Chapter Thirty-Five
Thirty-Five
Abi had leant me a truckload of make-up to go with the nymph outfit and everything was packed in professional-looking cubes as I travelled back for the wedding.
A stage-quality costume with film-star make-up – it was like going to the Oscars.
The plane started its descent, and I felt a rush of excitement and nerves knowing Henrik was waiting for me at arrivals.
He’d suggested we stop in Bergen for a night before heading to Firefly Forest and I couldn’t wait to see what he had planned.
We needed an off-site liaison to have some no-pressure alone time now that the entire wedding party knew we were a thing.
I waltzed through with nothing to declare and there he was, a head taller than everyone else and holding up a Welcome Sara sign.
It looked like it had been splashed together with paint and glitter, and I couldn’t decide if it was cute or cringe.
But then his face lit up when he saw me and he gave me an enthusiastic wave – he could only ever be in the cute category.
‘Welcome back to Firefly!’ he said, his dimples showing.
‘Why, thank you very much,’ I said, grinning like an idiot.
‘What brings you back?’ he asked, stroking a curl from my face and staring at me as if he’d never seen me before.
‘The bread,’ I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. ‘Among other things.’ He pulled me in and kissed me until I melted. Yep. One hundred per cent cute.
‘Greta’s god daughters made you something,’ he said, handing me the splodgy sign. ‘They spent all day on it yesterday.’
‘That is so sweet!’ I said, loving his kind, semi-uncle vibes. ‘How many are there?’
‘Two. Ella and Kaja. They are verrry excited about the wedding.’
‘Me too. I’ve got quite the nymph outfit to wear.’
‘I can’t wait to see it,’ he said, kissing me again and picking up my bags. ‘Let’s go. I’ve got a surprise for you.’
‘Well, that is a coincidence, because I’ve got a surprise for you too,’ I said, thinking of my skimpy Norwegian-flag underwear. ‘Although I feel bad keeping you away for the night if people are already arriving for the wedding?’
‘Not at all – it’s perfect timing. Gives me a breather from the chaos and means I get you all to myself for a while.’
We jumped in the Firefly minibus and sped out of the airport and onto the highway.
‘Do I get any clues?’ I asked. It was only five, but we’d already missed daylight. There was very little sunlight in Bergen in the winter, but it wasn’t pitch-black outside – more a melting pot of different shades of blue where the sea became sky.
‘Nope. But you won’t have to wait long to find out. It’s quite close.’
Henrik slowed the minibus and turned off down a country lane. It was hard to see down these narrow roads, without any streetlights, but Henrik obviously knew the route. We clearly weren’t staying in the centre of Bergen or going out for dinner and there was nothing to do but sit back and wait.
‘I’m glad you know where we’re going,’ I said, checking my phone, already knowing there’d be zero signal. This area was a nightmare for connection. Henrik turned another corner, and there, lit up below us along the water’s edge, was a row of little glass houses.
‘Oh, wow!’ I said, wide-eyed. ‘Is this where we’re staying?’
He nodded with a shy smile. ‘Got it in one. Our very own star-gazing pod. Well, until tomorrow lunchtime,’ he replied. ‘And later tonight we’ll be served a delicious four-course tasting menu paired with wine, and then we sleep beneath the stars.’
I had a lump in my throat. This was the most thoughtful thing anyone had ever done for me. Ever. It looked like aliens had landed in ice-cube spaceships and parked up to take in the view.
‘Henrik! This is too much! I’ve never seen anything so beautiful.’
He leant over and kissed me. ‘You are way more beautiful, and you deserve it. I hoped you’d like it. I wanted us to have something special to remember. The wedding will be magical of course, but it isn’t our occasion. Tonight is just for us.’
The view out into the ocean was stunning, like a multi-textured oil painting.
Lights blinked on and off the boats travelling across the horizon and the waves crashed gently on the shore, lulling the world to sleep.
The moon was enormous, mirrored in the water, and the stars were already out and ready for gazing.
Quiet and calm. ‘I won’t get a wink of sleep. ’
‘That’s the idea. Another good reason not to go straight to Firefly.’ Henrik parked next to the final glass hut and turned off the engine. ‘This one is ours.’
‘How do we check in?’
‘Already done,’ he said, holding up a luminous blue fob.
Henrik bleeped us in, and the glass door slowly slid open.
It was like walking onto the set of a Hallmark movie.
