"Penny for your thoughts?" Daniel asks me while we sit in the central London traffic on our way to view the next house.
I shake my head to focus my thoughts. "Sorry, I was in a world of my own."
"You've hardly said a word since we left the Cotswolds. If you want that house, just say the word and we will buy it!" His expression is pensive, as though he has no idea what I'm thinking.
"We agreed, Daniel! We view all three and then we go back to any that we like for a second viewing. This is a decision that we need to make together, and it needs to be the right move for all of us." I swallow my words about wanting the Cotswolds house because I know we need to look at all the options before making the jump.
Daniel begins to chuckle. "You're really not an impulse buyer, are you?"
I laugh too, thankful that he's made the situation more lighthearted for us both. "Nope, not one bit!"
"Ok! Well we're here." He comments before approaching huge closed gates. A security guard approaches the car, so Daniel winds down the window. "Hello. I'm Daniel Weston, we're here to view a house with Eve Denning."
"Of course, Sir. I was informed to expect you. Follow the road to the left and the house is number six on the left hand side." He smiles warmly before stepping away from the car.
"Thank you." Daniel says as the gates open.
We drive passed a number of closed gates with none of the houses behind viewable from the road. It soon becomes clear that each of the houses circle around a large communal green with a children's play park at the centre. "That's sweet." I comment drawing Daniel's attention to the area.
He nods with a smile. "Number six." Daniel pulls into the only driveway with the gates open in readiness for us. As soon as we turn off the road, the house comes into view.
"It's gorgeous," I comment more to myself than to Daniel. The simple, white, modern look of the house is the polar opposite to the character of the Cotswolds house, but it really is beautiful. I feel a little more prepared going into this house as we have already seen photographs of each of the rooms.
"I like it." Daniel says simply while he parks the car outside the front of the house next to Eve's car. He opens the door and walks round to open the door for me. He brown furrows as I step out for the car. "You feeling OK?"
"Just tired." I explain with a yawn. "I'm fine though, honestly."
Eve steps out onto the driveway. "Hello, again. It hasn't got the history of the house in the Cotswolds, but isn't it a beauty?"
We both nod enthusiastically in agreement.
"As you know from the brochure, this is a gated community of twelve individually designed houses. There is a guard at the main entrance twenty-four hours a day, and then each property is privately gated. I'll leave you to have a look around, and again, I'll be in the back garden whenever you're ready." She grins before entering the house and disappearing out of sight.
Daniel puts his arm around my shoulders, and instinctively, I intertwine my fingers with his. "House number two, let's see what you have to show us." I grin up at him before he presses his lips against my temple.
"I'll follow your lead." Daniel whispers again with a cheeky wiggle of his eyebrows.
"Come on." I tentatively walk through the modern black front door into the entrance hallway. It's sleek and minimalist, just as I remember from the photographs.
Eve has ensured again that each of the doors are closed. I don't have the nervous anticipation that I had earlier today in the Cotswolds, but there is no denying that this house is gorgeous. The checkerboard black and white tiled floor looks sophisticated against the stark white walls. The stairs are white with a black glossy bannister.
"You can tell this house is practically brand new." He grins while stepping forward to open one of the closed doors.
"Think Eve said the estate was built three years ago." I squeeze between him and the door frame to see the room, but struggle with my belly. Daniel moves swiftly out of the way with a smirk.
The living room is stark white again with black and white prints spread across the otherwise bare walls. A black leather sofa sits before a modern fireplace with single black chairs dotted elsewhere. It's not as big as the living room in the Cotswolds house, but this room has large windows on two sides, allowing natural light to flood into the room. "I like it." I comment truthfully with a nod.
"I do too." He grins before leading me into the next room which from memory of the brochure is an office. The room is enormous and the current owners have doubled it up its use as both an office and a library. "This room could be turned into a playroom for the kids?"
I nod imagining the room filled with toys and laughter. "But what about the office space?"
Daniel bites his lip with a clear idea in his head. He strides out of the room and opens the door to the current dining room. He gestures for me to look into the room, which again is stark white with black furniture. "This room is big enough to be divided into two offices for us." He stands in the middle of the room between the two windows. "This house has got a massive kitchen, so the dining table could go in there!"
"Check you out, my very own interior designer." I chuckle teasingly.
"Don't take the piss, Lizzie!" He grins wickedly before he puts his hands on both of my shoulders to guide me through to the kitchen. He opens the door into a massive open plan kitchen. "See... they only have a small table in here, but look at the space!"
"I agree with you." I beam at his as I look round the bright, modern and minimalist kitchen.
The three bedrooms upstairs are huge, but remain white in keeping with the rest of the house. "We could change the layout completely up here if we wanted to." I comment as I let my imagination run wild with the possibilities. For the first time I actually feel excited about this house and as we descend the stairs, I know that this house would be much more practical for us. The location alone is perfect for Daniel to ensure our family has privacy, but that we remain in central London.
Stepping out into the large, flat and walled back garden I take a deep breath and close my eyes. "This house is gorgeous." I say when I feel him wrap his arms around me from behind. He rests his chin on the top of my head as we both look back at the house.
"I have a good feeling about this one. I know it's not perfect right now, but add a bit of colour and move some things around..."
"I couldn't agree more, I like it so much more than I was expecting to! The fact that it's so neutral everywhere means it's really easy to imagine the changes we can make." I turn in his arms and snake my hands around his neck, pulling him to me. I kiss him deeply, standing here in the secluded back garden.
Daniel pulls me flush against him just as we hear Eve clear her throat. "Sorry to interrupt." She grins sheepishly.
We begin to separate, but then Daniel puts his arm around my waist and holds me against me. "We like this one too, Eve."
"We really do! It's beautiful." I gush excitedly.
"I'm so pleased! Do you have any questions or do you want to move onto the next house?" Eve asks patiently.
"Can I just have a look at the brochure for the next one again, please?" Daniel asks as he releases me. Eve opens her large tan handbag, and pulls out the brochure. Daniel steps towards her to take hold of the brochure.
I study Daniel's face while he reads the brochure again. He bites his thumbnail the way he does when he has something on his mind. Eve must sense the same thing as our eyes meet. I shrug discreetly towards her, not knowing what he's thinking.
"I know I said I liked this house..." he waves the brochure animatedly. "... but, I just don't see us living there." He winces towards me. "Sorry, but my gut tells me it's between this one and the one in the Cotswolds."
"I thought we were going to view all three?" I ask, raising my eyebrows in surprise. A swell of relief unexpectedly surges through me following his words. I've looked at the brochure for the third house a dozen times, but not once have I felt any excitement. The three storey grand and opulent house reminded me of something his mother would want him to purchase.
"Do you want to see it? We can still go?" He calls my bluff, knowing I've shown no interest in the final house on our list.
"No, I didn't really think it suited us either."
"So... where do we go from here?" Eve asks with her tone full of anticipation.
"Could you arrange two second viewings, please Eve? Unless... is there one you prefer?" I turn towards Daniel who has now sat himself down in one of the garden chairs.
"Both are bloody beautiful in their own way, so I think we should see them both again. Lizzie won't make a decision like this lightly so I'm sure there will be endless lists of pros and cons for us to talk about!" He chuckles softly while placing his hands behind his head as he relaxes in the reclining chair.
I bob my tongue out in response, making him laugh even more.
"I'll speak to both owners in the morning, and we can go from there." Eve says excitedly.
Daniel claps his hands together as he stands up. "Perfect! Thanks for your time today. I'm going to get Lizzie home now to rest, but I'll speak to you tomorrow."
- hey guys!
Merry Christmas!!!
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