Status: Live
Holding Hands Won't Be Enough
Chapter 71: Purple Beanie
5.5 years ago
“Ville, why must I wear this over my face?” she laughed, pulling his purple beanie away from her mouth as she spoke.
“I told you, it’s a surprise.” he answered simply, with a telling grin.
“May I at least have a clue?” she asked sweetly, padding her hand across the cab’s back seat until it found his thigh which she squeezed excitedly.
“No, you may not.” he chuckled as he picked up her hand and pressed it to her lips. She scoffed jokingly.
“I fly all the way here from Barcelona and I don’t even get a clue?” she pouted. “Hmm…”
“Hmm?”
“Yes, hmm…”
“What are you pondering in that magnificent head of yours?”
“Just running through what it might be?”
“Oh? And what has made the cut?”
“Well, it’s not a romantic get away to the country as we’re stopping and starting in traffic, which means it’s Hels based. It’s not a restaurant because you just came from dinner…” he said nothing, “Oh good, I’m on the right track.” she laughed, slapping his leg as her excitement grew. It had been six weeks since they had seen each other as she had been on assignment in Spain with a client that had specifically chosen her from the design firm she was working for. They had barely said hello at the airport when Ville had pulled off his hat and firmly pulled it onto her head before guiding her out to the cab they were now traveling in. “So, hmmm..”
“That hmmm didn’t sound as assured.” he smiled.
“I’m lost.” she whimpered, “Really I just want to be able to see your face, I’ve missed it terribly. All I want is to kiss you and get lost in that, not guessing where we’re going.” Ville unbuckled and slid over into the middle seat, buckled himself back up and wrapped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her closer to him, enabling him to gently roll up the bottom of the hat to reveal her lips and kiss them. Her heart flipped and beat as if it were on a trampoline, as it always did when he kissed her. She didn’t know how long they had kissed, but the next time she cognitively thought was when the taxi driver announced their arrival at the mystery destination. Ville exited the cab quickly, paid the driver and opened her door, carefully guiding her from the road to the foot path.
“There’s some stairs, but I’ve got you sweetheart…” he assured, as he led her one by one to the top of the stone steps that led into the building. “Okay, now take this.” he said, placing a key into her right hand and guiding it to the lock, “You just open it whilst I grab something.” she fumbled for a moment, but turned the key and pushed the door open. “Ready?”
“For wha-“ he scooped her off her feet and held her in his arms, she swung her arms around his neck in panic, not at all expecting for that to happen. “Ville?!”
“Take the hat off now.” she gingerly let go of one arm’s hold around his neck and pulled the hat from her head, pushing the hair from her face she looked from Ville to her surroundings; they were stood on the stoop of a townhouse - her townhouse, the scaffolding gone, the front door wide open and the interior immaculate. She gasped and a lump so large formed in her throat that she could only squeak out his name.
“Ville.” she looked up at him, her marvellous and kind man, and her eyes welled up. She had purchased the house a year ago, but the initial company she hired to renovate the building went bankrupt and left more work to be fixed than she initially started with and new contractors were reluctant to finish certain areas of work, so she had churned through multiple companies just trying to get it all finished - all whilst working away, spending time with Ville, travelling to see Ville and having had a broken ankle. It had been a major source of stress and disappointment in her life, when buying your first home is supposed to be a joyous occasion.
“Just call me foreman Valo.” he beamed, kissing her temple and stepping her over the threshold and into her finished home. He had worked day and night, called in favours and paid top euro to builders, contractors and decorators to have this done in the six weeks she was away - he had slept on a mattress on the floor in the master bedroom that he would flip up and cover in plastic each morning before going to the studio where he would mix and tinker with songs on the upcoming album on a strict delegated time frame before rushing back to the house. Not once did he complain or tire, every moment of work was for her, to make her smile, it enriched him. “Welcome home my darling.” he said setting her down on the black and white checked tiles of the foyer. She placed her hands on his chest as she looked around, simply astounded at how perfect it was - it was exactly how she had explained to Ville how she wanted it to look, down to every detail. He had even moved all of her furniture from her apartment and arranged it where she had told him she might like it. All her possessions were in packing boxes and neatly stacked and labelled in the living room. She was overwhelmed.
