Hi there! Here's a rather short chapter, but a 100% filled with domestic bliss! Enjoy ;)
Late May 2021
As John drove them home from the station, Anna quickly noticed that he wasn't going in her apartment's direction.
- Where are you going? she asked.
He shot her a happy glance and answered:
- Why, home, of course.
She looked at him dubiously, and said no more. A few minutes later, he was parking the car in front of their new house. When they were standing in the front-yard, Timmy took her hand and ordered:
- Now, Mummy, close your eyes.
- I have to close my eyes? Why?
- You'll see! Close your eyes!
She obeyed, and Timmy started leading her to the house's door.
- Mind the step Timmy, warned John. We don't want Mummy breaking her leg on her first day back.
John went ahead of them, opened the front door and held it opened so that Timmy could lead his mother inside, her eyes still closed.
- Is it OK now? Can I look? she laughed.
- Almost! said Timmy, pulling her a few steps further inside. Alright, now look!
Anna opened her eyes and gasped. Just before she had left for India, they had torn down some walls on the ground floor, and when she had left the place was a right mess, dusty and with piles of rubble lying everywhere. She was now looking at a perfectly tidy, modern, neat, sunny, large and open living-space, fully furnished.
- Oh my God, John! But how did you do all this in a month? she exclaimed. This is so beautiful.
- Well, we did work a lot, didn't we Timmy? We spent every free hour we had on it, and I spent a fair part of many nights on it too. And Robert sent me some help from the Abbey's crew.
- Wow… This is awesome! Bravo Timmy, she said, kissing the boy's head.
- Come Mummy, come see my room!
The boy dragged her upstairs, where he proudly showed her his space-theme decorated bedroom. John joined them after bringing Anna's luggage back from the car's trunk.
- So, what do you say darling?
- I'm so impressed! You did so much work!
- Timmy and I thought you deserved to find your new home ready when you came back. Or rather, almost ready. I'm afraid our own room and the upstairs bathroom still need attending to. But everything else is done. We can start living here.
- I'm so happy, she said, circling John's chest with her arms.
As she looked outside to the backyard, she noticed:
- Oh, you even put up a swing in the cherry tree!
- Yes, Timmy was adamant it was an emergency equipment.
She laughed.
- Should we have tea-time outside? he asked, since it was nearly five o'clock.
- Sure!
Moments later, Anna was seated on the swing, with Timmy in her lap. He was getting rather too big to be doing this, but they both wanted to give it a try. They started swinging back and forth, laughing. Anna briefly closed her eyes, inhaling the sweet scent of her son's hair, enjoying the warm caress of the late spring breeze. Life could be good. As she reopened her eyes, she saw John coming back from the kitchen, bringing a tray with the teapot, mugs and some scones.
- Tea's ready, lady and gentleman, called John as he set the tray down on the garden table.
Anna stopped the swing and put Timmy down.
- Good, I'm starving! Would you like a scone Timmy?
- Yes! replied the child eagerly.
As they drank their tea and ate their scones, John suggested:
- Since you've got two free days before you need to go back to work, I thought tomorrow we'd use the day to gather all your stuff from your apartment and bring it here. So we can really live here.
- Yeah OK.
- What will you want to do with your furniture?
- Well… I've been thinking and, since my mother wants to move back here, I was considering offering her to take up my lease. So she doesn't have to look for a flat. That way Timmy could keep his room there if he wants to visit her.
While Anna had been away, and after she had given her permission, Eileen had visited Timmy several times, and taken him on some walks in the parks. They had slowly started bonding, and seemed to get along quite well. For now she was still renting an AirBnB when she came to York, but she had put her house in the South on sale.
- Oh, that's a good idea, agreed John. That would save her some time.
- I'll suggest it to her at Timmy's birthday party.
Mary had carried on with her idea to throw her godson a memorable birthday party, and it was planned for the day after next. She had invited all their relatives, and a few of Timmy's classmates too. The bouncy castle had been delivered the day before, and the space-themed cake was to be ready at the pastry shop on the morning of the party.
When the mugs were emptied, John got up and picked up the tray:
- Now, I'll go wash this up, and I suggest you go to the bathroom and enjoy a nice hot bath.
- You're tempting me Mr Bates…
- Please, be tempted, he smiled. You earned it.
x x x x
When she had enjoyed her bath until the water became too cold, Anna joined Timmy and John in the living-room. She looked around in awe, taking in every details of the large and cosy room. At last her eyes settled on the large and almost new piano that John had brought up from his own apartment. John smiled at her when she approached it and slowly lifted up the lid. She sat on the stool and let her fingers lightly run up and down the keyboard, feeling the keys. Then she closed her eyes, inhaled and straightened up her shoulders, and started playing. John's smile grew wider when he heard the first notes of the Moonlight Sonata. Timmy tugged at John's sleeve, and whispered:
- I know that music, it's the "moon song"!