There was a huge bed made up in crisp cotton sheets and chocolate brown furs, a fluffy red sofa with puffed-up cushions, and a soft, velvety rug in front of a roaring fire.
And to top it all off, sat quietly in the corner was a fully stocked minibar and a glass jar of peanut M&Ms.
‘What have we got here!’ I said, delighted my backstage diva-demands had finally been fulfilled.
‘Your favourite,’ he said, with a smile. ‘We aren’t at the retreat anymore. We’re allowed a drink and chocolate. And look at this.’ Henrik pressed a button, and a pane of smoky glass dissipated to reveal a heated patio area with a smoking-hot jacuzzi.
‘We can spa under the stars.’
‘We can do whatever we like,’ Henrik said, checking his watch. ‘We’ve got a couple of hours before they serve dinner. Shall I bring the bags in, and we can have some drinks by the fire?’
‘Gin and tonic?’
Henrik nodded, leaning down to kiss my cheek. He had such a warm, gentle way about him. ‘I’ve also got us a nice bottle of French red.’
I was in heaven. Locked away in a toasty, cosy Rubik’s cube, as close to nature as it was possible to be, with a mesmerising view and my favourite Norwegian for company.
Ironically, this was exactly how I’d imagined Firefly to be when I’d booked.
It was a roundabout way of getting things done, but I’d got here in the end.
I swizzled us up a couple of G&Ts and turned the fire up a notch, glad to get my boots off and sink my feet into the rug.
Our first tiny home together. The sofa was feathery and soft, cuddling me in, and it felt good to curl my legs up and relax.
Henrik carried the suitcases in like they were cartons of milk – no sign of the struggle I’d had wrestling mine on and off the plane.
‘Cheers,’ I said, handing him his drink.
‘Sk?l,’ Henrik nodded, looking into my eyes as he took a sip. ‘I’ve missed you, you know? Firefly isn’t the same without you.’
‘Oh realllly? How so? No one shouting across the room at silent lunchtime? No one moaning about the cold and then the hot? And then the cold again.’
Henrik laughed. ‘The customer is always right. No, I’ve missed seeing your face.’ He reached out and stroked my cheek, his touch making me tingle.
‘I’ve missed you too.’ I couldn’t resist getting closer, until our noses were almost touching.
Teasing each other with what was about to happen.
He brushed my hair back then held my face in his hands, kissing me as if he never wanted to stop.
My hands were in his hair as I climbed into his lap, feeling him go hard against me as our bodies pressed together.
‘Thank you for arranging this. You’re so thoughtful – I didn’t think I’d get you all to myself for a night, so this is a real treat.’
‘We both get to have each other,’ he breathed, his hands sliding under my jumper and making me shiver for all the right reasons. ‘I can’t stop thinking about you.’
‘I’m the same,’ I said, unbuttoning his shirt and kissing his chest. I couldn’t keep my hands off his body.
His back, his shoulders, his arms – I wanted to touch all of him all at once.
I threw my jumper off in the direction of the bed, revealing my Norwegian flag bra.
Tight and pushed up, my tits spilling over the edge and looking fantastic.
‘Oh, Sara,’ he moaned, burying his face in them.
‘I’ve got the matching G-string, too,’ I teased. ‘Wanna see it?’
He nodded, eyes shining and I stood up and led him over to the bed, pushing him back to enjoy the show as I peeled off the rest of my clothes.
‘Do you like it?’
‘Yes,’ he said urgently, switching our positions to lie me down while he stripped. ‘I like it very much.’
I lay back on the pillows gazing up at the stars, and a whoosh appeared in the dark. ‘Oh wow! A shooting star,’ I said, pointing up at it. ‘Oh… hang on, it can’t be… the line is still there.’
Henrik looked up as the smoke broke open and emptied a green haze into the sky. ‘It’s the lights,’ he said. ‘Aurora is with us again. You are lucky to see them so many times.’
The luminous green shimmered and curled, getting brighter as it spread across the sky.
‘I thought I needed an app to see the green?’
‘Not every time. Just that time.’
Henrik slid under the covers and pulled me into him, the two of us tangled up together, kissing.
‘Why don’t you enjoy the light show, and I’ll take a closer look at this G-string,’ he said, breathless, kissing my neck, then the insides of my arms and nibbling along the edge of my bra.
The sky was exploding with light above us, and I tried desperately to keep my eyes open as Henrik went lower, untying the G-string laces on each hip, and using his fingers and then his tongue to make me shake with pleasure, over and over and over again.