I'm Normally Perfect (re-upload)

Chapter Sixty-Two

I saw Alex off the first day of term and we exchanged shy smiles at the door. I watched her car until it was no longer visible and then danced around the kitchen. I felt as I did when we'd first met—thrilled to know her and just a bit nervous. I had to fight the urge to email her a thousand times at work to ask if it was really true. I wound up sending flowers and spent the rest of the day moving my personal effects back into the main house from Elysium.

When she arrived home that afternoon it was empty handed and I asked, worried, 'Oh, did nothing arrive for you today?'

She smiled shyly, 'I wanted to keep them in my office.'

I beamed, 'Okey doke. I haven't started supper yet, as I didn't know what you'd want.'

'I'm actually not very hungry.'

'Oh?' I hoped she wasn't still depressed.

'My stomach is in knots, you know.' To my confused expression she said, 'The good sort of knots.'

I laughed in relief, 'Oh, good. Me too.'

We stood grinning at one another, as if we'd just met then she said, 'I'll just get supper on, then. What should I make?'

I shrugged, 'I don't care, I'm not very hungry, either.'

'Chinese?'

'Oh, that's so complicated.'

'I meant takeaway.'

I laughed, 'Oh, well, then. That's good.'

She called it in and whilst she was changing clothes I went to pick it up, whistling all the way. I had a Fleetwood Mac CD in the player and listening to "Everywhere" on repeat. I thanked the man at the till and left a tremendous tip. As I motored back home I had the urge to stick my head out the car window and sing into the wind. When I got home Alex was still upstairs and I put some blankets on the living room floor and shut the dogs out in the closed in patio then set out the containers.

Alex came downstairs and took in my little scene, 'What's all this?'

'We're having a picnic.'

'All right.'

I wished it was cold enough to light a fire, but at least the sun was putting on a lovely show as it hung lower in the sky out the huge windows of the living room. I retrieved dishes and utensils while Alex brought out a bottle of wine and glasses and we settled in the floor. She filled our glasses, 'To...being oblivious.'

I laughed, 'To being oblivious.' We tinged and sipped. As we loaded up our plates I asked after her day and we chatted about nothing in particular. A great weight had been lifted from my chest—one I hadn't noticed was there. I suppose it was because I no longer had to worry about Alex running off with someone else. She was mine!

After supper she handled the washing up while I did my ablutions in my bathroom, still humming nothing in particular. Then I realised something and went to her door. She was brushing out her hair and turned when she saw me in the mirror. I asked, 'Where should I sleep?'

The corners of her mouth turned up slightly. 'You may sleep wherever you'd like.'

'I'd like to sleep in here.'

She nodded, 'That would be lovely.'

I padded over to the bed and climbed in. This was great! I could sleep next to Alex every night now! Of course, I was so happy I was probably going to just lie there, smiling into the darkness until my face hurt.

She said, 'I thought I would read a bit, if that's all right.'

'Oh! That's a good idea! Me, too.' I climbed back out of bed and retrieved a stack of books from beside my bed and hauled them into her room. 'Is it all right if I put these at the bedside table?'