Finding Love in France

Part 16: Evening

"Clearly somebody's arm is feeling better!" she teased, as she ruffled his hair.

"I'll be honest, we might not make it down the stairs in one piece" as he kissed her forehead.

"Let's not leave it to chance, hmm?" And she jumped out of his arms and bounded down the stairs to the bunker.

Once downstairs, she realized that it was dark. She called up to him "My darling, can you grab a lantern on your way down?"

"Sure! Anything else you want from up here?" He was already assembling a few things for her from the main house. He was hoping he wasn't being too forward with the literal sweeping her off her feet move earlier. "Okay, concentrate, concentrate."

She was already amused by the grand romantic gesture of trying to carry her to bed, but now was audibly laughing at him overthinking it. Then, like flipping a switch, she couldn't hear him at all. What was he up to?

"Okay, do not blow this. Repeat. DO. NOT. BLOW. THIS. YOU. IDIOT." He was getting uncharacteristically nervous. "DO. NOT. SAY. IT. OR. THINK. IT. ITS. WAY. TOO. SOON." He was worried he wouldn't be able to help himself, at least not from thinking it. And this blocking her out took a real effort.

Taking a deep breath, he made his way downstairs. This was going to be harder than he thought.

Mila was sitting on the bed, thumbing through the French copy of "Frankenstein" that he had not-so-secretly been trying to teach himself the language with, by comparing it to the English copy. When she saw him, she smiled and read a passage out loud in that voice that made his knees buckle.

She stopped reading when she noticed his hands were full, and jumped up to help him. "My darling, are we moving down here permanently? You've brought half the house!" as she took a bundle of her belongings out of his left arm.

"No...maybe? Wishful thinking?" he smiled sheepishly, "Too soon?"

"Not at all, James. But there is more room upstairs, no?" she teased him.

After they put away the items he brought down, she walked over to the wine rack and selected a bottle she had been reluctant to open until now. It was champagne.

"Do you want to do the honors, my darling?" as she turned to show him her choice.

"Whoa! Champagne? Is it a special occasion?" Not that he minded, but he knew how cautious she was when it came to supplies. Seeing his trepidation, she put the bottle on the side table.

"Well, I thought, what the hell? Today has been quite a day, no?" she caught herself, then decided to tell him what was on her mind. "Actually, today was extraordinary, James. I have never been able to be completely honest with anyone about my abilities." She took his hand but avoided his eyes. "Talking about the past, though difficult, proved extremely important, too." She took a deep breath "I never thought that I would meet someone I did not have to hide from."

She looked up at him with those eyes, and he was a goner.

"Mila, I need to tell you something." He was using everything he had to block her from reading him. He had to say it out loud. He gulped and just went for it "I know this is going to sound insane, but..."

"I love you, James." she blurted out.

"Wait, that's what I was going to say!?! How did you know?!" He already knew the answer. "When did you know?"

"About you? Or how I felt, my darling?" She was smiling now. "I knew about you as soon as you did, of course. Admittedly, I took a little longer to allow myself to feel the same. Though I must admit, it feels a bit cliché to say these things after today. Sort of funny, no?"