“You did this for me?” he nodded. “Ville…”
“You’ve always done so much for me, this doesn’t even cut into my appreciation, I just wanted to do it, to finish your home, to see you smile, to relieve your stress.” she shook her head. “What?”
“Our home.” she stressed, “It’s our home.”
“Darling, it’s all you.” he said, looking around.
“And I’m all yours.” she cried, “I can’t even begin- I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“I constantly can’t believe you do anything for me, grumpy old me.”
“My life wouldn’t be complete without my grumpy old you.” she laughed as she wiped her face, “Not by any means.” he kissed her and held her small body close to his slight frame tightly.
“Oh, one more surprise.” he said happily, taking her hand. “Come on.” he led her through the house to the kitchen, which she gasped at as they walked through - not giving her time to stop and look and walked her straight through the French doors to the sweeping stone balcony where he had set up to chairs with a small table, a candle arbre and two wine glasses. “Sorry to disappoint, but I ordered pizza in the cab rather than mess up your new kitchen.” he chuckled, pulling a chair out and sitting her down.
“Our new kitchen.” she gushed, “Ville, our new kitchen, our house..”
“Darling, it’s your house, you bought it.”
“For us. Ville, if I have to hire a u-haul and move your stuff in, I will..”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Why? I know we spoke about it, but I didn’t think you’d ever really want me living in your house, we’ve always had our own places.”
“I bought this place because when I first walked around it on the open day, all I could imagine was us in that kitchen - you making a mess of making pancakes whilst I made coffee and packed lunch boxes for a gang of unruly Valos, all of us laughing, being so happy… Whenever that happens, if that ever happens, that’s why I bought this house.”
“I love you. So much.”
“I don’t even have words for it.” she beamed.
“Ville, why must I wear this over my face?” she laughed, pulling his purple beanie away from her mouth as she spoke.
“I told you, it’s a surprise.” he answered simply, with a telling grin.
“May I at least have a clue?” she asked sweetly, padding her hand across the cab’s back seat until it found his thigh which she squeezed excitedly.
“No, you may not.” he chuckled as he picked up her hand and pressed it to her lips. She scoffed jokingly.
“I fly all the way here from Barcelona and I don’t even get a clue?” she pouted. “Hmm…”
“Hmm?”
“Yes, hmm…”
“What are you pondering in that magnificent head of yours?”
“Just running through what it might be?”
“Oh? And what has made the cut?”
“Well, it’s not a romantic get away to the country as we’re stopping and starting in traffic, which means it’s Hels based. It’s not a restaurant because you just came from dinner…” he said nothing, “Oh good, I’m on the right track.” she laughed, slapping his leg as her excitement grew. It had been six weeks since they had seen each other as she had been on assignment in Spain with a client that had specifically chosen her from the design firm she was working for. They had barely said hello at the airport when Ville had pulled off his hat and firmly pulled it onto her head before guiding her out to the cab they were now traveling in. “So, hmmm..”
“That hmmm didn’t sound as assured.” he smiled.
“I’m lost.” she whimpered, “Really I just want to be able to see your face, I’ve missed it terribly. All I want is to kiss you and get lost in that, not guessing where we’re going.” Ville unbuckled and slid over into the middle seat, buckled himself back up and wrapped an arm over her shoulders, pulling her closer to him, enabling him to gently roll up the bottom of the hat to reveal her lips and kiss them. Her heart flipped and beat as if it were on a trampoline, as it always did when he kissed her. She didn’t know how long they had kissed, but the next time she cognitively thought was when the taxi driver announced their arrival at the mystery destination. Ville exited the cab quickly, paid the driver and opened her door, carefully guiding her from the road to the foot path.
