Stella

Fifty-seven

unburdened joy

Casper eased the car onto a gravel driveway lined by trees and grass. The weather was hazy with misty rain, hiding the afternoon sun away and colouring the landscape grey. A biting chill created an edge to the breeze that threatened to bite.

"It gets cold out here."

Stella looked around the large space. "It's beautiful, Cas. It's a shame we aren't having better weather. We could have brought Storm." 

"I was hoping we would be able to bring him along, but I think a storm is forecasted sometime in the next week." 

She nodded. "That's alright. I'm sure we can still enjoy ourselves."  

She looked back to the house they were approaching. It was a single level home. It wasn't large, but it looked cozy made mostly from stone and wood. It was a shelter amidst the cold weather that offered a utopia for the two lovers. A getaway from the stress that weighed them both down.  

Cas parked under the carport and got out. He opened the door for Bram to jump down and moved to get their bags from the back. Stella met him at the trunk. Instead of taking a bag she caught the keys Cas thrusted in her direction. 

She moved to the door that swung open before she could put the key in. She stopped in her tracks and her head shot up to a raven haired woman with eyes so dark they were almost black. 

"Good afternoon, Miss Callahan." 

Stella smiled. "Good afternoon," she chirped. 

"I'm Simone. I work for the Van der Meers." Simone stepped aside and ushered her in. "I was sent here by Mrs Van der Meer to ensure everything was looked after and you two had plenty of food." She smiled. "I won't be hanging around all day, I promise." 

"Oh no, I'm not worried about you being here," Stella shook her head and sent her a smile. 

She shook her head with a smile at how polite she was. Cas would undoubtedly frown. "I'm sure you two could use plenty of time to yourselves. I know Mr Casper would like to have that down time after such a busy work schedule."

Cas approached, and, just as she thought, a small frown creased his brow. "Simone?" 

"Your mother sent me along." 

He heaved a sigh. "I see. Let's put our bags in our rooms, shall we?"

"I have lunch cooking on the stove." She smiled over her shoulder and left to check it. 

"Come on," Cas nodded in the direction of the two rooms. 

Stella followed him, peering around at the home. She could feel the heat from the living room as they passed. She caught a glimpse of large windows and floor to ceiling shelves full of books. Some subtle art pieces lined the hall as they walked. Cas stopped at a bedroom and set her bag down by the foot of the bed. 

"This room is yours." He smiled as he looked around. It was usually the room he stayed in. It had a floor to ceiling window giving an expansive view of the land. There were no buildings that could pollute the view with its light or obscure the vision of unobstructed nature. 

"It's lovely." Stella walked in and looked out the French window. 

Cas placed his bag down and approached her. "It's beautiful at night when there aren't any clouds and you can see the stars. I'll have to bring you back in the summer or spring. There are fields full of flowers." 

"I think I would like that." 

Casper smiled. "The bathroom is just next door and I'll be staying across the hall. Would you like to rest or clean up before we have lunch?"