My Saviour - Tanner X Woods

Chapter 35 - The Peace Garden

Tanner's POV

We were finally getting towards our destination. We had been singing for hours and there was no light left to brighten the day. I pulled in just off the motorway and handed Woods a blindfold. He had no clue where we were anyway, but I just wanted to make it even more of a surprise.

"So, would you be okay putting on a blindfold?" I asked Woods quietly. He nodded hesitantly. I gently reached around his head and tied a loose knot in the back of the cloth. "Can you see anything?" I asked. He shook his head. I climbed back into the car and we continued driving a little.

Once we had arrived, I quickly rushed round to Woods' side of the car and opened his door. I carefully grabbed his arm and helped him out. Once he was stood away from the door I slammed it shut and guided Woods to where we were heading. "Okay, you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be I suppose." He replied with a nervous sigh.

I reached around and untied the blindfold. Woods' jaw dropped. "Oh. My. God..." He paused, his mouth still agape as he looked around in awe. "Wow.." He whispered.

"You like it?" I smiled. He turned to me, a wide smile plastered over his face. He jumped at me with his arms wide open; I grabbed him and spun him around in my arms before placing him back down. He reached his hands up to my face and stood on his tiptoes, placing a kiss on my lips and running around like a kid. It was so good to see him like this.

I decided I wanted to take him to a place he never thought existed. When we lay there next to each other in bed, he often talks about a world where fairy lights line the trees and houses, cookie trees fill the streets and his house is filled with wooden beams, fairy lights and dogs. It made me feel sad that he didn't think it was possible to have these things. I knew he was having a rough time recently, the least I could do was cheer him up by making his dreams a reality.

I came here a few years ago and thought it was so pretty. The houses, white, with wooden beams running through the walls, a view of the mountains through every window, coloured fairy lights dangling from the roof of every house, illuminating the street in what seemed like a thousand colours. Reds, golds, greens and blues, a few of the many colours that lit up the area. Perfect...

I grabbed his hand and walked him down the road. We aalked slowly but surely over to a nearby tree. I carefully placed a packet of cookies on a branch. He laughed a little. "Its perfect." He grinned. His eyes were completely filled to the brim with excitement and adoration.

I began to walk towards the inn He quickly snatched up the cookies and followed closely behind, still taking all of his surroundings in. He jogged a little and linked his arm with mine.

The inn had an old wooden door, one you would expect to see in a medieval castle rather than a quiet village in the middle of the mountains. It had black, painted, latch handles and large black bolts holding it together. As we entered, we were greeted by an excited black labrador.

"Oscar! Come here boy" a growling voice demanded. We snapped our heads around to a small corner, seeing an elderly man, about eighty, sat comfortably in an old rocking chair, a farmers cap perched precariously on his head. "Sorry about him, he can get excited when we get visitors at night. It's quite unusual nowadays." He paused in thought for a moment before suddenly coughing rather aggressively, causing his entire body to lunge forward and almost crumple into a ball. He slowly lent back into the chair, regaining his breath and sighing in pain. "Anyways, what can I do for you chaps? A drink? Food? A place to stay?"

I glanced at Woods who had now sat himself down at the bar. "Could we get two beers please?" He asked, glancing over at me and patting the chair beside him. The man began to stand, groaning as he rose from the chair.

"I must apologise if I'm a little slow. My back isnt as good as it used to be and nobody comes here at night so it's only me here to manage this place. I suppose you aren't from round here, I dont recognise either of you." He spoke as he walked behind the bar. He began to sort our drinks.

"No, we aren't." Woods spoke confidently. I've never seen him like this. "And dont worry about anything; you take your time. We aren't in any hurry." He smiled to the man. The man returned seemed to return it.

"My name is Roger. Can I ask yours?" He placed our drinks in front of us both and lent on the bar top.

"I'm Woods, this is Tanner." He said, gesturing towards me.

"Nice to meet you both." The man placed his hand out and we shook hands. "So do you need to stay here too?" All our rooms are empty st the moment so you can choose which one you would prefer to stay in. Do want to stay in the same room or separate?"

I finally spoke. "Together please." The man smiled but it seemed pained.

"Are you guys together?" He asked, a little warily.

"Yes we are." Woods spoke confidently, grabbing my hand.

"That's amazing." Roger smiled brightly, but I could see he was upset for some reason. "My husband died ten years ago. He was such a kind man and I would give anything for him to be here with me now. The only reason I kept this place open is because I didn't want to let him down..." He stopped. A tear fell over his frail face. "I'm sorry. You didn't come here for this."

"No. It's okay. I understand. I lost my dad and my sister a few years ago. I want them back more than anything in this world. I'm just starting to get a little better because of this beautiful man here." Woods looked at me lovingly. He lifted my hand onto the bar top, his fingers tightly intertwined in mine. "Just try and find someone or something that will get you through. Whether it be Oscar or someone who comes in here. Try to focus on what you have, rather than what you dont. It's hard, but you will get there eventually. It just takes effort and time."

I was so shocked, yet so happy. Woods was finally beginning to be more positive. It was amazing. It made me feel whole again.

The man smiled as another tear ran down his face. He looked up at me. "You are one very lucky man." He said sincerely. 'It would be a delight if you wanted to hold the after party for the wedding here. It would be free of charge. We've only just met and you've already made me feel so different and opened my eyes. It's strange. I haven't felt this way in over a decade."

Woods and I looked at each other, our mouths wide open. I looked back at Roger. "We cant possibly have it for free. It would be amazing to have it here. Its gorgeous here and I wanted to involve it in some way, but I will pay full price for everything, no questions asked."

"If you won't do it for free then what about half the price of what it would be?" He pushed.

"Okay. Fine. But only if you're certain. We can change the price if you find you cant afford it or something. It's okay." I answered. Roger seemed to fill with great excitement.

"That's fantastic!" He grinned. "Now, we must sort out a room for you both. Follow me." He began walking towards a curved staircase. I began to think about our wedding. How beautiful it will be. I can not wait!

A/N
I'm so sorry it's taken so long to update, I've been really busy with work and trying to get college sorted and just had a lot of stuff going on. I am going away for two weeks on Monday and I wont have wifi so wont be able to update but I will continue writing and when I get home, I will publish it. Hope everyone is okay. Try and keep your head up. PMA <3
- C.