Love is blind

Chapter 4

"And that's it."

"Well, you were right: there wasn't much to memorize."

"Yup."

"And where are we going to put my bed?"

"Your bed? Your bed is my bed."

"Excuse me?"

My surprised expression and the heat in my ears must have been very obvious even in the candlelight, because it didn't take long for him to laugh.

"Calm down, I'll sleep in the stable with Sven."

"Oh. But... I don't want to kick you out."

"Don't worry about me, I'm used to sleeping with Sven. I'll be fine."

"That's not fair. I'll sleep with Sven."

"Hey, you are a guest in the house and you will sleep inside the house. Feel free to let us know if you need anything, okay?"

He chastely rested his hand on my shoulder and his sweet voice caressed my ears once more before closing the door behind him.

"Good night, Anna."

"Good night, Kristoff."

I collapsed exhausted by the excitement of the day in that bed that didn't belong to me and I found myself surrounded by an aroma that wasn't at all the stench that I had been perceiving all day. However, it wasn't an entirely foreign smell to me either. It was his smell. The one I had detected under that pungent odor of reindeer and sweat. It was his real scent.

A thousand butterflies fluttered through my guts at that thought and I was left to pleasure. I wallowed in those rough sheets while the wood of the walls creaked in the cold of the night that already claimed its place. The wind blew outside and dozens of unknown sounds invaded my senses, but the invisible presence of that warm man on the other side of the wall, made me feel safe. In no time, a placid dream had led me to that world where I could still see.

The next morning, a sweet melody pulled me out of my sleep. I got up wanting to know what that music was. Taking advantage of the simplicity of the small cabin, I moved to the door and opened it slowly. What came to me as soon as I peeked out, was an almost extrasensory experience. There was a stringed instrument playing, no doubt. It wasn't a chamber music instrument, but I couldn't quite recognize what it was. I could hear short, low growls from Sven appreciating the music. I could hear the gentle mountain breeze through the leaves of the trees, and I could hear the birds chirping with energy too. But, what made me travel to another world, was his voice. I could hear Kristoff, a few feet from me, singing a soft song about reindeer and mountain trolls in that voice that took my breath away. Suddenly, a grotesque voice replaced the one that blanked my mind and began to sing another part of the lyrics. Yes, he was playing Sven. I had to laugh. I knew I was invading his privacy, that it was rude, and that I owed this man, who was giving me the world back, all the respect I could find in me, but I couldn't bear it. He had broken all my schemes.

"Anna!"

"Nice duet," I replied regaining my composure.

"So princesses wake up after noon?"

I heard how he approached me and I could feel a pleasant change in his body hygiene.

"Just the good ones. Have you bathed?"

"And laundry, and hung up the clothes, and made breakfast. I've had plenty of time, you know?"

"So, there is where to bathe?!"

"Only if you don't mind the stones, the moss, and the sound of the waterfall."

His last words were accompanied by a tantalizing tone and a couple of notes from his instrument. He knew what was about to come.