63. Ollie
Chapter 63
Ollie
Fuck, it's good to have her home.
Working without her here to distract me has sucked, but I have mixed feelings about heading back to the job site tomorrow. Trying to act normal around her dad will be awful. Leaving her in my warm bed will be even worse. Or hers. I guess we might take turns deciding whose room to end up in each night, and now there’s bonus option number three to consider, too.
“Yours wasn’t the only mattress that arrived this week, you know?”
She perches at the edge of the bed, and I run my fingers down her spine before she pulls my abandoned t-shirt over her head.
“Did you replace yours, too?”
“Nope.” I say, popping the 'p' and waiting for her to catch my drift.
She sweeps her hair over her shoulder to look back and me and I want to drag her back into bed and never leave.
“Oh! For the van? Already?”
“Yeah, I finished the frame between jobs this week. You want to come out for a tour?”
“Of course I do,” she says, leaping up and heading for the door.
“Megan…” I call after her. Watching her walk away in just my t-shirt is so hot, I really hate to burst her bubble. “If we’re going outside, you really need to put some shorts on.”
Megan's jaw drops when she steps into the van, and I drink down each little gasp as she admires the progress I’ve made since she was last in here. Her fingers trace the countertops and the overhead cupboards I’ve built by hand. I still need to attach handles and latches, but they're on their way.
“Ollie, this is incredible.”
While she's been staying at her parent's house, I've spent every evening out here knuckling down. Sometimes simple tasks take weeks to complete, and other days, I get loads of smaller jobs done. Now the mattress is here, the van feels less like a project and more like she's ready for the road.
The shell I drove her home from the hospital in is unrecognisable. There are lights in the ceiling, flooring that looks like real wood, and a bed that's inviting and comfy.
The relief is immense, knowing I’ll never have to sleep on the floor with only a jacket for a blanket again.
“She looks finished,” she says, and it’s nice to see it through someone else’s eyes.
“Ah, not quite. There’s a lot still to do. I need a sink, and a shower, then I can hook the water up.”
“Shower?”
“Open that door.”
“What door?”
I can’t stop smiling. This is the showstopper and I know it will blow her mind. From the outside, it looks like a stack of floor to ceiling drawers, but I guide her hand towards one handle and we pull on it together. Just as I planned, the recessed cupboard swings open like a door, revealing the tiled shower cubicle behind it.
“You built the shower from that video I showed you?”
“I did it. It was pretty tricky getting all the right measurements in place, but it slots nicely on top of the toilet when you close it. Then when I’m cooking, I can pull it out towards the kitchen and all these drawers are actually doors to shelves that double up as storage, like a pantry.”
I flip a couple of latches and let the doors swing down for the big reveal. I had the idea to fit them to open down instead of up so I could grab things one-handed if necessary, and I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out.
“That is genius,” she says, reaching her arm into the currently empty space. “You’ve really made every space work hard.”
“I’d never have done it without your suggestion.” I twist her to face me and plant a soft kiss on her cheek. “So thank you.”
“What else is left to do?”
“I want to paint these cabinets. Now they’re all in, I think the place could use a little colour. And I’m adding in a window.”
“Where?” she asks, and I pull the side door closed behind her.
“Right here.” I trace a large rectangle with my finger. “I thought I’d be fine without one, but now it’s getting closer to summer, I think it’ll suck to be on the road and have no light source if it’s a shitty day and I need to stay inside.”
“And you can just add a window?” she laughs.
“Yeah, with a custom build you can do pretty much anything. I’ve been talking to a guy online who is selling one, so I’m going to drive up there and he’ll help me fit it. He’s on his fifth van now, so he really knows his stuff.”
“You’ve thought of so many details, you could start your own YouTube channel now.”
There’s still so much more to show her. “I want to find some curtains that I can fit across the top and bottom of the window so I have privacy, but I can slide to one side. Then I’ve also built this, which was a mission because it has a lot of moving parts, but it worked out great.”
I bend to slip my fingers into the handle in a square panel beneath the bed and pull it towards me. The runners and wheels work just as I’ve designed, revealing a long slim bench that extends in front of the side door, giving me extra seating space.
“This hole in the floor,” I show her, nudging it with my foot. “It’s for a removable table leg. So I can either sit in here at night when the door is closed and eat, or face out when the door is open and admire the views.”
“That will be amazing.”
“I know, I can’t wait. And that’s not all,” I lift the bench top to reveal the brand new, unused, flip-top fridge I found on eBay. “So I’ll be able to keep food fresh while I’m on the road. I just need to get some foam and fabric to make a seat topper.”
“I can help with that,” she says. “The curtain too.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, I always end up helping to make the costumes for the drama show at school. My mum has a sewing machine, just pick a colour and let me know the dimensions.”
“Are you serious?”
“Of course, I’d love to help. You can think of it as a gift from me. Something to remember me by.”
She adds that last part quietly, sliding the door open to climb back out. It’s almost as if she didn’t intend for me to hear it, and the truth of it stings. I might be leaving, but my time with Megan is not something I’ll ever be able to forget.