Page 68 of All I Want Is Love
I am not sure what Soren is thinking, but he looks at me for a moment, then purses his lips a little and looks almost a little regretful. Yep, probably having similar thoughts to me. If I weren’t so exhausted and wouldn’t have such a long day ahead of me tomorrow, I would have taken the risk and probably felt even more sore afterwards.
But tomorrow, Valentina and Hector have asked me to a meeting at 7 a.m.. We have a day full of decorating ahead of us. And I know for a fact that Soren has to rise early too to visit one of his patients, and then turn up for some super-urgent emergency meeting together with Aspen, concerning the snowball battle on Saturday.
Neither he nor Aspen knows what it’s about, but Hector told them it’s really important.
Soren takes the soft blanket from the sofa and wraps it around him, before walking to the fireplace and adding some wood to it. Soon, the room is bathed in a soft orange. “How about some chestnuts?” he asks. “I got some fresh ones today from one of the farmers.”
“You’d make them here in the fire?” I ask.
He shows me the area above the fire, completely out of bricks. “I’d make them here.” Soren smiles. “You really are a city boy, huh?”
“Don’t call me that!”
“Sorry.” He kneels down next to me, kissing me softly. “I didn’t mean it to sound like I was making fun of you, in fact, I find your curiosity to try new things really endearing.”
“I’ll forgive you if you make those chestnuts,” I say.
“Deal!”
Soren gets down to business immediately, preparing the chestnuts for us, while I eventually get up to fix us two glasses of red wine. It’s a whole new experience for me to be in my boyfriend’s house and be allowed to roam around.
“It definitely has its perks to date the vet of the area,” I say after I chose an expensive-looking red wine. “You have endless supplies! Gifts from the farmers whose animals you treat?”
“Exactly,” Soren says. “They also provide me with fresh produce in spring. There are days I survive on their gifts alone.”
“Do you also grow your own veggies in your garden?”
“No,” he chuckles. “This might come as a shock to you, but I don’t have a green thumb.”
“Maybe we could give it a try in spring?” I ask.
Soren’s eyes turn warm and gentle all of a sudden. “You want to use my garden?”
“Is that okay? If not, I can—"
“It absolutely is okay. I never did much with my garden. You would be doing me a favor,” he smiles. “Just be careful because Barkley is a Bernese Mountain Dog. They are said to eat everything.”
“I have noticed that already. Last week I dropped an onion on the ground. Guess who tried to chomp it up?” I turn around and grab Barkley’s huge head. “You are my silly boy, aren’t you?” I coo.
Barkley’s tail moves before he snorts and buries his snout in my sweater. I love him so much. I have no idea how I survived so long without a pup.
Soren and I spend the coziest evening imaginable, with lots of chestnuts, some wine and a lot of cuddles. It’s exactly the boost of recharge I need to survive the next day, tailing Valentina and Hector and keeping up with their excited chatter.
It’s been a while since I peopled as much as I have done recently, and while I enjoy it, it probably will take a while for me to adapt to it again. Months of hiding and locking myself into my apartment show their effect now. But it’s fun. I like spending time with Valentina and Hector. I like that they are both so fun and full of energy.
And the best part is that afterwards I can go home to my place, rewind and cuddle with Barkley, and wait for Soren.
I can get used to this.
Funny, a year ago, this type of life would have sounded like a nightmare to me, but now I realize I love it. Maybe I have always wanted it, but didn’t dare to dream of having it. My parents’ expectations weighed so heavily on me that I never dared to even think about what I truly wanted to do.
But now I can finally live for myself.
The afternoon before the West Sunhaven vs. East Sunhaven Christmas event, Aspen and I deliver some last boxes with Christmas ornaments to Hector. How the man managed to have the townspeople decorate everything in only a couple of days is beyond my understanding. They might not be the perfect decorations, but considering the short timespan it’s insane they pulled it off.
“Are you nervous?” Aspen asks me.
“Not really,” I say without thinking, then it hits me. “Should I be?”
