Page 59 of Eternal

I follow him into the kitchen, watching as he fills a water bowl for Storm and sets it on the ground. She scampers up to it and sloshes water all over the place before exploring more of the house. Soren looks calm, almost happy, making me wonder if he was never allowed to have a pet.

I clear my throat. “Thank you for the gifts and for Storm, Soren. It means a lot to me.”

Soren’s eyes soften, looking at me. “It’s no problem, my darling. I’m just glad you liked them.”

“Where are we going when you get back?” I ask, wrapping my arms around his torso.

“My family is originally from a town in Germany, on the border of France. We are going to a cottage I own for about 2 weeks,” Soren says, running his fingers through my hair.

“Germany? I’ve always wanted to go. What’s the town called?”

“Strasbourg. It’s a perfect combination of France and Germany.”

I have no idea where that is, but the name he spoke clicks in my head. He pronounced it like a fluent speaker.

“Soren, do you speak German?”

He pulls away a little from me. “Yes, amongst other languages. It was important to my mom for me to know the language since that’s where the Astor lineage follows.”

My eyebrows furrowed together. How did I never know this? “What other languages do you speak?”

“Italian, Spanish, French, German, Russian, and I’ve been learning Japanese.”

My eyebrows fly to my hairline. How did he learn so many languages? Was it forced upon him as a child, or did he learn it because of his line of business?

“That’s enough with the questions for now, Freya. Did you want to go get things for Storm? And perhaps get lunch?”

I agree and put Storm’s collar and leash on, following Soren as we all pile into the SUV. He casually rests his hand on my thigh as we ride to the local pet store.

After a hefty shopping spree, spoiling our new puppy, we sat on the patio of a restaurant for lunch. Soren and I discuss plans for our trip to Germany. Storm has a tough time controlling herself from drooling all over my lunch. Little does she know it’s only a salad, and I doubt she would enjoy it.

“When do you leave, Soren?”

“Tomorrow morning, very early. I’ll be back in a few days. So on Friday, we will leave for Miami for your father’s party, then we will leave Sunday for Germany. Just make sure you have a bag packed for that too.” Soren says, then shoves his sandwich into his mouth, taking a small bite. Rather than chewing, he takes it out and feeds it to Storm, who gladly gobbles it up. Soren gives Storm a small smile, “You are going to be one spoiled dog, aren’t you?”

I can’t help but feel a swell in my chest watching the two of them interact. He cares about her, even though he has a hard time showing it. I continue with my salad, watching the two of them interact, but Storm is smart enough to know he won’t give her any more, so she returns to me. I giggle and give her some pets, and she huffs that there’s no food in my hand to give her. With time, we will slowly turn our house into a home and knit ourselves a small happy family.

The rest of the night is spent watching movies and cooking dinner together, with little said between us. But it’s a comfortable silence that blankets us.

I woke the following day to no one next to me but a note.

I didn’t want to wake you. I will be back in 3 days. Call me every night.

x Soren

I look down at the note, and it feels as though he’s written me a love letter with every note he leaves me. I date the back of them and store them away in a locked box I hide in the back of the closet. It’s a little reminder for me that he does care. Any other guy would have just left without saying anything or just texted. He makes a point to find a piece of paper and pen to write me these notes. There’s “care” placed in each of them.

Storm jumps off the bed, stretching as I make my way to the kitchen to make myself a coffee. The house is tranquil, but the silence bothers me. Turning on the TV, Storm settles down at my feet to stay on guard for me, any slight movement and sound causing her to jump up in protection. Luci has been given the next month off, which is probably best since Storm might take her arm off if she enters.

Night finally comes, and I call Soren as requested in his note. He answers the phone on the last ring, and the loud booming of music assaults my ears.

“Freya, I can’t talk tonight,” He shouts into the phone.

My cheeks flush. He’s at a club? What business does he have doing there?

“What’s with the blaring music?” I ask, but there’s a likelihood he can’t even hear me.

“Freya, I can’t hear you,” He yells into the phone.

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