Page 122 of Unwritten Rules

Sorry for worrying you, Mum. Can we talk at the weekend?

Dropping the phone back on the counter, she holds a hand out to me, pulling me close and palming my cheeks. “I don’t want to, Nathaniel, but there are times when we all must do things we don’t want to do.”

As she pulls my head down to hers, I can’t help the shiver of foreboding that runs up my spine at her words, though I shrug it off quickly when her mouth opens under mine.

* * *

After a dinner of authentic Italian gnocchi, I set about lighting a fire while Mila sifts through the suitcase I’d finally brought in from her abandoned Stingray.

“Did you pack the kitchen fucking sink in there too, Hellcat?”

All manner of items are thrown across the living room floor, clothes of all colours and materials, shoes, toiletries, and books.

“Are you trying to be the next Mary Poppins? Should I expect a coat hanger next, hmm?”

She narrows her eyes and sticks out her tongue as she flips me the bird, making me laugh easily. Eventually, she pulls out her laptop.

“Aha!”

Her triumphant cry makes me chuckle as I add another handful of kindling to the growing fire in the hearth.

Once again, we’ve set the space up with pillows and blankets placed strategically before the fire. The lake beyond the windows makes the perfect setting.

“What’s so important that you need your laptop right now? I was going to stick on a movie…your choice…”

She smirks knowingly. “Who are you kidding, Nathaniel? It’s always my choice. Even when it’s your choice, it’s my choice to watch it…”

She trails off as I realise she’s spot on. My eyes narrow playfully. “Well, I’ll be sure to suggest more of my stuff going forward, then—”

Barking a laugh as she approaches me, laptop in hand, she cuts me off. “Your stuff? Ha! You’re a closet rom-com fan, and you don’t have a damn leg to stand on, so cut the crap.”

We eye one another for a long beat before she giggles, and I follow suit, my deep laughter filling the space as my heart feels lighter than it has ever felt.

“I have a surprise for you.” Her hesitant voice cuts through the laughter, and she moves closer still.

“Come on, then.” I settle down on the mountain of blankets, opening my legs to make space for her to sit, before patting the area in invitation. “Lay it on me, baby.”

She smiles slowly, dropping onto the blankets where I’ve indicated.

Placing her laptop on her slightly bent legs, she angles her head to look at me. “So…I did a thing.”

Blinking owlishly up at me, she doesn’t utter another syllable.

A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. “So…you’ve done a thing…?”

As she sucks her lips between her teeth, I can see the indecisiveness play across her perfect features. Her golden green eyes flash with uncertainty while her brow puckers so adorably that I simply can’t help myself from brushing my lips across the wrinkles.

“Um, I did. I…” She pulls back and looks into my eyes once more. “I started to write. Um, a book, I mean. I’m writing a book.”

Her words come out all jumbled and not at all her usual confident self.

And I love it.

My chest fills with such a fiery warmth that I think it may actually burn me from the inside out.

We’ve spoken of her writing for the longest time, but to hear that she’s taking the momentous step of doing it…I’m practically glowing with pride.

My chest puffs out when I tug her back against me, peppering kisses along her cheek and temple as she tries to shove me off.