Lost in You

Chapter 20

It's evening and the last competition just finished. It's official. he won the title of the ski lfying competitions and I had to watch from our hotel room, because Maja and I woulnd't have been done with work soon enough to go to the hill. But I'll make the best out of the situation, the plan already forming in my head this morning when the outcome of today was still open. 

When I decide to decorate his room this time, I sneak away while Maja is bathing. Or better, I did tell her that I would leave so she knows I'm gone, but I didn't tell her why and she didn't ask. She probably assumes that I want to meet Marius to give him my congratulations in person. I leave her in that belief because it's close enough to the truth. To the little welcome that I want to prepare for him in his room. This time I checked with Sophie before taking things up to his room to make sure he'll be able to actually enjoy the surprise and I'm getting neither of us into trouble.

"I love the idea," Sophie whispers when she meets me in the corridor, pushing a cart in front of her. There's a small cake on top of it. I explained the situation and asked if she could come up with something for his room that we'd be allowed to leave there. I don't ask where she got a whole cake from or why she doesn't need me to pay for the champagne.

"I hope you're not the only one," I say when we stop in front of his room. Me in front of the cart and Sophie just beside the wall when I knock, so she's hidden in case he's already here. But the room stays silent, so I use my key card to enter. "I'm sure I won't be. But if he does hate it, please call me and we'll have a nice evening with cake and champagne, she jokes and pushes the cart into the middle of the room. It's a tight fit and I'm glad she's the one steering, but it allows us to close the door behind us and have no one see what we're doing. "I will. Thank you again for your help," I say with a look at the cart. "No problem. All I need is feedback on how it went. And now I'll leave you to it before there's a queue in the lobby waiting for me," she says. I laugh. "You're surely missed fast." "I'm very important," she says with a wink that makes me laugh again before she leaves. Leaving means she opens the door a little, glances out, and gives me a thumb up before squeezing through as if we're in some spy film. I still giggle when I start decorating, placing the cake on the table and the champagne in the fridge first. Sophie even remembered to provide a few glasses and cutlery that I surely would have forgotten. Then I frame the photo of the team competition that I've seen him treasuring last time. Lastly, I write him a note to check the fridge and enjoy the evening. When I hear voices outside, I go to the window and push the curtain aside to watch people streaming out into the parking space. So Sophie was right. She really was needed down at the reception again. But thankfully no sign of any athletes yet. I turn around and take a few pictures with my phone to show Maja when I tell her what I did later. Then all I can do is check the room one more time, even though I know that everything is in order after I already cleaned it this morning, and carefully push the cart back out of the room again. I almost call Sophie to help me when it gets stuck on the carpeted floor in a corner. At least it's empty now. Still, my heart is racing when I'm finally back in the corridor and check that no one has seen me coming out of his room with the whole cart because I'm not sure how I'd explain that. But the corridor is empty and silent. I can take my time to get back to the lift and put it back into the basement. I even have time to go to Sophie and show her photos of the decoration before I have to go back to Maja. "You made it look so nice," Sophie says. I smile. "Thank you again. I would have never gotten all of that without you." "Whatever I can do for love," she says with a wink. I'm glad when two guests enter and ring for Sophie so that I don't need to answer her. Love seems too big of a word for this yet. I put my phone away and finally go back to Maja before anyone sees me down here.