“You don’t look so bad yourself. Nice haircut,” I replied, reaching up and sifting my fingers through his shortened locks. My hand wandered down his neck then, pulling him in close for a kiss. I’d only meant it to be a quick one, but suddenly, our tongues were involved, and Peter’s arms were wrapped tight around my waist. I drew away, breathless.
“We’d better get to wherever it is you’re taking me before this gets out of hand,” I teased, sliding my hand into his. He glanced away, looking a tiny bit shy before his eyes returned to mine. The way they smouldered made me suspect we weren’t going to get much done on our date aside from having sex, so I seriously hoped Peter didn’t plan on bringing me anywhere public.
“Walk with me,” he said.
We took a few steps, and then he teleported us. The path fell out from under me, and a second later, we were standing in a small, sparsely furnished room. There were white walls and a kitchen in the corner with a table set for two.
I glanced at Peter. “Where are we?”
He touched his neck and gestured around the room. “This is my new place.”
My eyes widened as a smile spread across my lips. “You saved up enough for an apartment already?” He nodded, and then I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms tight around his neck. “This is amazing, Peter. I’m so proud of you.”
“Don’t get too excited,” he said, a smile in his voice. “You haven’t seen the bedroom yet. I’m still sleeping on a mattress on the floor.”
“That doesn’t matter. You can collect items of furniture as you go,” I said, my attention returning to the table. A tall, unlit candle sat in the middle with plates and cutlery on either side. I took a moment to sniff the air. “Did you cook?”
Peter nodded. “It’s just spaghetti, but I think it turned out okay. Here, come and sit down,” he said, guiding me to a chair. He weaved a quick spell, and the candle lit, as well as several other candles that had been strategically placed around the room. It was a simple trick, but I was positively delighted by it. Then my cheeks heated because the space suddenly felt very romantic. I didn’t have much experience with romance, but these last few weeks with Peter meant I was getting more and more accustomed to it.
I sat and waited while he dished up the spaghetti before pouring us each a glass of red wine. “This is wonderful,” I said through a bite. “You’re a good cook.”
“Thanks. I wanted to take you to a restaurant, but the down payment on the rent took every penny of my savings.”
I reached across the table and placed my hand over his. “Hey, this is perfect. Much better than a restaurant.”
“Good. I’m glad you like it,” he said, picking up his wine glass and taking a sip.
“Besides,” I went on, “I’m very interested in checking out that mattress on the floor when we’re finished eating.”
Peter’s eyebrows shot up, his gaze heating. “Oh, yeah?”
“Yep. Can’t wait, in fact.” There was definitely a tinge of red on his cheeks now. “Oh, my goodness, I love how easy you are to embarrass.”
“You’re terrible,” he said, eyes warm. “I don’t know why I’m so in love with you.”
My heart shimmered. “It’s a good thing I’m in love with you, too,” I shot back before lifting my wine glass.
We ate in companionable silence after that. When we were done, Peter cleared away the plates before presenting me with a box of chocolates that we ended up eating for dessert. I was just glad he hadn’t decided to buy me flowers. We lay on his mattress, eating heart-shaped chocolate caramels and talking about all manner of things before the talking turned to kissing, and then kissing turned into us taking all our clothes off.
Hours later, we lay in each other’s arms, and my heart was so full with the love I felt for him. I didn’t think about anything else except for the two of us and all the possibilities the future held. I couldn’t wait to explore them with Peter by my side.
“Rita Doherty visited the market stall yesterday while I was on shift,” Peter said as his fingers traced up and down my arm.
I perked up at this. “What did she want?”