Chapter 74 Aslan
Aslan
Something warm hit my nose.
“Happy Thanksgiving!” James said.
I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head while he announced that Operation Honeymoon was officially on.
I peeked out from under the blanket and found him holding a steaming cup of coffee two inches from my face, grinning like a maniac.
“What time is it?” I mumbled.
“Seven a.m., sharp.”
I sat up so fast my head spun and rubbed my eyes. “Holy shit, really? Why are you waking me up then?”
James shoved the coffee into my hands. “Seriously? As your loving roommate, I have a romantic lake cabin to prepare with you. Chop, chop.”
I stared at him, still half asleep. “You’re insane.”
He clapped his hands once. “Drink the coffee. We have a mission.”
I took a sip and sighed. “I’m going to need three of these to be half as hyper as you are this early.”
James just smiled proudly.
I leaned back against the pillow for a second, letting the caffeine slowly wake up my brain as last night’s recital drifted back into my thoughts.
Standing under those lights, I had felt everything: the music, the room, the tension, and Garrett.
I had seen him in the first row with his fingers laced with Trisha’s, his eyes locked on me. Even with the distance, I could feel it.
When the lights went down halfway through the piece, I could not see him anymore. Something strange had happened at that moment, though. I had started playing for him anyway, almost without thinking, like I needed him to hear it, to notice, to understand that I was not someone he could simply erase.
But somewhere in the middle of the performance, something shifted when Aitor’s violin filled the room. The sound wrapped around everything, warm and alive, and when I looked at him, I saw those eyes, the way he was looking at me like the music meant something real, like I meant something.
The rest of the world disappeared after that, and I poured everything into the song—every emotion, every breath, every note.
By the time the lights came back on, Garrett was no longer there, but it did not matter because Aitor was. His warmth, his smile, and that incredible connection between us were the only things in the room that stayed with me.
I had wanted to go with him and stay close, to feel that connection again, but I needed the morning free to prepare the surprise, and Aitor had said he had somewhere to be as well. The moment would have to wait.
Until today. My real chance to do something for him.
James snapped his fingers in front of my face and told me to return to Earth.
“Okay, okay!” I grabbed my jacket, and we almost tiptoed our way to the car, like two spies sneaking out at the crack of dawn.
James drove like a lunatic, the car shooting onto the highway before I had even finished buckling my seatbelt.
“James, slow down.”
“We are on a romantic timeline,” he declared proudly.
“We’re buying groceries, not disarming a bomb.”
He ignored me completely and pulled into the parking lot of a massive department store about fifteen minutes later. The moment the engine stopped, he jumped out and grabbed a shopping cart with the intensity of a man preparing for battle.
“This,” he announced dramatically, steering the cart toward the entrance, “is where romance truly begins.”
“I’m already scared,” I told him.
“Rule number one of romance,” he continued as we entered the store, pushing the cart down the first aisle with absolute confidence, “you never know what mood it might lead to.”
“James—”
“Science supports this.”
Two aisles later the cart already looked like we were hosting Thanksgiving for the entire state of Massachusetts. It was filling rapidly with food, drinks, more food, and even more drinks. I finally grabbed the cart to stop it from moving.
“You do realize this is for two people, right?”
“Preparation is key,” he replied calmly, tossing another bag into the cart.
Then came the candles. Five dozen of them.
“James.”
“Atmosphere.”
Next came incense, scented oils, and chocolate-covered strawberries.
“Obviously,” he added.
Then he casually tossed two boxes of condoms into the cart. I blinked at him. Without hesitation, he added three more boxes in different sizes.
“Are we opening a pharmacy?”
“You never know.”
Two bottles of lubricant landed in the cart.
“James!”
He shrugged. “Options are important.”
By the time we reached the checkout, the cart looked like we were preparing for Thanksgiving dinner, a honeymoon night, and a small apocalypse.
The cabin was even better than I expected. It sat near the lake, surrounded by tall trees dusted with snow, and the air had that deep, quiet stillness that only existed far away from everything. The place looked almost unreal against the winter landscape, totally Hallmark, as promised.
James stepped inside first and looked around with a satisfied smile. “Not bad, right?” he said, dropping the bags near the door.
“Not bad?” I laughed, walking farther into the living room. “James, this is incredible.”
The place was warm, cozy, and ridiculously perfect, with a huge stone fireplace, soft lighting, and a giant couch that looked dangerously comfortable. Everything smelled faintly like wood and pine, and for a moment I just ran around like a kid taking it all in.
Then I spotted something that made me stop in my tracks.
“Wait… no way.”
James turned. “What?”
I pointed toward the bathroom.
A full-size jacuzzi sat in the corner.
James burst out laughing. “Well,” he said, reminding me of our first two frustrated tub attempts, “third time’s the charm.”
I shook my head, grinning. The place felt unreal. There were no neighbors and no noise, only the lake, the snow, and silence stretching in every direction.
We spent the next hour turning the cabin into something that looked like a romantic movie set. Candles went everywhere. The soft lights were adjusted until the place glowed warmly, the fireplace was stacked and ready to be lit, the table was set for two, drinks were chilled, and the precooked chicken and all the sides were prepared so they could be heated and served later.
By the time we finished, it felt like we had already worked a full day.
James stepped back, looked around the room, and nodded proudly. “Yeah,” he said. “This is definitely happening.”
Just then, my phone buzzed.
A message from Aitor lit up the screen.
Happy Thanksgiving. Where are you?
I smiled down at the message.
Happy Thanksgiving! I’m on my way.
I responded.
Oh, and I kinda need you to pack for three days… 😘