Die for You

Chapter 50

Our second Sunday living together saw me arranging some of my personal items around my room. I'd moved all of my meagre possessions to Becky's place during the previous week. I'd placed my clothes in drawers and on hangars. Shoes were slipped onto fancy little racks that were built into posh wardrobes and underwear was placed carefully into cloth boxes in a cupboard drawer.

The main reason for me taking over the spare room like this was twofold, appearance and space. It gave us the appearance that what we had here was nothing more than a professional relationship, and the space to be apart for a while when we needed to be. Twenty four seven personal protection was one thing, twenty four seven in each others company would likely add just one more strain to what we had.

I finished my homemaking by putting up the picture frame I'd made for my mother all those years ago, putting it on the wall in pride of place. I smiled as I looked at the three familiar photographs, of three different periods in my life. It felt good to have it somewhere stable again, at least in the short term anyway; it felt good to have my mum somewhere I could perhaps start to call home. It was a hell of a lot better than having her in a storage locker that was for sure.

I looked around the completed room and, patting myself on the back for a job well done, I walked into the living room to see Becky stretching to take down a photograph.

"Need a hand, babe?" I said walking up behind her, catching the photograph as she dropped it from the wall.

"Well I was doing fine before you came in doing your ninja impression," she said turning and taking the picture from me.

"What are you doing? Other than taking down a picture," I added quickly as her lips twitched at my obvious question.

"I'm putting this up," she said holding up a framed picture. 

"See you've nicked one of my pictures," I said spotting another arrival on a side table, "I've been looking everywhere for that."

"Yeah," she said walking over and picking up the small print in its cheap frame. "Sorry, I thought you'd want something of yours in here too, seeing as you're my roomie now."

"Thanks," I said, slipping my arms around her and kissing the base of her neck, "I appreciate the thought."

"You look really happy there, Freenky," she said, "you must have loved those guys a lot."

"I did," I said, leaning me head on her shoulder and looking into the smiling eyes of a younger, less broken me stood around a lightweight Land Rover with the rest of my unit. I remember the day it had been taken as if it were yesterday, we were all kitted out and ready to head off on patrol; guns held casually over shoulders, thumbs raised, each and every one of us thinking we were totally bullet proof.

"They were a great bunch," I said needlessly explaining my affection for them, "we were a really good team."

I slipped my hands up from her waist and took the picture from her hands, placing it down on the table again. "Thanks for doing that, babe. I really do appreciate you making me want to feel at home here."

"Well it is your home now, babe. Next weekend, I think we should take a trip to that lock up of yours so you can get some more of your stuff to bring here."

"Maybe," I said noncommittally. I couldn't really think of anything else that was there that I wanted to bring with me, except perhaps for my table and that wouldn't fit, let alone fit in, here.

"I have something else here for you, babe," she said spinning around in my arms and kissing my throat. "It arrived yesterday actually, I was going to give it to you right away, but I was...well I didn't think it was the right time. Don't be mad at me ok"