Blindsided

*Epilogue

Melanie

A gust of cold air hits my bare cheek, and I can't help the shiver that travels up my spine. Summers in Scotland are much colder than those of California, and I still haven't quite gotten used to it. Luckily, my personal heat-blanket takes the opportunity to hold me tighter to his body, pulling my cold hands into his jackets pockets. Bailey leans down, pressing his tender lips to the coolness of my cheek, instantly warming me. I smile to myself, dropping my head against his shoulder as he leads me up the garden path to where we've been staying for the past week.

We've just completed our second last day in Britain. After two weeks of roaming parts of England and Scotland, tonight is our last night in Inverness before we head back down to Edinburgh, where we'll return home. To Boston. 

With money that both our grandparents had put in a trust for us, we've put a deposit down on an apartment just outside of inner city Boston. We haven't moved in yet, as we're planning to do that when we get back, but I already have everything I've wanted to take packed in my parents house, ready for them to ship it when we're ready.

After returning home from college 6 weeks ago, Bailey stayed with myself and my parents for two weeks, before we visited his mum for another week. Then, with savings we had both accumulated from working in high school and the earlier years of college, we decided to visit the places where Bailey grew up. First stop London, then on to Northumberland, and now, even though he never lived here, we've found ourselves in Inverness. We've had a lovely time here, exploring all that this small section of Britain has to offer, although I know the best part about the trip has been getting even closer to Bailey. After everything that happened between us in the days leading up to graduation, I really thought I had lost him forever. Driver him away, with the key to my heart still in his hand. 

And am I glad I was wrong.

Every moment with him is new and amazing, and I feel myself falling more in love with him as everyday passes by us. And it's the best feeling to have, even better than I ever could have imagined. Are we still in our honeymoon phase? Probably, but that doesn't change any of the ways that I feel for him. It doesn't take away any of our love.

Bailey presses the key into our rented cottage, twisting it sideways. The door clicks open, and I'm being pulled inside a second later. I stop at the door to kick off my boots, hanging my coat behind the dor. Bailey does the same, all while balancing the small bag of groceries we picked up when we finished sight-seeing earlier today. Once our shoes are off, we walk further through the dainty cottage, in the direction of the kitchen. Bailey places the bag of groceries on the counter, while I take a seat at one of the island chairs. While I'm getting comfortable, Bailey busies himself with the small coffee machine sitting on the other end of the counter, grabbing two mugs from an overhead cabinet. I stare lovingly at him from my seat, resting my head in the side of my palm. It's just so easy to look at Bailey, and become fully absorbed in anything and everything that he's doing.

"How domesticated are we?" I question aloud, watching as a small grin tilts his lips upwards.

"Well, you'd better get used to it, since you know, we'll be living together officially, when we get back." I stand up from my stool, walking over to where Bailey's standing, and slowly wrapping my arms around his waist. Standing on my tip-toes, I press a soft kiss to the back of his neck, leaving my lips to rest there for an extra second. He places one of his large hands on my lower back, pulling me forward so I'm in front of his body. A quick kiss is pressed to the top of my forehead as Bailey busies himself with the coffee making, before I feel his head lean atop of my head. 

"I'm so excited." I whisper, moving my hands just under his shirt to touch the hidden skin. His body somehow always radiates with heat, making touching him and being near him in general an easy task.