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Vidar and Charlie walked around the different stalls at the farmer’s market. Vidar bought blue cheese, and a tangy hard cheese, eggs, milk and butter and a lot of root vegetables. Charlie picked out some delicious–looking apples and honey. Vidar found a stall selling strawberries, and he bought a box that they shared as they walked around looking at the different stalls. It was sunny, Charlie was enjoying the cheerful mood of the people around her and being close to Vidar. Vidar was carrying their purchases in one hand, the other he had wrapped around her waist. Charlie was holding the box of strawberries and feeding them both. They looking at a woman sitting with a spindle, making yarn out of wool,
ey were
“I remember when everyone made their own thread like that,” Vidar whispered in Charlie’s ear. Charlie was just about to ask him if he knew how to spin when she heard her name being called. Both Charlie and Vidar turned towards the sound and Charlie was surprised to see Mia, another waitress from ‘The red lady‘, walking towards her. Even more surprised, she was seeing James holding Mia’s hand.
“Mia, James, hi,” she said, feeling how tense Vidar had become as his grip on her waist. tightened.
“You know James?” Mia asked, sounding nervous. “Have you…?” Charlie knew Mia was trying to find out if they had dated.
“He’s a friend of my brother’s,” Charlie explained. She decided that their brief time dating. didn’t earn him a title as her ex.
“Oh,” Mia said, and Charlie heard the relief in her voice. “That had to be a surprise. It’s at small city, it seems. And talking about surprises, Mr Grim, I didn’t know you were seeing
Charlie,” Mia continued.
“It’s a recent thing,” Vidar said, giving Charlie’s temple a k*ss. “I asked her out the other day and we have had a hard time being apart since,” he added. Charlie smiled at the way his voice.
had softened.
“Are your brother aware‘ of this?” James asked. Charlie looked at him for the first time and she saw his anger.
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“He is. We are having dinner with him and Tyson tomorrow,” Charlie told him.
“Who’s Tyson?” Mia asked curiously.
“My brother’s husband,” Charlie explained.
“Oh.” Min looked uncomfortable again.
“If you excuse us, we need to get the produce home before the vegetables wilt,” Vidar said. “Miss, James,” he nodded.
“I’ll see you at work, Mia. Have a good day,” Charlie said as Vidar guided her away from the pair.
“Are you okay?” he asked as they walked.
“I’m fine, are you okay?” she said, rubbing his hand that was on her waist.
“I just get the need to punch that f**king idiot as soon as I see his face,” Vidar confessed in a dark voice. Charlie stopped walking. They were halfway to the car.
“Don’t let him get to you, Vidar. He is hoping you deck him. Then he’ll go back to his boss. and tell him how out of balance you are, how he wants to press charges on you and so on,”
she told him.
“I know, but still. It would be worth it,” he muttered.
“Hey, you have won. You made sure he will pay for the software he installed.” Vidar looked at her. She saw him relax and he even gave her a smile.
“And I got the girl,” he told her and k*ssed her. The way he had said it made it sound like that had been more important than the software.
“That you did,” she agreed and let him wrap his arm around her again and they walked the
last part to the car. The lack of backseat made Charlie put the bag with food at her legs in the
car.
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“Do you need anything from your apartment?” Vidar asked as they drove away.
“Maybe my laptop, but I’m just going to be at your place for another day.”
“It’s okay, we can get it,” he said in a tone which told Charlie he didn’t agree with her, but he wasn’t going to argue. They went to her apartment and Charlie grabbed her gaming laptop and then made sure she didn’t have anything in the fridge they would go bad. “We’ll put your laptop in the trunk,” Vidar said. He opened a compartment in the back of the car and Charlie stared at it and started to giggle.
“I don’t think I can fit my wallet in there,” she said, looking at the small, square indent.
“It’s not that bad,” Vidar said, taking her computer bag and put it in place before closing the hatch. It fit. They drove back to Vidar’s place and as he parked the car in almost the exact
ame place where they had found it, he took out his phone and sent a text. He then took the bag with the food from Charlie and tried to take the laptop satchel, but that’s where Charlie drew the line. Vidar chuckled and wrapped his arm around her. The mountain looking man opened the entrance door for them.
“Mr Grim, Miss Maynard,” Jones greeted them from behind his desk.
“Jones,” Vidar said. Charlie did a little wave and before she knew it, they were in Vidar’s kitchen, putting their things away.
“Thank you for a really nice day,” she told him and k*ssed his cheek. He brushed the hair out
of her face and k*ssed her on the nose.