“There’s some stairs, but I’ve got you sweetheart…” he assured, as he led her one by one to the top of the stone steps that led into the building. “Okay, now take this.” he said, placing a key into her right hand and guiding it to the lock, “You just open it whilst I grab something.” she fumbled for a moment, but turned the key and pushed the door open. “Ready?”
“For wha-“ he scooped her off her feet and held her in his arms, she swung her arms around his neck in panic, not at all expecting for that to happen. “Ville?!”
“Take the hat off now.” she gingerly let go of one arm’s hold around his neck and pulled the hat from her head, pushing the hair from her face she looked from Ville to her surroundings; they were stood on the stoop of a townhouse - her townhouse, the scaffolding gone, the front door wide open and the interior immaculate. She gasped and a lump so large formed in her throat that she could only squeak out his name.
“Ville.” she looked up at him, her marvellous and kind man, and her eyes welled up. She had purchased the house a year ago, but the initial company she hired to renovate the building went bankrupt and left more work to be fixed than she initially started with and new contractors were reluctant to finish certain areas of work, so she had churned through multiple companies just trying to get it all finished - all whilst working away, spending time with Ville, travelling to see Ville and having had a broken ankle. It had been a major source of stress and disappointment in her life, when buying your first home is supposed to be a joyous occasion.
“Just call me foreman Valo.” he beamed, kissing her temple and stepping her over the threshold and into her finished home. He had worked day and night, called in favours and paid top euro to builders, contractors and decorators to have this done in the six weeks she was away - he had slept on a mattress on the floor in the master bedroom that he would flip up and cover in plastic each morning before going to the studio where he would mix and tinker with songs on the upcoming album on a strict delegated time frame before rushing back to the house. Not once did he complain or tire, every moment of work was for her, to make her smile, it enriched him. “Welcome home my darling.” he said setting her down on the black and white checked tiles of the foyer. She placed her hands on his chest as she looked around, simply astounded at how perfect it was - it was exactly how she had explained to Ville how she wanted it to look, down to every detail. He had even moved all of her furniture from her apartment and arranged it where she had told him she might like it. All her possessions were in packing boxes and neatly stacked and labelled in the living room. She was overwhelmed.
“You did this for me?” he nodded. “Ville…”
“You’ve always done so much for me, this doesn’t even cut into my appreciation, I just wanted to do it, to finish your home, to see you smile, to relieve your stress.” she shook her head. “What?”
“Our home.” she stressed, “It’s our home.”
“Darling, it’s all you.” he said, looking around.
“And I’m all yours.” she cried, “I can’t even begin- I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“I constantly can’t believe you do anything for me, grumpy old me.”
“My life wouldn’t be complete without my grumpy old you.” she laughed as she wiped her face, “Not by any means.” he kissed her and held her small body close to his slight frame tightly.
“Oh, one more surprise.” he said happily, taking her hand. “Come on.” he led her through the house to the kitchen, which she gasped at as they walked through - not giving her time to stop and look and walked her straight through the French doors to the sweeping stone balcony where he had set up to chairs with a small table, a candle arbre and two wine glasses. “Sorry to disappoint, but I ordered pizza in the cab rather than mess up your new kitchen.” he chuckled, pulling a chair out and sitting her down.
“Our new kitchen.” she gushed, “Ville, our new kitchen, our house..”
“Darling, it’s your house, you bought it.”
“For us. Ville, if I have to hire a u-haul and move your stuff in, I will..”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Why? I know we spoke about it, but I didn’t think you’d ever really want me living in your house, we’ve always had our own places.”
“I bought this place because when I first walked around it on the open day, all I could imagine was us in that kitchen - you making a mess of making pancakes whilst I made coffee and packed lunch boxes for a gang of unruly Valos, all of us laughing, being so happy… Whenever that happens, if that ever happens, that’s why I bought this house.”
“I love you. So much.”
“I don’t even have words for it.” she beamed.