Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Dylan
The familiar sound of snoring came from my right and I smiled lovingly at Mike.
It was still early morning it seemed, but I felt energized and ready to take on the day.
This vacation had been crucial for Mike’s wellbeing and even with the ghost here, he still seemed to relax and focus on enjoying life.
It wasn’t easy working with death so much and he still had to get used to seeing ghosts everywhere.
With that last thought, I slowly made my way out of bed and got dressed.
Mike deserved some delicious breakfast and with my good mood, it would without a doubt taste amazing.
As I grabbed the ingredients in the kitchen, I watched my palms to check if they were ready to be used, the scabbing had healed perfectly fine, so I grabbed a pair of cooking gloves and began cracking the eggs.
I’d decided on pancakes, something easy to make but still time consuming.
The sun was rising steadily, but I had no idea how long Mike would sleep.
With Mike’s energy it was hard to figure out how much rest he needed, but we knew he hadn’t gotten enough rest ever since he found Erik.
This week would be the first time he could truly relax without having a ghost follow him around.
Perhaps he could even help the cabin ghost out so we had the place to ourselves.
But that was mostly just me being selfish.
I didn’t want an audience when I was with Mike, and I knew he felt the same.
Mike’s soft footsteps came closer and I smiled at the opening before he was even in sight. His cheeks were filled with wrinkles from his pillow and he was still wearing his clothes from yesterday. I grinned at him, “Good morning, handsome. Fancy some pancakes?”
He blinked tired eyes at me and then a slow smile spread across his face. “I would love some.”
“Perfect! I also got the cocoa ready, just need to warm it. Marshmallows or whipped cream? I bought both.”
He seemed to think it over. “Whipped cream. I think that will go better with the pancakes. I’ll save the marshmallows for my night-time cocoa.”
I nodded. “Great choice. Have you looked outside yet?”
He hurried closer to the window, peering out at the bright snow with squinted eyes. “Wow, it snowed while we slept.”
“Maybe we should take a short walk after breakfast, get a feel of the area,” I suggested.
“I would love that,” he smiled, returning to sit at the kitchen island as I flipped the pancakes. “But let’s stay close by just in case, I don’t want us to freeze our butts off.”
I chuckled at that. “Deal. You want to grab a quick shower before we eat? This will still take a while.”
“Yeah, sounds good,” he said, standing from his chair. “Even if I would’ve loved showering with you.”
I snorted at that, “If you think we can both fit in there, sure.”
“Fine,” he relented. “I’ll just wash myself.”
“Good boy,” I winked, grinning when he shot a glare my way as he left the kitchen.
“I get why they wear sunglasses now,” Mike groaned. “Why is snow this damn bright?”
We were walking along a path that should lead us to a restaurant, one I figured Mike would prefer over the resort one.
This one just happened to be close by and served hot meals that were perfect for this cold weather.
Not that the other restaurant didn’t sound lovely as well, but this was more our scene.
Cozy and comfortable seemed to be their whole vibe.
The resort one was either buffet style or had fancier dishes.
It had a bright and modern design, making it less intimate, in my humble opinion.
After we’d eaten breakfast earlier, I’d taken my shower and then we’d watched a movie before venturing out.
We walked for about an hour before shopping for dinner and breakfast, leaving lunch open for a date opportunity.
I much preferred to eat out at lunch time and save the evenings for ourselves.
It was just so cozy in our cabin with the sun setting and the fire and TV going as we ate.
“Would it be boring if I picked a burger?” Mike asked, looking at the sign outside and seeing what they offered.
“You and your damn burgers,” I grumbled.
He just grinned at me. “You can get spaghetti or lasagna? Oooh, they also have pizza.”
“Pizza,” I decided immediately. “And something hot and cold to drink.”
“Really? Two drinks?”
“The cold one for when we eat, and the hot one as dessert.” There was always room for dessert.
“Damn, that does sound good,” he agreed, looking at the sign that held beverages. “They have some options on here but I think they offer more than this.”
I nodded and opened the door for him. “Let’s get warm and comfy.” I followed him inside, eager to get his coat and beanie off. I felt the same need, it was hard having all these layers on, but at the same time they truly were necessary in the biting cold.
A woman with a welcoming smile led us over to a table on the second floor with a great view over the hills and forest. We could even see people skiing in the distance while we ate in the warm and cozy restaurant.
