Page 42 of Fractured Hope
“Let me show you.” I helped him to his feet and led him to the door. “Close your eyes and let me guide you.”
He turned to me with a suspicious look on his face, like he was checking to see if I was joking, but he did as I said. I held his hands and led him into the living room. I made sure to keep a gentle pace with his wrist and walking boot. When he’d made it to the edge of the tent, lit by the many flickering candles, I stood aside and cuddled him from behind.
“Open your eyes,” I whispered into his ear, and then I leaned down and nuzzled his neck.
His sharp intake of breath before he gasped my name was music to my ears.
“This is.... Oh my.” Turning in my arms, he practically jumped at me. “This is stunning!” he exclaimed.
I picked him up and gently twirled him around, careful not to knock over any of the candles. “Wait, when did you even do this? How did you do this?” Looking over his shoulder, he frowned. “How long was I in that tub...?”
Barking out a laugh at his adorable confusion, I shook my head. “I called in reinforcements. Seb, Lyric, and Kay helped me.” Hugging him closer, I grinned. “You weren’t in the bathroom that long.”
I kissed his soft lips before pulling back to put him down.
“Come on. Let me get you settled inside and I’ll go get our food.”
I helped him onto the mattress and offered him a couch cushion to pad his back so he could comfortably sit up.
“I’ll be right back.” I went to grab the platter and some napkins.
When I returned, I set the platter on the end of the mattress before hopping into the tent next to Bodhi. He was looking around in awe at the twinkling lights, eyes shining.
“This is all so beautiful. No one’s ever done anything like this for me.” His eyes shone with reverence, hope, and something else before shaking his head and pointing at the food.
“What do we have here?”
Pulling the platter forward, I offered him the first choice.
“I didn’t think to ask if there’s anything you don’t like.” I glanced down at the platter.
He rested a hand on mine. “I eat everything. It’s fine. Thank you for all this. It’s truly beautiful.”
Remembering the drinks Seb placed in the tent when we were setting up, I leaned down the side and grabbed the sparkling apple juice and two champagne flutes tucked carefully in a dish towel.
“It’s still a bit early for alcohol, so I thought sparkling apple juice would do the trick.” I offered him a glass, settling mine down between my legs as I opened the bottle and poured some for each of us.
“That’s probably a good thing because I don’t actually drink.” He bowed his head, turning away. Was he embarrassed? By what?
“Hey, now, that’s okay, Bodhi. I don’t care if you drink or not. I’m even more glad I got apple juice then,” I said, sending him a wink to lighten the mood. I raised my glass. “Cheers to our first official date.” We clinked glasses, and the smile that lit up his face at my words was beautiful.
“And here’s to many more,” he added, cheeks flushing.
Smiling at him, I took a sip. “I like the sound of that.”
He was stunning sitting there in the flickering candlelight as we sipped our juice and ate the food. We talked about nothing and everything. Conversation flowed easily between us. I was so comfortable, it felt like I’d known him all my life, rather than just a month. He fit like he was a puzzle piece I didn’t know I was missing until he slotted perfectly into place.
Once we finished the food, I placed the platter on the floor outside our tent so we could stretch out.
“I thought it would be cool to watch a movie while lounging in the tent. What do you think?” I asked.
“That sounds wonderful.” Bodhi settled back into his pillow mound.
“What do you want to watch?”
“I can’t remember the last movie I saw, so anything is fine with me.”
Loading Netflix, we scrolled through and decided on an action flick starring Ryan Reynolds. I loved lying down and snuggling Bodhi. Having his warmth next to me and his head on my shoulder felt right. He fit so perfectly beside me. I hoped I could get him to stay with me for a long, long time.
