Chapter 21
On the long winding hill down to the Eden Project’s entrance, I’m walking with Teddy hand-in-hand. This was a spur of the moment kind of morning. We wanted some time just us two. It was my suggestion to go to the Eden project. I haven’t been in a very long time.
“What are you thinking about?” Teddy asks, the sun shining past his shoulder as if he’s an angel looking at me.
“Nothing, I’m just glad we’re doing this,” I say, squeezing his hand a little and giving him a smile.
We wait in line at the ticket counter and are talking utter nonsense. We are called forward and Teddy sorts out our tickets. I’m holding onto his hand tight as if he’ll die if I let go.
“Oh we should definitely get some coffee to walk around with,” I say to Ted who is just about to finish paying.
“Wait, I can get that,” I say, taking out my wallet. I’m interrupted by Teddy’s hand putting my wallet back in my pocket.
“I’ll get this, you can get the coffee if you like?” he says. I’m not an idiot, I know the coffee will be no where near how much the tickets are. But I don’t argue. I can buy the next thing we do.
“Your favourite coffee is a mocha, right?” Teddy asks me as we walk towards a counter serving coffee. There’s a glass cabinet full of cakes and pastries that make my mouth water. The smell of coffee makes me smile widely.
“Yeah it is, how’d you know?” I ask as we inch closer to the counter.
“Kai told me,” he replies with a smile.
We grab a coffee each, one mocha for me, and a caramel latte for Teddy.
We head out the doors and we’re met with a wonderful sight.
The Eden Project is a massive crater in the ground, with a beautiful garden of gorgeous plants that are all different shapes and colours.
At the very bottom, are these massive glass domes, that house different biomes.
There are hundreds of people walking around, admiring the flowers. I smile, then face my boyfriend.
“Thanks for taking me out today, especially to here. The last time I was here was with Mum,” I tell him without my smiling fading.
“I wish I could have met her, to thank her.”
“Why?” I laugh, scrunching my face a little.
“Because she raised the wonderful person I now get to call my boyfriend,” he says and I instantly melt. I think Mum would have liked Teddy. It’s times like this I wish she was still alive. I wish I could have introduced them.
After a day of exploring the glorious gardens and biomes, we decide to sit down for a dinner in the Mediterranean biome.
The heat is fake, made to replicate an actual place in the Mediterranean.
I can’t help but feel like I’m abroad though.
The building housing the kitchen and bar definitely look foreign.
It’s as if we’ve got on a plane to get here when in reality, we’re still in Cornwall.
We order some white wine and clink our glasses together.
I enjoy Teddy’s company, he makes me feel comfortable and safe. It feels natural. I’m falling for him faster than a bullet train. But this is a train I never want to get off of.
“This place is gorgeous. It almost feels like another world,” Teddy begins as he sips on his wine. “How often did you come here with your Mum?” he asks, placing his glass down on the wooden table.
“We went multiple times a week. She always thought this place was magical,” I explain dreamily. It’s a little bittersweet walking around the biomes without her. I know she’s somewhere in the universe watching over me.
Is she happy with what she sees? I hope she is. I hope I’m making her proud. All she ever wanted was for me to be happy, it was the most important thing to her.
“I suppose in a way it is magical,” Teddy replies, taking another drink of his wine.
His arms are tanned like we’ve been abroad for a couple of weeks.
I wonder if one day we could travel together?
I can imagine the two of us setting off for places we’ve never seen before.
I’d like to visit Amsterdam for the beautiful streets and coffee shops.
Or the Italian Riviera for the gorgeous towns and good food.
Or even New York at Christmas. I want to do all that and more with Teddy.
I can see it fresh in my brain and it makes me explode with happiness.
When I’m with Teddy, I feel like the muscles in my face are holding me back from putting on a smile wide enough to show how happy I really am.
“How do you feel about travelling the world?”
“What, me and you?” he says, pointing between us. I nod as he continues. “I’ve always wanted to travel, but I never wanted to do it alone. I think it would get pretty lonely.”
“Yeah I guess it would, although, I guess some people just like their own company,” I say, sipping on my wine some more. I swirl it around as Teddy comes out with a profound thought.
“I feel like I’m by myself when I’m with you. Like, you know the calmness that comes with being on your own, the no worries about being social and normal? I feel like that with you. I don’t know if that makes any sense.” I nod quickly.
“No, I understand. Like, you feel at ease with me?” I assume, to which Teddy nods.