“I like it here,” Mike stated, smiling as he gazed out the window to our right.
We sat on wooden benches with the window at the end of our table, making it feel sort of like a booth, just a tad more open.
Mike had decided that we should sit facing each other, that way we could both enjoy the view, so I had a wonderful view in front, and to my right.
A waiter had taken our order and as soon as he was moving away, Mike’s fingers slowly laced with mine on top of the table, making everything else disappear around us.
“Are you happy here?” I asked, a tad nervous about his answer. It had been a rough couple of months for my Mike, and I wanted nothing else than for him to be happy.
“I am,” he sighed with a soft smile, glancing out the window. “I just can’t seem to escape work no matter where we go.”
I gave him an understanding smile. “Is that something you can learn to live with? Or do we need to act like you can’t see them in the future and demand other rooms when we travel?”
“I wished I could pretend and just move on with our vacation in another hotel room or cabin, but—”
“But that’s not who you are,” I finished for him.
He nodded once. “It’s not the kind of medium I wish to be. Which is why, I’m determined to help J?rgen before we leave.”
Mike had told me J?rgen’s whole story while we took our walk earlier, so I was caught up on everything, thankfully, which meant I wasn’t at all surprised Mike wanted to help him.
“Anything I can do?” I offered easily. He wasn’t the only one who wanted to help J?rgen find peace. The poor man had punished himself while alive and continued doing so in death. He needed saving from himself.
“I’ll let you know once I’ve decided. I had an idea yesterday, but—” he sighed. “I need to think it through some more. For now, just support me and that’ll be more than enough.”
“Always,” I promised.
Our food came and we ate in silence as our growling stomachs got filled to the brim. Once our hot cocoas had arrived, we were sated and happy.
“It’s made with Norwegian chocolate,” Mike informed me as we took tentative sips of the hot creamy liquid.
“Hmm,” I hummed, enjoying every tiny sip. “We need to come back here just for this alone.”
Mike grinned, his upper lip white with whipped cream. I leaned over the table and with my thumb, I gently removed it from his lip. I then pushed my thumb into his mouth, seeing his eyes darken as he licked my finger clean.
“Damn,” I groaned, feeling my finger tingle deliciously where it now rested on the table. My little minx just winked at me.
Two could play this game. “Did you notice that I packed my leather pants?”
His eyes widened. Oh, so he hadn’t seen.
“And the whip,” I continued, “But you likely know that, considering how it was placed on top of the suitcase.”
Mike seemed almost pained as he admitted. “I’m too full to do anything right now, even though I really want to.”
I smirked. “Then what about another walk together after this? We can burn off some of the food and return to the cabin to have some fun afterwards.”
“I love that idea.”
We’d just finished eating and the sated feeling was instantly gone when we stepped out into the biting cold.
“Why couldn’t we at least have some snow?” I pouted, holding on to Mike’s hand awkwardly with our big gloves on.
“I know!” he agreed. “And according to the weather we won’t have any snowing in the daylight hours, only during the night.”
“That sucks. I wanted to watch it snow outside while we cuddled on the couch.”
Mike nodded eagerly. “That would be amazing.”
“So,” I began, changing the subject. “What do you want to do once we return home?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “I guess we let Rino decide on what case we take on next, and where. We already told him we would love to travel and I know not all mediums enjoy being away from their family. We might only have cases in other countries if Rino could pick.”
“I wouldn’t mind that,” I said honestly. “I just want to see the world with you and have fun, and we get to help ghosts and people while doing it. That’s perfect for me.”
“I feel the same way. I’d feared I wouldn’t be able to travel when my abilities came in. Knowing I can still do what I love, and with you by my side too, is a dream come true for me,” he said, smiling lovingly at me.
“Then we’ll spend the rest of our week here relaxing and then let Rino decide once we’re back home.”
“Sounds like the perfect plan. And hopefully I will have helped J?rgen find peace before the week is up.”
“Why don’t you try it today? I can pretend to do something else while you talk to him?” I offered.
He sighed. “I think I might just have to. We have so little time here and what I’m thinking of can’t just keep getting postponed.”
“Want to tell me about your plan?” I asked again, needing him to know I was here.
He shook his head. “I decided on doing this, so I take full responsibility. I just need you to be there for me once it’s done.” His eyes were fierce with determination.
I met his gaze and nodded. “I’ve got you.”