Fuck It I Love You

22

Joseph

Seeing Jane getting excited about Chatsworth House is most definitely the highlight of my week.

I don't think I've ever seen her this excited.

She takes my hand and I guide her up the steps, and I can see her shaking with excitement as we enter the building. Her eyes light up beautifully, and I immediately grow warm inside. She begins to walk away from me but I pull her back to face me.

"Not so fast buttercup." I say, and wrap an arm around her shoulders, her hand still in mine. We walk around slowly, taking in the beauty of the architecture and paintings, but the most beautiful thing in here is undoubtedly Jane. I stare at her as she looks at her surroundings in awe, and I can't help but smile to myself.

"Joseph, this is just..." She doesn't even finish her sentence, but I know exactly what she means, the house is beautiful. I grab my phone, and step back, taking photos of her.

"What was that for?" she asks and I shrug, wrapping my arm around her shoulders again.

We walk around for a couple more hours, before Jane practically drags me outside to sit under a tree by a pond. She just sits there, staring ahead, and I don't interrupt her.

"Thank you." I hear her whisper, and I squeeze her hand reassuringly, and she turns to me. "No, really, thank you." She says and I nod.

"I know." We just stare at each other before I stand up and clear my throat, holding my hand out once more for her to take. She places her hand in mine and I help her up, grazing my thumb over her hand. I stare at her, thinking about how a completely different person she is from Paris, and I smile. I let go of her hand and stepped away.

"One more look around?" I ask and she nods feverishly.

"One more look around."

***

We got back to the hotel at four o'clock, and I feel absolutely exhausted. Jane stated when we walked through the door that she was going to have a shower, so I sat on the bed on my phone, waiting for her to get out again. The water eventually stops running, and five minutes later she steps out of the bathroom with a cloud of steam swirling around her, and I have to force myself not to look. She walks across the room towards her bag, and I steal a quick glance at her. My jaw hangs open when I see that she's wearing only shorts and a bra, and I have to tear my gaze away. I stare at my phone again, but I've completely forgotten what I was doing, because now my mind is clouded by Jane.

I knew it was a mistake booking a hotel for a night when I went to pay, but I really didn't have the energy to drive around for almost seven hours today.

"Joseph? I'm ready." I hear a voice say softly and I look up and nod. I hop off the bed and put my shoes back on.

"Yeah let's get downstairs." I open the door for her to walk through first and then I follow suit. We hop down the stairs in silence and into the loud dining area, where I grab Jane's hand and lead us to a table in the far corner. She looks around in wonder as I sit next to her. I hand her the very limited menu so she can choose what she would like to eat and drink. We both eventually place our orders, and Jane goes back to admiring the architecture and such.

"What is it buttercup?" She laughs and glances at me while humming.

"You've got to stop calling me that. It's surprisingly growing on me." I smile again and our food and drinks arrive. We both have a roast, but I have a glass of wine and her an apple juice carton. She stares at it absolutely dumbfounded, then she turns to me.