“Definitely. I surrounded myself with books because they allow you to shut off from the world. I get really tired being around people all day. But with you, I don’t feel like that,” he explains as a fire burns inside me I can’t contain. I feel my cheeks go red.
“I feel that way around you, too,” I tell him, gripping my wine glass and leaning forward in my chair to get closer to him.
“But yeah, I would love to travel the world with you. Any excuse to spend more time with my favourite boy,” he grins as he clinks my glass and downs the rest of his glass.
“I mean, we only have forever to do that,” I tell him as he puts his glass down.
“Forever, eh?” he says, a thousand words hidden within the grin he gives me. I down the rest of my wine.
“Another?” he asks.
“We have no where else to be, do we? Let’s get a bottle.”
“Or two?” he proposes.
It’s a wonder how on earth we manage to get home. I stumble through Teddy’s gate, it opens with a bang, which alerts literally everyone in the flat. Elijah comes out first with the worst shit-eating grin I’ve ever seen and it makes me want to strangle him.
“Guys, you didn’t! No way. Are you two drunk?” He asks us. We stumble towards him, laughing hysterically.
“We misjudged… a few things. But me and my boyfriend are allowed to have fun once in a while,” Teddy says, hiccuping throughout the sentence. I only thought people hiccuped when they were drunk in TV Shows. Turns out it’s another one of Teddy’s quirks.
“I didn’t even know they had a bar at the Eden Project,” Elijah notes, but we ignore him and look into each other’s eyes.
“You know how much I like you? Like your fucking awesome Noah and I’m just head over heels for you and like you’re so cool. Sometimes I think I don’t deserve someone as good as you,” Teddy slurs, going in for a cuddle.
“I don’t deserve you. You’re an angel,” I slur, cuddling him back. Elijah pretends to gag.
“You guys are gross,” he jests.
We continue to stumble into the house. Cat, Daisy and Kai are on the couch talking between themselves before looking over at us.
“Do you guys have any food? I’m really hungry,” I ask, going into the kitchen.
“Yeah there’s pizza on the—”
“Pizza?” I exclaim, interrupting Elijah. Teddy follows me and grabs a slice. We start stuffing our drunk faces with cold pizza, cuddling and poking each other while laughing hysterically. Everyone watches us, sniggering between themselves.
“Do you guys want—”
“I think they’ve had enough alcohol Eli,” Cat laughs, telling him to put the Cider away.
“I agree, to be honest, I’m like… a bit tired,” I say through a mouthful of pizza.
“Noah, you say ‘like’ a lot, you know that?” Teddy says, poking me repeatedly in the shoulder. I grab his finger and use it to poke his cheek.
“Stop saying my name it sounds weird,” I say.
“Why?”
“Call me baby,” I reply with a grin on my cheeks.
“This guy thinks he’s Carly Rae Jepsen over here,” Elijah groans. Kai and the girls laugh at him.
They correct him in unison. “It’s call me, maybe.”
“What? I always thought it was baby?” He says, looking at Kai.
“I’m sorry to say, but it’s definitely maybe,” he laughs. Elijah puts his face in his hands.
“I’ve been lied to all this time?” He cries sarcastically. Kai puts an arm around him and pats his back until the two dissolve into laughter.
“Hi baby,” Teddy whispers into my ear.
“Hi, pumpkin.”
“Pumpkin? It isn’t even Halloween, idiot.”
“You’re the idiot, I’m just trying new things leave me alone,” I say, playfully punching him in the arm. We all laugh before we start to head into Teddy’s bedroom, saying goodnight on our way out.
We fall into his bed, our drunken brains weighing us down. I’m in love with everything about him. The way his eyes remind me of the ocean. The way his smile lights up a room. The way his chocolate hair falls over his face, and how he fixes it all the time. And how—
“You’re deep in thought again,” he says, his voice vibrating through me. I think I might start hiding under a table because of the earthquake in my heart.
“I’m thinking about how pretty you are,” I say, my eyes staring into his.
“Says you,” he replies, winking. “You’re the prettiest boy I’ve ever met.
” He kisses me on the forehead and accepts his fate as he begins to fall asleep.
I lie there, staring at him. It sounds creepy but I just want to watch him sleep.
The way his chest rises and falls with his breath.
Then the low sound of his breathing that escapes his nose.
The look he has, indicating how at peace he feels.
“Teddy, I think… I love you,” I whisper, causing the boy beside me to smile with his eyes closed. He holds me closer.
“I love you, too.”
It isn’t long until I accept my fate too. I drift off to sleep in his arms.