Chapter Thirty-Two
It has been over two years since I have woken up beside someone, and as each day passes, it is becoming more familiar. I might not be able to stretch my legs out to the other side of the bed when I wake up any longer, or even go back to bed with a piece of toast and not worry about the crumbs, but I wouldn’t swap anything for the feeling of waking up with Tomas beside me.
Once we have had our morning coffees and porridge to warm us up, I decide to show Tomas some of my favourite parts of the countryside that I love so much, which is so opposite to the hustle and bustle of Prague. Thanks to the blizzard and the essential visit to Dewi, I haven’t been able to show Tomas the beguiling area I live in yet. So, the first thing I want to do today is to take him on my favourite river walk.
I could walk along the river for miles when I am alone, but with Tomas holding my hand, I could lose track of time. As we head down towards the direction of the stream, the ground is crisp with ice and scrunches beneath our feet. Snow still lies scattered in parts where the sun hasn’t quite reached, and delicate snowdrops somehow manage to break through. It won’t be long before this patch will metamorphose into a bluebell wood, the magical blue flowers bringing with them the hopeful signs of warmer weather.
‘Snowdrops are my favourite,’ I say.
‘They’re beautiful. Just like you,’ says Tomas.
I blush, and Tomas strokes my cheek, making me blush even further.
I shrug my shoulders. ‘I don’t know. I’m just ordinary me.’
‘You’re not ordinary. You’re beautiful from the inside, and it shines through. When you smile and laugh, you light up a room.’
‘I wouldn’t go that far, but thank you.’
‘You really don’t see yourself like I see you, do you?’
‘Can we change the subject? I’m getting embarrassed now.’ I smile at Tomas as he looks at me. ‘But, may I say, you’re pretty fantastic too. I mean, look at you!’ I pinch at the side of his waist, even though it is mostly padding from his jacket that I get hold of. ‘Not at all bad for a fifty-one-year-old,’ I tease. I finally found out his age when we were talking over the Baileys.
‘Well, age isn’t an obstacle to keeping in shape.’
‘No, not at all. I suppose I’m lucky I have all these long walks to go on, which keep me fit. Although, I do have a weakness for a hearty meal after them. Which makes me think of food. Are you hungry again?’
‘I wouldn’t say no to lunch. That porridge has gone down quickly. Must be the cold air.’
‘Perfect, I know just the place.’
We walk another half an hour through the woods and across streams where branches crunch and snap as we balance on top of them. Tomas politely holds back the bough of a large tree for me to pass through a narrow opening in the woods. As I squeeze by, I finally get a view of the nearby road.
‘There’s a pub not far now. Almost there.’
The pub I want Tomas to visit serves amazing steak pies with masses of puff pastry, and they do a gorgeous fresh local salmon, so I am confident that Tomas will find something he likes on the menu.
I haven’t seen the landlord, Emrys, for a long time. I would have last been in here with Craig a few years ago, but he still recognises me when he sees me.
‘Well, well, Olivia! Haven’t seen you around here for some time.’
The heat of the pub hits me in the face, and I feel myself flush as I try to answer Emrys. I find it awkward that I am walking in with a man who is not my well-known husband.
‘No, I’ve been… Busy.’ I don’t want to get into a conversation about Craig, although I would imagine he has been here with Josephine by now, so hopefully, Emrys knows what has happened and that I am not walking in with someone I am having an affair with. Thankfully, he seems more interested in what we want to drink, and I realise that maybe people aren’t all gossiping about me. They actually have better things to do. All this time, I thought there was only room for one of us in the community, and that was Craig. I am starting to believe that there is room for both of us.
‘What can I get you, then?’
We order two local ciders, and I notice that my favourite table by the fire is free.
‘Let’s sit here. Is there anything better than a country pub with a log fire?’ I say.
‘Not much. Snuggling up with you comes close though,’ grins Tomas.
‘Cheers to that,’ I smile.
After a sip of the apple cider, Tomas inspects the horse brass medallions with dragons and fleur-de-lys that decorate the fireplace.
‘They look old,’ he says.
‘Aye, from the seventeenth century, some of these are,’ says Emrys, as he puts down a menu on our table.
‘You see, we have history here, just like Prague,’ I say.
‘And good food too, by the looks of this menu,’ says Tomas, as he scans through it.
‘Exactly. The same as Prague.’
We both decide to order the pie and when the huge meal arrives, Tomas looks pleased with his choice.
‘This looks amazing.’
‘Just wait until you taste it.’
Emrys has always had a knack for making the most flavoursome gravy in his pies. In fact, he is famous for them.
Over lunch, we talk about Prague and the fact that Tomas has to get back to his fledgling business. I have got used to his company and will miss him. We agree that we’ll keep in touch, though, and make the most of this long-distance relationship as much as we can. Still, I make the most of having someone to enjoy a pub lunch with, and by the time we have finished chatting, it is almost time for the kitchen to close for the lunchtime orders.
‘Now, you two love birds, will you be having a dessert?’
