The rest of the term had passed by so quickly, with both of them engrossed in their research and studies, that Henrik had barely noticed how John had kept his distance from the both of them, that he and Roxanna were growing as close as two souls possibly could, despite the stress of school. And then, they were sitting their final exams, and Henrik felt like he could finally breath again. The first place he went when he had finished his last exam was their lab, and he began to clean up what little remained, knowing that they would not be returning until the fall semester.
"Henrik! Did you hear the news?" The door banged open with the force of Roxanna's exuberance, and he turned to look at her, a bemused smile on his lips as he shook his head. Roxanna pushed the door closed before rushing over to his side and snaking her arms around his waist as she took a deep breath. "John's not going to finish his final year here with you! He's transferred to Columbia, of all places, and we're to be alone, no longer three, but two. I always knew that he wouldn't bend his stiff neck, but a part of my heart hoped that he would relent."
He nodded as he dropped a soft kiss to the top of her head. "I was hoping the same thing as well, Roxanna. And I have news as well, though I do hope that mine is slightly happier than losing John from our circle of friends."
She pulled away from him to gaze up into his eyes, a wide smile spreading across her lips as she tugged him over to the sofa. "Well, go on!" she said as she tugged on his arm, sinking onto the sofa together. "What good news do you have?"
"Maja has safely been delivered of a healthy baby boy. I have a son, his name is Fredrik."
Just saying the words seemed to make things all the more real in his mind, and he drew in a long breath as he awaited Roxanna's response. "Oh, Henrik, I am so pleased to hear that! Will you be traveling home to Sweden to meet him during our break, then?"
She brought his hand to her lips, kissing it softly as she watched him. He shrugged a little, watching her brow furrow with confusion. "I was hoping, well, that is if you're not completely booked already, that you would come with me to meet him. I'd feel a little stronger with you by my side. Since I'm not really certain that I can do this fatherhood thing on my own."
A soft gasp escaped her lips, and for a moment he thought that maybe he had scared her off, that she wasn't going to be able to truly handle becoming a mother of sorts to his child. Which made sense. It was a lot to ask of a partner, and he didn't blame her for her reticence. And then, Roxanna was catching his attention by capturing his lips in an exuberant kiss, launching them back onto the sofa as she stretched her body out along his. "You would truly share him with me? And Maja wouldn't mind? Oh, Henrik, yes, I'll go to Sweden with you and meet your son. I just wasn't certain that you were thinking that far into the future, that I was building up this fantasy life in my head for after my graduation. I know, I have a year after you leave to get through, but knowing that we have something to look forward to, well, that just fills my soul with joy."
Henrik knew that she wasn't exaggerating, since her eyes were filling with happy tears, even as her hands curled in the fabric of his sleeveless jumper. "All right, it's settled then. We'll go to Sweden and meet Fredrik, and Maja, and show you around my childhood home. And then, we'll return to England and go our separate ways until the start of term."
"You needn't make it sound so dreadful, Henrik. I plan on taking trips to see you, and you can be certain that I'll write and call. We might be separated by miles, but our hearts will be ever entwined."
He chuckled a little as he ran his hand up and down her back, relishing the solid weight of her on his body, anchoring him to a happy future. "Having a romantic like you in my life has really done wonders for me, Roxy. I don't think I could be quite so optimistic were it not for you. Nor do I think I'd be going to see Fredrik if you weren't with me. I never wanted to have a child."
"Really? I've always pictured myself with three children, two boys and a girl. They're nebulous figures in my mind right now, though as of late, my dream children have started to sport dark hair or hazel eyes." Though he couldn't see her face, Henrik could feel the way she tensed in his arms, as if she thought she had revealed too much.
"If I would want children, I do think I'd love to have a little girl with hair the color of wheat, thick and curly, with hazel eyes and a winsome smile. A perfect blend of her parents, really, though we would have to watch out for her intelligence, since I imagine her to inherit that from us both."
"Are you really so certain that you're not a romantic at heart, Henrik?" she murmured as she rubbed her cheek against his chest. "I think we've both built up an idyllic future for ourselves, and they sound eerily similar. I never thought that I would find this great love in my life so soon, like my parents, but I think it crept up on me when I wasn't looking. I, I don't know how I'll survive my summer without you."
He chuckled a little as he dared to let his hand sweep a little lower on her back, resting it lightly on the swell of her bum. "We'll survive the same way we have up until now, by focusing on what needs to get done during the break and returning to college ready to make some major breakthroughs on our research. And like you said, we'll write and call and go see each other."
"I suppose that will have to do." She wriggled around a little, trying to get a little more comfortable on him. "I really don't want to move from here, Henrik, but I know that we have to finish packing up."
"I suppose that we could rest here for a little while. And we don't have to have everything done today, you know. I was planning on reorganizing the book shelves, which seems an even better idea now that John won't be continuing with us." Roxanna nodded against him as she let out a little yawn. "I'm glad that this is going to be our space again, when we come back. Through I think that we should rekey the lock. I might be a little paranoid, but this is our space, and no one else's."
"I'll see about doing that tomorrow, if it's going to gnaw at the back of your mind. I'd rather you feel safe here, you know." She nodded as she stretched a little, a contented sigh slipping from her lips as she settled once more. "I wonder what Fredrik looks like. I hope that he looks like Maja, more than me. I'm nothing special."
"Hush your mouth, my love. You are the most handsome man I have ever laid eyes upon," she replied quickly, lifting her head so that she could steal a kiss. Knowing that he had lost the battle, he said nothing more as he continued to hold her, relishing this moment for all it was worth.