Memories

|27| • Show Me Your Wood •

"So... do you still want to light the bonfire later? When it's dark?" He asked, placing his empty plate on the table. He picked up his wine glass before he leaned back in his chair and looked at me.

Shrugging, I finished the last bites of my food and did the same as he did. "Sure, if you want that? If you think it's too much, I'm perfectly fine with just sitting here instead."

"Do you think it's too much?" He asked, keeping his eyes on me.

"Brian.." I smiled at him and shook my head. "No, I don't think so. But I'm up for whatever you prefer, really. It's your garden. If you say you don't want to light the bonfire, then I won't make you."

"I do, though, I think that could be cosy. Maybe we should open another bottle of wine.." He picked up the nearly empty bottle of wine that was still on the table and refilled my glass before he emptied the last few drops of the bottle into his glass.

"I know you have a lot of bottles, but I don't think that's such a good idea tonight. We can try another one of your wines tomorrow if you want that, but I'd like to remain in control of my actions for tonight."

"Do you not trust me to take care of you?" He asked, looking at me curiously.

I shook my head and smiled at him. "No, that's not it. I just don't trust myself. That's a huge difference." I knew exactly that if I had a little more wine than I should - which would be the case if he opened another bottle - there was no telling how far I would go, what I would do that I might regret in the morning. I'd much rather be in control of what I did. Not that my intentions were to steer clear of anything... potentially daring, but I wanted to do those things while I knew what I was doing. So that Brian knew that I knew what I was doing. That he didn't have to fear I might not want what I was doing.

"Alright.. I like drunk you, but we can do that another day," he assured me. "No more wine, just a bonfire. And possibly some marshmallows if you want that."

"Ohh I like how that sounds, yes." I smiled widely at him and nodded. "Do we have to do the dishes or something?"

Brian shook his head. "No, it's all done. And I'm not just saying that, I promise. We actually don't have to clean anything. Well, except for the wine glasses and the cutlery, but we can do that tomorrow, there's no rush. And yes, I promise I'll let you help."

I smiled at him and nodded. "Good, I see you're learning. I really don't mind helping you at all. Quite the opposite actually. The more time we spend together, the happier I am. Even if that time is spent cleaning."

"I know, I know, but you're the guest, you should relax.." He got up and moved his chair closer to mine before he looked at me with a smile.

"Yes, but you always say I should feel at home, so that would include cleaning, wouldn't it?"

He hesitated for a moment before he nodded. "Yeah... you have a point. Alright, fair enough. But then you have to really feel at home here."

"I do," I assured him, but he got up and went inside the house before saying anything else, which of course left me slightly confused. "What are you doing?" I asked curiously, but I didn't get an answer, presumably because he hadn't heard me.

However, I got my answer when he returned and sat down across from me again. "I want you to really feel at home here," he repeated and held a key out for me. "This way you can come and go whenever you feel like it.."

"What?" I asked surprised, widening my eyes. "You... you want me to have a key to your house?"

"Do you not want it?" He asked hesitantly, looking at me with a hint of insecurity in his expression.