‘Do you want a piece?’ she asked, offering him the fork back.
‘No. I just want to watch you as you eat it.’
‘This is truly the best cake I’ve ever had, and I’m not just saying that because I love you.’
He leaned in and kissed her forehead, his lips soft against her skin. ‘Good, because I’ve made a decision.’
She stopped eating and looked up, hearing how serious he was.
‘I want to be a dessert or pastry chef,’ he said, and she could tell from the contented look on his face how pleased he was with his decision. ‘I am at my happiest when I’m making something sweet in the kitchen. I love the artistry of it and the ingredients, and I love watching you eat what I’ve created. I want to make desserts and cakes and pastries for the rest of my life, with you by my side.’
Amalie set down her plate and put her arms around his neck, drawing Oskar in for a kiss. ‘I’m so proud of you.’ She didn’t ask how he was going to do this or what he would tell his parents, because she preferred their little bubble of pretending it was just the two of them, and that whatever they dreamed of or talked about existed only between them. She didn’t know whether this was even something he could make happen, but if he thought he could, then she would support him.
When their lips parted, he smiled down at her, his gaze warm and kind. ‘Finish that cake and then let’s walk down to the water’s edge.’
She didn’t need to be told twice, eating her dessert and laughing as he recounted tales of the grumpy old chef he worked under, and how the man’s face had turned beetroot red whenhe’d tasted the truffle sauce and found it to be so salty it could make his moustache stand on end. When she was finally finished, Oskar stepped forwards and brushed his thumb against the edge of her mouth, wiping away a little bit of cream. The way his eyes fixed on hers made her feel as if he had a window straight to her heart.
‘Come with me,’ he said, holding out his hand. ‘I’ve waited all night for this.’
Amalie placed her palm against his and expected Oskar to lead her away from the hotel, but instead he pulled her close once they reached the little courtyard adjacent to where she’d been sitting.
‘Listen carefully,’ he whispered.
She did, and she heard it straightaway. There was the faintest sound of music coming from the hotel, and Amalie smiled against his shoulder as he looped his other hand around her waist. Usually they basked in the silence of the fjord when they took the little boat out, but tonight, it was music.
‘There’s an event in the dining hall tonight,’ he said, as he held her out and twirled her, making her laugh. ‘When I realised we’d never danced before, I knew it was our chance.’
Oskar pulled her in close again after the spin and she placed her head to his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart as they moved slowly from side to side. She could barely even hear the music now, but she swayed in time with his body, loving the way his arm encircled her. She’d only ever danced with boys at her town’s dances, and she’d always been careful to keep her distance, not wanting to even accidentally bump her body into theirs.
She imagined that Oskar had grown up going to balls or watching his parents dance, that he’d lived a life so different to hers, which made her wonder what their life might be like if they found a way to stay together.
‘When we’re married, we’re going to dance like this every night,’ he murmured against her ear. ‘Just you and me, in the middle of our house. When we have children, they’ll have to watch me dance with you every night after dinner.’
She tilted her head back and looked up at him, wanting to believe him but also knowing how much it was going to break her heart to have these memories, if the summer was all they had together. ‘Stop teasing me,’ she said. ‘You’re going to go back to university and forget all about your summer romance.’
‘Never,’ he said, stopping her from saying anything by covering her mouth with his.
‘Oskar!’
The call was so sharp and unexpected in the almost silent night air, that it cut straight through them and made Amalie leap back in surprise. Oskar stared down at her for a fleeting second, his eyes filling with what she could only imagine was disbelief before looking over his shoulder.
‘It’s my mother.’ His words were barely audible, but she heard them. ‘What is she doing here?’
Amalie closed her eyes, taking a breath before slowly turning to follow his gaze. His mother was exactly as she’d imagined she might look, with her blonde hair brushed off her face and piled high, diamonds glittering at her neck and dressed in clothes that, even from where she stood, reminded Amalie just how different Oskar’s family, hislife, was to hers. Amalie felt like a poor church mouse in comparison, and she hated that this woman had seen her kissing her son so passionately. If she’d known there was even a chance of them being seen by a member of his family, she’d never have so much as held Oskar’s hand.
‘Oskar! Come inside, your father is waiting.’
Amalie was surprised when Oskar took her hand, and when she tried to pull away, he held firm.
‘Oskar, you don’t need?—’
‘I’m not leaving you out here as if she’s caught me doing something wrong,’ he said. ‘Amalie, it’s time for you to meet my mother. The timing isn’t perfect, but it doesn’t matter.’
I don’t want to. I know how she’s going to look at me, what she’s going to think of me. I don’t want to feel her loathing.
‘Oskar, it’s fine. You don’t have to,’ she said.
He surprised her by lifting her hand and pressing a kiss to it, all while his mother’s gaze rested on them from afar. ‘I do, and I am. We have nothing to hide.’
