte all over his papers at a coffee shop. Instead of getting mad, he smiled and said, “Guess this is fate telling me to take a break.” He told me he worked in logistics for a small company. We ended up talking for hours, hit it off, and started dating.
Jack always insisted we spend time at his tiny, worn-down studio—scuffed walls, mismatched furniture, and a heater that barely worked. He’d light dollar-store candles, cook dinner on a single hot plate, and I swear, his ratty old couch was the comfiest thing ever. It wasn’t about the space—it was about him.
We hit our one-year anniversary, and Jack promised me a surprise. When I walked out of my building, I froze. Jack was leaning against this sleek, luxury car, holding a huge bouquet of red roses.
“Happy anniversary,” he said, grinning as he handed me the flowers and kissed me.
“Whose car is this?” I asked, completely stunned.
His smile shifted, a little nervous now. “It’s mine,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I think… now’s the time.”
That’s when he dropped the bombshell. He was the heir to a multi-million-dollar family business. The shabby studio? A carefully planned test to see if I loved him for him—not his money.
Then he got down on one knee, pulling out a velvet box. “Will you marry me?”
Most people would say yes right away, but I had a secret too. I smiled, took the car keys out of his hand, and said, “Let me drive. If what I show you doesn’t scare you off, my answer will be yes.”
He looked confused but handed me the keys anyway.
I drove us across town, away from the high-rise buildings and fancy restaurants, and pulled into an older neighborhood filled with small, colorful houses. It wasn’t rundown, but it was a far cry from the luxurious life Jack had just revealed to me.
I parked in front of a modest little house with a neatly tended garden. Jack looked around, eyebrows furrowed. “Where are we?”
I took a deep breath. “My house.”
Jack blinked. “I thought you lived in an apartment.”
“I do, but this is where I really come from. This is my grandmother’s house. She raised me after my parents passed away. And there’s something else you should know.” I turned to face him, feeling my heart pound. “Jack, I’m not just some ordinary girl working a nine-to-five job. I own a business. A pretty successful one.”
Jack’s jaw slackened. “Wait, what?”
I chuckled nervously. “Yeah, I run a home renovation and interior design company. It started small, just me flipping old furniture and fixing up houses in this neighborhood. But now, I have a full team. I make… well, let’s just say I’m doing well enough that I didn’t need to be impressed by your ‘test.’”
Jack let out a slow exhale, running a hand through his hair. “You mean to tell me I spent a year pretending to be broke while you were secretly well-off too?”
I nodded. “I never cared about your money, Jack. And I wanted to know you felt the same way about me. I wanted to see if you’d love me even if I wasn’t some helpless girl who needed saving.”
Jack stared at me for a long moment, then burst out laughing. He laughed so hard he had to lean against the car for support. “This is insane. We were both testing each other?”
I grinned. “Pretty much.”
He shook his head, still laughing. “Well, I feel like an idiot. Here I was, lighting dollar-store candles, thinking I was pulling off some grand test. Meanwhile, you could’ve rented a whole mansion if you wanted to.”
I shrugged. “I liked your studio. It was cozy.”
Jack reached for my hands, his laughter fading into something softer. “You know, this changes nothing for me. I loved you before I knew any of this. And I love you now.”
Tears pricked my eyes. “Same here.”
He squeezed my hands, then smirked. “So, does this mean I still get to marry you?”
I pretended to think for a second before flashing a playful smile. “Yeah, I think you’ve passed the test.”
Jack let out a relieved laugh and pulled me into his arms. “Good. Because I was gonna propose again if you said no.”
A few months later, we decided to renovate Jack’s old ‘studio’ together as a reminder of where our love truly grew. It became a little guest house for when we wanted to escape the world and just be us. No tests, no games—just love.
The lesson? Love isn’t about wealth or material things. It’s about choosing each other, every single day, no matter what. And sometimes, the best surprises come from the ones we least expect.
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