“I’m happy you enjoyed yourself. I hope the meeting at the market didn’t spoil your day,” he said.
“James? No, not at all. I was just a little surprised. But I think it’s good he’s dating Mia. That means he is at least trying to let go of me.” It sounded self–centred when she said it out loud.
Vidar snorted and shook his head.
“I would say he is doing it to get information about you, or get close to you,” he objected. She smiled and playfully slapped him over the chest.
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“You are being paranoid,” she told him.
“No, I’m being pragmatic. You, my lovely, S*xy, little maiden, are being naïve,” he corrected
her. It was Charlie’s turn to shake her head.
“Let’s agree to disagree,” she compromised.
“Fine,” he agreed and k*ssed her. “What do you want to do now? It’s still a little early for
starting with dinner,” he asked.
“Can i show you something?” she asked in return.
“Always,” he said without thinking about it.
“Let me just get my laptop,” she said. She put her laptop on the breakfast counter and patted the stool next to her for Vidar to join her as she booted up the game. “This is the game I was talking about, Planet Coaster. Is it okay if I show you how it works?”
“You brought your laptop just to show me this?” he asked.
“I just thought you might like it. If you’re not up for it, we can do it some other time,” she
said. She was reminded of all the times her exes had told her playing computer and video games weren’t for women, or that they knew more about them than she did, so she shouldn’t try to discuss the subject.
“Are you kidding? I can’t remember when someone introduced me to something they thought I might enjoy. What are we waiting for?” Charlie smiled at how much Vidar sounded like a kid. He had to be special if he could summon the child like wonder even after being alive for over a thousand years. She showed him the basics of the game play, but quickly switched over to the build mode and set up a new sandbox and then handed the controls over to him. She sat next to him and watched as he started to build roller coasters and decorate them, building stalls and forming the landscape. It took him a little time to get the hang of the building controls. They were different from The Sims, but once he did, he was engrossed in the game Charlie enjoyed watching him play. He was talented and the amusement park slowly grew. It was the darkness that woke them up from their focus. Night was falling, and the apartment had a few automatic lights that turned on, but the kitchen was dark. “This was amazing, baby. Thank you for showing me,” Vidar said.
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“I’m happy you liked it,” she told him. “Let me know if you need help to install it.” Vidar had walked to the light switch and soon the kitchen was bathing in a comfortable light.
“I’ll take you up on that. How about we get dinner started?” he asked.
“Sounds good to me. You newer told me what you were making.” Charlie said as she started pulling things out for the dessert.
“To be honest, I kind of changed my mind while we were out. I was going to get a nice steak. and impress you with. But since you like seafood, I was thinking smoked salmon with mac
and cheese,” he told her.
ar and
“Oh, I love seafood. I never had smoked salmon so I’m looking forward to try it, and mac cheese is never wrong,” she said. They worked side by side in the kitchen. Charlie made filled. apples, and a homemade vanilla custard. When she put the custard in the fridge to cool down, she tidied up her workspace and then started to put Vidar’s used things into the washer.
“You don’t need to do that,” he said.
“I know. But I like being in the kitchen with you. And who knows, some of your cooking skills might rub off on me,” she joked. He chuckled and when she walked past him, he gave her at quick k*ss on the cheek.
“Why
don’t we eat in the dining room tonight,” Vidar suggested and nodded towards the door at the opposite end from the living room.
“Sure. I’ll set the table,” Charlie offered. The diningroom with its massive table in dark wood surrounded by comfortable looking chairs, was just as beautiful as the rest of the apartment. The wall of windows showed the city from the same direction as the balcony on the second floor. Charlie stood looking at it. She could see the neighbourhood her brother lived in from where she stood. It was oddly comforting.
“Why do I always find you mesmerised by the city?” Vidar whispered and made Charlie jump. He chuckled and k*ssed the side of her head. “Sorry.”
“Liar, you’re not the least sorry,” she told him with a big smile.
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“You’re right,” he agreed. “I thought we would light the candles,” he told her and put a matches in her hand. She liked the fact he had matches and not a lighter.
“I’ll light them,” she told him.
“Good, dinner is almost done,” he said. Kissing her n*ck before walking back to the kitchen. There were impressive candlesticks on the table. They looked like they hadn’t been used in a long while. But they lit without a problem. They cast a romantic glow over the room. The electrical lights in the room dimmed and Charlie turned around to see Vidar adjusting the light switch.
“I feel underdressed,” she told him. He smiled and walked up to her, and took her chin between his thumb and index finger.
“You look beautiful,” he told her, and placed a soft k*ss on her lips.