“I don’t. We’re in love, aren’t we? Why shouldn’t we live together?”
She giggles nervously. “I’m just concerned because I’m not yet divorced...”
“But you will be soon.”
“And I ruined your life.”
“No, you didn’t. Jeremy tried to ruin my life, and he hasn’t succeeded. The newspapers have already printed their apologies, the news is all about the bad things that he’s done at the moment, which is how I’m getting my business back on track.”
“Is it working?”
“I don’t know.” I shrug honestly. “But I’m having a go. I’m a tough cookie anyway. I can withstand anything.”
I think about Dan’s warnings and how he’s now taken them back now. He’s seen how much I’m willing to withstand for Nova, and how happy she makes me. It took a long time for him to admit that I know what I’m doing, but he’s there now. That will only get better when he finally sees me and Nova together. That time will come when she’s ready.
As for my mother… well, she’s still unsure all the way in France, but that’s okay. I’ll convince her too. She’s more concerned that me and Nova won’t last because she might only be looking for someone to help her recover from her ex. But I know that isn’t the truth and as time goes by, she will see it too.
Maybe we will even go to visit her sometime.
“Okay.” She eventually nods determinedly. “I will move in with you.”
“Good, because I’ve got you some more new clothes…”
“I haven’t paid you back for the first lot yet!”
“This is a gift, so I don’t want you to pay me back. It’s absolutely fine.”
She sighs and nods. “Well, I’ll take the clothes, but I will try and pay you back.”
“You won’t. You can’t throw a gift back in my face over pride.”
She rolls her eyes and snorts. “Well, I’m not going to argue with you here, I want to leave.”
“Okay, well my car is outside. Let’s go.”
I half hold Nova as we leave, hoping that this is the right move for both of us, and I take her to freedom. I can almost hear her breath getting caught in her throat as the sun shines on her. It must feel incredible, I can almost experience it with her.
I smile as I take her to the car, and gently slide her into the passenger’s seat. I’m struck by her beauty, for a moment she takes my breath away. Her soft blonder hair whipping around her high cheekbones, the sweet smile on her plump lips, the paleness to her green wet eyes which shine happily in my direction. She really is a vision of angelic gorgeousness.
I love her… I love her so much…
That thought sticks in my brain as I drive us back to my place. I have thought that I’ve been in love before, but it’s never been like this. This is so powerful, so all-consuming, it’s all of me. My whole life now revolves around her, she’s anchored me. I’ve always been so focused, so driven, so pulled in by my work. I never had anything else to focus on. But now I do.
I dart my eyes sideways every so often, smiling at Nova. She doesn’t seem to notice, she’s lost in the outside world as if she had been locked away for years. It’s adorable. She fascinates me, I guess she always has, but now it’s even more intense. I guess now she really does feel like she’s mine. Before, there’s always been a bit of a sense that it’s coming to an end at some point, but now, she really does belong to me.
There are areas of us that are still quite taboo, but it’s much more real.
“Here we are.” I pull the car to a stop. “Your new house.”
“This feels weird.” I can see Nova stiffen. “To think of it as my own.”
I don’t want to pile up the pressure, I don’t want to push her away. “If it’s too much, you can always leave, I don’t want it to be a problem. I don’t want you to ever feel stuck. Whatever happens, we can work through it, okay?”
She smiles gratefully and hooks her hand around the back of my neck before dragging me towards her for a kiss. We connect on an even deeper level, the love shining through.
“Come on.” I hold her hand softly. “Let’s go inside.”
A thick heady lust surrounds us as we go back inside my home, our home. I don’t even notice my surroundings as we go in. It’s only me and her. We’re trapped in our own little bubble, wandering towards the holy grail. My bed.