By the time he rummaged in his bedside drawer for a condom, they were both entirely naked and Mats was torn between taking all of Lotta in, because she was an absolute vision, laid there on his bed, and wanting to be as close to her as he could be. Neither was ever going to be enough. Tonight was never going to be enough.
The next morning, he showered and dressed for work before Lotta woke up. Having her here, even asleep, made him so happy he was walking around with a grin on his face. He stood at the mirror in his walk-in wardrobe, tying his tie, smiling at himself which made him laugh. If only every morning could be like this.
Lotta only stirred when he brought her a cup of coffee and sat on the edge of the bed next to her. He’d have loved to wake up together and repeat the way they’d fallen asleep in reverse, but he had an idea her day could be challenging and she needed rest to be ready for that. Besides, he had to get to work.
‘Hey, Lotta,’ he whispered, running his finger across her forehead to move a strand of hair from her face. ‘I have to go.’
Her eyes flicked open straight away. ‘Now?’ she said, leaning up onto her elbow and rubbing her eyes.
‘Yes.’
‘Oh my god, Mats. Look at you in that suit.’ She was awake now with a look in her eyes that could easily tempt him to stay and ditch the meeting that was most likely going to be a repeat of yesterday’s.
He grinned at her, trying to stay strong. ‘I’m glad you like it. Can I see you later?’
‘Yes, of course. It’s my last night.’
‘Why don’t you get your things from the hotel and stay here? You can work from here if you need to and I hope you’d be staying tonight, anyway.’
‘Thanks, I’d love that.’
‘I’ll leave a key on the counter next to the coffee machine.’ He leant down to kiss her. ‘Have a good day.’
‘You too. I can’t believe your colleagues get to see you looking like that all day.’
He laughed. ‘It’s wasted on them, believe me.’
She laughed and snuggled under the covers.
He loved this.
He grabbed his bag and coat and headed out of the apartment, taking the lift downstairs. It felt like he’d woken up in a different life this morning. But even if Lotta lived here, these kinds of days were numbered now that the project was underway. He wouldn’t be living here for much longer, and the island was going to make impromptu sleepovers impossible. It was so ironic that the moment he’d found a person he could contemplate sharing his life with, he was about to embark on an adventure that was going to make that difficult.
But right now, Lotta was in his bed, and hopefully she would be tonight too. He could focus on that instead of the months ahead when it would be harder.
The morning’s meeting was a continuation of the deep dive they’d taken yesterday into how the numbers were looking versus Mats’ strategic aims. Usually he loved this kind of thing and found it rewarding seeing his work come to fruition, but today all he could think about was whether Lotta was okay. Had she contacted Oda yet? Was she still at his place? He imagined her pottering around the kitchen, perhaps taking a coffee out onto the balcony.
‘Mats, did you hear what I said?’ Ole was frowning at him. What had he missed?
‘Sorry. I was…’
‘What’s the assumed inflation figure for quarter four?’
‘Two point three.’ Everyone was looking at him. He had to get his head in the game.
At lunch, he pulled his phone out to see if there were any messages. Nothing from Lotta, but there was one from Ingrid.
Ingrid: Oda and I are meeting Lotta for lunch
He groaned. The moment Lotta met his family, if they got that far, needed careful management so as not to scare her off and now that was out of his hands. And Ingrid’s message had been sent a couple of hours ago, so it was already too late. They were probably all together now. At least Ingrid was the least worst option if he had to choose any of his siblings to take his new girlfriend — was that what Lotta was? — for lunch without him.
Mats: Have fun and don’t tell her any stories about me.
Ingrid: Too late for that
Ingrid: Only joking, it’s a business lunch
He laughed. Perhaps he was being a little uptight about this. His sister was a grown-up with a responsible job. She knew how to be professional. And he was sure she and Lotta would get on.
