Behind The Mask

Chapter 30

Anouk’s POV

I keep my hands over his eyes as I lead him to the roof. It’s the first surprise I’ve ever prepared for a guy and I hope I got it right.

“Are we there yet?” he whines in his childish tone.

“Quite close now. Have a little more patience.”

We reach the roof and I pull my hands back. I hope it looks right: the dinner, the champagne and the highlight of the evening – the telescope. I worked like a slave to clean it of dust and cobwebs and mount it properly on the tripod.

“Wow…Nooki! Oh wow, baby! You prepared all these???? For…for me?”

This is what I don’ get. Why he never thinks he is worthy of a nice surprise.

“I prepared all these for us. You wanted to make us official, and I wanted to make it special. I know that I can never buy you something which you don’t already have or could buy…so I wanted to give you something that money can’t buy: the stars in the sky.”

I take him by the hand to the telescope.

“I know you like to look at the stars…What if you could see them up close and personal? So close, that you could almost touch them?”

“Nooki…this is….it’s just amazing. I love you, baby…so much!”

His arms are around me and his lips are upon mine before I could answer back. I just hold him back and show him how much he means to me. I was a sick, lonely noob before him. I was a time bomb ticking off….a mess…a disaster. So many negative things inside me, and I couldn’t speak to anyone about them. And he came along and magically enough did not get scared by the huge baggage I’m carrying.

“I’m proud to be your girl” I whisper to him.

“And I’m proud to be your guy. You make me proud in so many ways.”

It all tends to become too emotional…really.

“Before I act like your personal astronomer, you’d better feed me properly” I say, pushing gently away from him.

“Quite right. Let’s see….what do we have here? Oooohhh…my favorite hot wings! Here, have one!”

I grab my Mediterranean salad with an arched brow.

“I will not eat a helpless DEAD chicken. You go ahead, since you have no moral compunction against it…”

“You know, that’s a chicken’s fate. To be turned into roasted legs and hot wings.”

“I am sure PETA would agree with you” I snort and I dig into my salad.

No offense now, but the champagne alone will make for my glucose intake for at least 48 hours….

“So…let’s she what we got here….Ummm….ooooh, look at Jupiter! It looks so good tonight!” I scream as I’m focusing the lenses.

“You should be glad it’s only a planet out there, otherwise the fellow would be in trouble” mumbles Michael at my shoulder.

I give him a playful shove with my elbow.

“Shut up, Tarzan of the apes!”

“You’re mine! This ring says your mine and your pussy says you’re mine.”

“Are we getting into a geo-political debate?” I grin at him.

I just love when he gets just a bit jealous and talks just a bit dirty.

“Pretty girl, it is a fact. No need for any debates whatsoever.”

“That sounds kinda….dictatorial, you know? Idi Amin….Pol Pot…Fidel Castro...ring a bell?”