The Reason

Chapter Nineteen

"Being in love is obviously working wonders for your creative juices." Angela comes and stands beside me as I admire the timeless art work that some local artists had long ago created. The display is nowhere near finished, but myself and Deborah have already made an impressive start on it.

With my hands satisfyingly resting on either side of my hips, I proudly smile. "Thanks, it's coming along nicely, isn't it?"

Angela nods, all too keen to agree with me. "It certainly is." She stands a little closer, her smile still fixed on her beaming and amiable face. "So, are you and Rex all ready for Saturday?"

I beam now, from one ear to the other. "We are."

"I think Aidan is just as excited as you are." She amusingly tells me, still grinning so very widely.

"I bet he is, bless him. It's so lovely that he's helping Rex bring his things to mine this weekend." I say to Angela, giving one last glance to the partially done display before picking up a folder that I need to file back in my office. "Walk with me?" I ask with a relaxed smile, wanting to get the folder safely back in my filing cabinet. The neat freak in me, is ever present this afternoon.

Angela smiles back, strolling close beside me as we leisurely head back to my office. "Aidan is happy to help. Besides, it's not really all that much because most of Rex's stuff will be going into storage, won't it?"

"That's true." With a firm nod, I totally agree.

"Any idea where you will both want to eventually buy a house?" Angela cheerfully asks.

Shrugging slightly, I shake my head with the smallest of frowns. "Absolutely no idea whatsoever." My frown is quickly replaced with a bright and open smile in Angela's thoroughly attentive direction. Rex and I really don't have a clue where we want to eventually set up home together. It's not exactly the highest thing on our priority list right now. But once he is finally here with me in Bath, and after our wedding, I am sure that it will move right on up to the top spot of that priority list of ours. Opening up the door to my quiet and empty office, Angela and I both happily stride in together. With an occupied mind, I walk towards one of the filing cabinets, open the top drawer and search for the correct partition to carefully put the folder into. Once in its correct place, I casually close the large draw and turn around. It is then, that I notice a single yellow tulip lying down on the top of my tidy desk. Excitement silently pumps its way all around my delighted body, Rex must be here! Rushing towards it, I take the tulip between my overly eager fingers. "Did you know?" I now look at Angela, now absolutely buzzing because I know that Rex is here. He obviously meant soon soon.

"Know what?" She hesitantly smiles, somewhat puzzled.

I am smiling, but my tone is impatiently sharp. "That Rex was coming?"

Angela now looks completely baffled and her eyes are narrowed with total confusion. "Um...is he?" She warily asks with an uncertain tone and an even more uncertain smile.

Dismissing the way in which she is pretending to know absolutely nothing about Rex being here, I happily ramble on with the fresh tulip being twirled around by my fingers. "Oh, I get it...he has told you to keep it a secret from me, hasn't he?" I stare down at the single flower, the flower that represents so much between Rex and I. "He knows how much I love yellow tulips and he did say this morning that he didn't think he could wait until Saturday to see me." I am drifting off into my very own happy place, unaware of Angela at this very blissful point. "Is he taking me out for lunch?" My eyes move from the flower, over to Angela, who is now looking at me like I have completely lost my mind.