Part 3: The Man Who Rated Every Sunset a 7/10

Six months into their relationship, Nadia had become such a fixture in Desmond's evening ritual that his followers had started noticing comments beneath his posts increasingly asking about "the woman in the background" who occasionally appeared at the edge of his photos, laughing at something clearly off-camera.

"You've become a minor celebrity," Nadia told him one evening, scrolling through his growing comment section. "People are shipping us. There's a hashtag."

"A hashtag," Desmond repeated, amused. "What's the hashtag?"

"#SunsetCouple. Deeply original."

"I'm slightly disappointed by the lack of creativity," Desmond said, "though I suppose I can't fault their enthusiasm."

Their relationship had deepened considerably beyond the initial charm of the sunset bit Desmond gradually opening up more about his grief, his father, the difficult year that had preceded their meeting; Nadia sharing her own struggles with a demanding job and the loneliness of moving to a new city without an established support system.

"I think," Desmond said one evening, watching an unusually spectacular sunset paint the sky in brilliant oranges and purples, "this one might actually break my scoring system entirely."

"High praise," Nadia said, smiling.

"Extremely high praise," Desmond confirmed. "Possibly a 9. I'd need to consult my notes to confirm I haven't already used that score."

"You keep notes on your previous scores?"

"Extensive records," Desmond said solemnly. "Someone has to maintain proper scoring integrity."

Nadia laughed, leaning against his shoulder as the sunset continued its spectacular display. "I love how seriously you take something so deliberately ridiculous."

"It stopped being purely ridiculous somewhere along the way," Desmond admitted, wrapping an arm around her. "Now it's mostly just... this. Evenings with you, watching something beautiful together, regardless of what score I eventually assign it."

"That's surprisingly sincere for someone who once docked a sunset two points for 'competitive clouds,'" Nadia observed, smiling up at him.

"I contain multitudes," Desmond said, grinning. "Deadpan comedy and genuine sincerity, in careful, balanced proportion."

to be continued... 🌅💛