Romance
Romance often gets more interesting once the future stops being decorative.
One character is already counting practical things, the other is still trying not to name the feeling at all. That gap can do a lot of work if you let it. Too early and it feels like paperwork. Too late and the book has been pretending the relationship exists in a vacuum.
The useful bit is usually not the grand declaration. It’s the smaller moment when someone realises they are making decisions with another person in mind. That’s when the story starts admitting what it is.
One character is already counting practical things, the other is still trying not to name the feeling at all. That gap can do a lot of work if you let it. Too early and it feels like paperwork. Too late and the book has been pretending the relationship exists in a vacuum.
The useful bit is usually not the grand declaration. It’s the smaller moment when someone realises they are making decisions with another person in mind. That’s when the story starts admitting what it is.
The danger is that “future” can become a neat little prop, all ring boxes and domestic hints, when the book still hasn’t earned the right to use it. I’d rather see the practical decisions bite first. Who moves, who pays, who gives up what. In a romance, commitment usually shows up in ledgers before it shows up in speeches.