John put a finger on his mouth and nodded to him. His hand came to rest on Timmy's head, and he ruffled his blond hair a little. He sighed contentedly, looking at the woman he loved, that looked so absorbed in her playing, this boy whom he had come to love as his own, and this house that was to be theirs to build their life in. At that moment, he thought he had never felt more at peace. As she let the music fill her senses, Anna's feelings mirrored John's, with a little tinge of bittersweetness, at the thought of the people she had left behind in Hyderabad.
x x x x
Timmy was busy building a Kapla castle on the living-room floor, and Anna and John were in the kitchen getting dinner ready. John had just put the lasagna dish into the oven, and Anna was preparing the salad. When he had washed his hands at the sink, John came behind Anna, and slid his hands around her waist, tickling her sides. His nose came to nuzzle the side of her neck, and he breathed lowly in her ear:
- God, if there wasn't a child playing right beside us, I think I would just flip you around and take you right there on the kitchen table.
As he spoke, his thumbs had come up to graze the sides of her breasts. She suppressed a moan, and answered in the same tone:
- And I would have liked it very much, but unfortunately there is a child playing right there… So I guess we'll have to wait till he's in bed.
John still busied himself with leaving kisses up her neck until he nibbled on her earlobe. They both startled when Timmy called:
- Mummy! John! Come see my castle!
Laughing, Anna shook herself out of John's embrace and went to look at said castle.
- Oh wow Timmy, it's awesome!
Anna and Timmy subsequentially spent the next half-hour building Kapla towers that reached ever higher, while John set the table and finished to prepare dinner. At last the oven timer dinged and Anna got up:
- The lasagna's ready! Come on Timmy, come wash you hands.
When they settled around the table, Anna was surprised to find a little wrapped up box in her plate. She looked up to John, confused.
- It's Timmy's birthday, not mine, she stated.
- I know. He'll have his presents at the party. This one's for you.
She tore the wrapping paper off and opened the little box, and a grin split her face when she held out a key chain holding three keys together, and a very pretty moon-quarter-shaped key-ring, carved in mother-of-pearl.
- Are these… she started.
- Your keys to our new home, yes.
- I love the key ring, she said bending over to kiss John. Thank you so much for that beautiful home. I love it so much.
Later in the evening, Anna had gone to put Timmy to bed, while John busied himself with tidying the kitchen. He was brushing his teeth in the bathroom when Anna joined him and started brushing her hair, humming to herself. When he had put down his toothbrush, he came behind Anna in the same fashion he had done earlier in the kitchen, and whispered:
- So, where had we left this… Maybe we could pick it up and carry on.
Anna put the brush down near the sink and looked straight to John's reflection in the mirror in front of them. The fire she saw burning deep in his eyes made the hairs on her arms stand up and she felt a sweet tingle run down her spine. His hands started roaming her body again, but this time he didn't refrain his movements and his palms soon came to cover her breasts. She closed her eyes and moaned happily, as she tilted her head to snuggle it in the crook of his neck.
- Maybe we should lock the door, she breathed. To be safe…
In the blink of an eye, John bent towards the door and turned the lock closed, then he turned her around, picked her up and sat her on the edge of the counter. Lips eagerly met and tongues happily danced with one another, as their hands respectively and actively worked on getting each other rid of their clothes. It wasn't long before they joined together, satiating a month-long need to feel each other's body close. Anna cried out as she came apart, and John soon joined her in oblivion a few seconds later. They stood for some time, panting, bodies still entangled, not daring to break the happy bliss that came after love-making. Anna's head rested on John's shoulder, as she quietly inhaled his manly scent, while he let his fingers roam through her hair.
- I've missed you so much, he said.
- Me too, she replied.
She chuckled, and added:
- This reminds me of our very first time. When we actually did it on the kitchen table.
He smiled:
- You mean that day when you made me swear not to fall in love?
She flushed.
- Yeah, I don't think I have ever been more wrong in my whole life.
- I'm quite glad you came around.
- Me too, she said once again. At that time I thought it was a mistake to let my guard down with a man. I thought it could only bring me hurt and heartbreak. But well, you valiantly fought your way through my carefully-erected fortress, so I made the mistake.
- I hope you never regret it.
- I don't think I will. You'll always be my favourite mistake.
He smiled happily at the qualification, and bent to capture her lips once more. Noticing that she was shivering a little, he turned around and grabbed a bathrobe which he put around her shoulders.
- Now, let's get you into bed. I'd quite like to continue with the full extended version of those festivities, in a more comfy environment…
- I can't wait for those, Mr Bates, she replied with a naughty grin.