‘Oh, I couldn’t possibly,’ I say.
‘Are you sure? Special today is sticky toffee pudding or jam roly poly and custard.’
‘Jam roly poly? What’s that?’ asks Tomas. I suppose it does sound strange if you are not familiar with it, and he was probably too busy in the pubs of Cardiff to be thinking of traditional British dishes when he was at uni.
‘Oh, I guess he’s going to have to try the roly poly after all. Two spoons, though, please,’ I tell Emrys.
‘You haven’t lived until you’ve eaten jam roly poly,’ I tease Tomas.
Even though I am fit to burst, I can’t stop myself from devouring the sticky strawberry jam that is lavishly spread out between the layers of roly poly. Tomas enjoys it so much that when Emrys comes to collect our empty bowls, he asks him for the recipe.
Whatever I do with Tomas is always enjoyable, but a long and lazy pub lunch is another of the perfect ways to spend the day with him. By the time we eventually leave, the sun is going down over the trees.
‘We’d better walk fast, we don’t want to get stuck out in the woods in the dark,’ I warn Tomas.
‘Maybe if we get lost in the woods, I’ll miss my flight tomorrow and have to stay a while,’ he says.
‘As much as I’d love that, you’d probably have hypothermia by the time we were found out here,’ I say.
The temperature is dropping fast, and we need to keep walking to maintain our body heat.
‘I know. I do wish I didn’t have to leave though.’
‘Yeah, me too. But you have a new business to launch, and it’s an exciting time for you.’
‘I don’t know if it will be so exciting without you there.’
‘Well, I’ll come over as soon as I can. I promise.’
‘I hope so.’
Tomas puts his arm around my waist and holds me tight as we walk back to the mill. As I think about how close we have become, I realise that I don’t care where we are; being together is what matters. It amazes me that I have been guarded for so long, yet now I have fallen for someone so fast.
‘When you leave, you’d better write to me. Just like Aunt Grace and Marek did,’ I tell Tomas.
He smiles. ‘I promise. I will phone you, write to you and video call you.’
‘What if it ends the same way as Aunt Grace and Marek?’
‘It won’t. We must have faith and believe that.’
Tomas takes me in his arms and looks me straight in the eye. ‘I promise, I’ll never ever let you down.’
‘Good. Then I trust you.’
Tomas kisses me, and I pray that our relationship will last the test of time.
For Tomas’ last evening, we cuddle up on the sofa listening to Christmas music with an Irish coffee. It might be the beginning of January, but I am not letting Christmas go just yet. I want to make the most of it now I have rediscovered my festive spirit. After all, I have two years’ worth to catch up on.
As I lean my head into Tomas’ shoulder, he turns to look at me.
‘I need to ask you something.’
‘You look serious.’
‘It’s not that serious. Just something I wanted to know about you.’
‘Sure, go ahead.’
I fumble with my earring, as I always do when I’m apprehensive and unsure of what is about to come.
‘Did your wish come true?’
‘What wish?’
‘The one you made on the bell on New Year’s Eve.’
‘Oh, that wish.’
‘Yes, because mine did,’ says Tomas.
‘Oh, really? What was it?’
‘To be with you,’ says Tomas.
‘You wished for that?’
‘Yes, I did. So, are you going to tell me what you wished for?’
‘Well, I suppose there’s no harm since it didn’t come true.’
‘Your wish didn’t come true?’
‘Nope. I wished that Milena would be in your past and definitely not show up at the party.’
‘Oh, and she did.’
‘Exactly.’
‘But, we got there in the end, though, right?’
‘We did,’ I smile.
‘Can I tell you a secret?’ says Tomas.
‘Oh, I love secrets. Go on then.’
‘It’s that I have one last wish. Not all my wishes have come true yet.’
‘What is it?’
‘That you’ll come and stay with me in Prague. Otherwise, I may have to leave the business and follow you to Wales.’
‘You’d do that for me? Give up your dream for someone you’ve just met?’
‘As your aunt said, sometimes you don’t need to spend a long time with someone to know they are the one. I know that you’re the one for me, and I won’t let the distance get in our way.’
I move over to kiss Tomas. I don’t think I have ever met anyone in my life who would give up their dreams to be with me. It is the evidence I need to see that Tomas is nothing like Craig. I can trust him.
‘Oh, but we can’t have you give up your dream for me, now, can we?’ I say.
‘No?’
‘Nope. You know, the mill would make the perfect holiday home. Admittedly, it’s a bit isolated, but I’m sure people would love to stay in this lovely setting to escape the rat race. I can’t promise, but I’ll make some enquiries about letting it out for holiday rentals. That way, I could maybe spend more time in Prague with you, and we can make sure we’re doing the right thing.’
‘You’d do that for me?’
I realise that I would definitely do that for Tomas.
‘Yes, I would. I think that’s fair enough. We both get to keep our dreams but can also be together.’
‘Now that sounds like the best compromise I’ve ever heard,’ grins Tomas, and then we make love as I try to commit every precious moment to memory, knowing he is leaving tomorrow.