When you tell the world you're mine

Chapter 39: Privileged child

"Are you nearly done?" he groaned annoyed pushing her giant cart at IKEA.

"Nope. And why are you so moody this morning?" she asked him searching the things she had chosen to buy when she looked at the store's website.

"Because I didn't know no one here wouldn't help us." he answered.

"Oh... poor privileged child. Even I that just got here knew that one should look alone for the things inside the store and that we get just a bit of help from them. Come on, I still have to find a bed and a couch." she said pushing him slightly and seeing the pile of things that were inside the cart and the seeing that her list was still big.

She had started with the living room, placing an order for a couch (and then changing her mind three times later) and a rug that would be delivered later. She bought cushions, lamps, side tables and more shelves to store her book collection her mom would send her. She bought some things for decorations, curtains for all the windows and a TV unity. It all came disassembled and in cardboard boxes. She then bought bathroom things she needed, a new mirror, a bath curtain and rugs and storage things.

But what bothered Harry the most is that she spent lots of time looking at all the options and then narrowing them to what fit in the space she had and in the budget she brought to buy all those things. And when she finally found something that would both fit and be affordable, she spent another half hour choosing between the color options the store offered.

"What do you think is best?" she asked him at some point. "Ash, charcoal or dark gray for the sofa's fabric?" she lifted the samples so he could see them.

"Is there any difference between those colors?" he scratched his head. "I mean... they're all gray and you're getting a gray sofa."

She took a deep breath and shook her head.

"You're not helping, Henry. These are different colors and the sofa is the most important thing in a living room. So you should start helping me if you want to go home soon." she said looking at him.

"So, go with the grayer gray. The darkest one." he said smugly.

"Are you sure? You really thought this through?" she was suspicious.

"Yes. 100% sure."

"Well... too bad I'll go with another tone for the sofa because you clearly couldn't choose a dark color with the other things I bought for the living room." she rolled her eyes and disappeared on another aisle to find other colors for the same sofa she wanted to buy.

"Oh fuck me." he whispered pushing the cart and following her.

(...)

"I think a single bed is enough." Carol said after they had stopped for lunch and after she chose the color to paint her bedroom.

"Single bed? Why are you getting a single bed?" Harry asked confused.

"Because I probably already spent more than I should and because it's enough."

"Well... I'm going to be in pain after sleeping with you on a single bed. You keep moving the whole night."

She almost closed her eyes looking at him.

"What makes you think you'd be sleeping on my bed?" she crossed her arms.

"Well... I'll take my chances and my charm." he shrugged smugly.

"You're not sleeping on my bed, Henry." she answered walking away from him to look at the options the store had.

"Well... we both know that's a lie. So you better save money on painkillers and buy a bigger bed that'd fit us both." he said hugging her for behind and kissing the spot behind her neck.

"Henry" she hissed. "We're in public. Stop it!" she said but not really making an effort to get out of his hold.

"No one's in this aisle. Relax a bit." he said kissing it again and lingering his lips in there before letting go.

They spent hours inside the store but Carol bought everything she'd need for this new start. Some things would be delivered later and other things she and Harry took home inside the minivan he was driving today. She didn't ask how he got a minivan, she just went with the flow. It took them long minutes to load and unload the car, and then get all the heavy and big boxes to her flat. They were both out of breath and tired, and Harry had grown even more grumpy after all the work.

"Do you know how to assemble things?" she asked him after she fixed them a sandwich in the afternoon.

"Well... never had to before, but it's not that hard. Is it?" he said looking at her.

"Do you think so?" she was looking at all the boxes distrustfully.

"I asked Bill for a tools box and he gave me one. I think everything we need is to sort the pieces, get the instruction manual and go with the flow."

"Ok. So let's get to work, mister. Start with the bedroom's furniture while I clean the kitchen." she said smiling at him.

"You're lucky I like you, because your bossy manner is infuriating sometimes."

"Stop sulking Henry. We've got lots to do. Now you go..." she said pinching his cheeks.

Harry had brought a change of clothes and before he started assembling things, he painted her bedroom and it was faster than what she was expecting it to be. And while the walls dried, they started to open the boxes and sort the things inside of it to make the process go faster.

What Harry didn't know was that assembling furniture was a bit harder than he thought. It took them a few mistakes to put every piece on it's right side and when they both realized the time, it was already the middle of the night. They had assembled her bed, the side tables, her chest of drawers and the table where she'd put her girly things on. Carol spread the rugs and hung the curtains she had bought.

"Do you want to put together the living room?" he asked clearly tired but still trying to be a gentleman.

"I guess we've done enough for today. We better go sleep and come back tomorrow." she said yawning.

"Oh thank Heavens." he said.

"I can't say thank you enough for this, Henry." she looked at him.

"You don't have to thank me for anything, darling. Come on, I'm going to drive you to Hailey's and go rest." he said dressing his heavy coat and helping her with hers.

Carol spent the whole ride looking at him. Even though she often forgot, mostly because he always made her do, he was a prince. And even then, he'd spent half of his day inside a store with her, he had eaten a sandwich for a snack, and he spent more than he needed to helping her to put her home together. He'd be always willing to walk the extra mile for her. Either surprising her with amazing trips, either with phone calls or text messages in the middle of the night, or when he'd simply be by her side and making it look like he had nothing else to do, when she knew he had. But he 100% showed her that there were nowhere else he'd rather be than by her side. It all helped Carol's heart warm up a bit that maybe, just maybe this might work. She said goodnight to him and got out of his car. When she was getting ready to go to bed she couldn't help but wish she'd be sleeping in his arms. And she knew he was just a phone call away. But it wasn't fair to him to lit up a flame of hope she wasn't sure she was able to keep on.