Chapter 40
“Ladies and gentlemen, dear passengers, we regret to inform you that we did in fact encounter a slight malfunction during the night on our way into Ghent. Unfortunately, this issue couldn’t be fixed yesterday.
They’ve given us the estimate that we should be able to leave early tomorrow morning.
” The speaker crackles with static as the person speaking pauses for a bit.
“This means that we’ll be staying stationary during the night.
Dinner and breakfast will be served as scheduled.
We apologize, again, for any inconvenience this might bring.
” With a definite click the static vanishes and the moody mix of classic and jazz fills the room once again.
There’s a slow smile crawling up Gabriel’s lips as they lock eyes over their morning cup of tea. “That means we’ll be traveling the route to Scotland during the day.”
James nods slowly, confused. After a moment, Gabriel elaborates. “It’s supposed to be a beautiful trip, upward along the coast.”
Now, James smiles. Sometimes he forgets that it’s the thing that Gabriel enjoys most about the trip, the views along the way.
“And if we can travel full speed again it means we’ll probably be there by dinner time,” James offers, mind settling down from the first bout of uncertainty.
“That just sounds like a win-win situation to me. But today, we still have some parts of Ghent to see.”
“More waffles to eat, you mean?” teases James, while Gabriel holds up James’ coat and helps him into it.
The notion seems so familiar he’s stunned that he only realizes what happened as he’s zipping up the front.
Turning around proves futile, since Gabriel’s already turned away to zip up his own coat and grab his bag.
The flush on Gabriel’s cheeks is telling enough, even if he still reaches out to James while he locks their cabin.
He revels in the easiness of the affection between them.
It’s a relief to see that the rain has cleared, leaving the city cast in a light layer of fog and the streets painted with the last remaining puddles. The weather might be nicer, even if the temperature leaves much to be desired, but they do settle on taking the tram into the city again.
The medieval town passes them by, beautiful buildings and old shops lining the pavements and providing a backdrop of daydreams, with high gavels and gothic features. It’s a timeless city; one he’s sure looks as beautiful in spring as it does now.
They return to the market. This time they do wander in, past the tastefully decorated entrance and into the leftover wonder of Christmas.
It’s crowded, even during this early hour, and James takes some steadying breaths to brace himself. Stalls full of trinkets and ornaments line the length of the square. Booths with gifts, baskets full of goodies and food are sprinkled in between them.
Hand in hand they stroll along the wooden tables.
Gabriel’s ever so patient as he’s led around by James.
Mostly just waiting and people watching while James admires every trinket he finds.
They stop for another cup of hot chocolate, with a hefty dollop of whipped cream.
Gabriel’s been eyeing every food related cart they pass, but hasn’t been able to settle on anything yet.
His partner’s presence by his side brings warmth and comfort.
The lingering kisses they share in between sips of hot chocolate and coffee simmer low in his belly.
Every touch burns in his spine. He finds that it’s easier to not care about what is going on around them when he’s this close to Gabriel.
Knows that no matter what happens he has him to stick by his side.
It’s easy for James to lose some hours at the market, shuffling along the booths and procuring some mementos of their stay here.
As the sky above them darkens the lights across the city flicker to life, bathing the streets in a warm white glow.
“We should probably head back to The Evergreen soon.”
“Huh?” James says, distracted by the intricate design of the reindeer ornament he’s studying.
There’s no hint of annoyance or impatience in Gabriel’s tone when he repeats, “Should be heading back. We’ve got dinner in an hour.”
If that doesn’t prove how much things have changed, nothing else will.
James has been having such a relaxed day, just browsing without hurry or expectation, that he forgot to keep track of the time.
He blinks at Gabriel, slowly and unseeing.
His boyfriend’s smile is soft, understanding with an underlying current of pride.
James blinks again. Bordering on the line of being frightened about how easily this happened and stunned by the fact that it has.
He only realizes then that the buzzing of his watch hasn’t alerted him either.
A glance downward shows a black screen, indicating a dead battery.
Another surprise he’s not sure how to feel about.
Not once has he left the house without a fully charged phone and watch before. “Huh,” he repeats, dumbstruck.
Gabriel reaches out for him, sliding his arm around James’ waist. Their bodies meet in a warm press, even if they’re still bundled up in their coats. Gabriel’s smile is warm and happy. “I’m sure you’ll be overthinking this soon. But I’m proud of you.”
“Yeah?” James mumbles softly.
“Always,” is muttered almost inaudibly as Gabriel leans in to close the last of the distance between them. Their lips meet in a soft touch of skin, lingering and chaste. All too soon Gabriel pulls back, a grimace on his face. “Have you been eating those marzipans Connor gave you?”
James nods and laughs as Gabriel makes a show of wiping his lips clean, all the while cursing out Connor for giving them those ‘bloody awful treats.’