Til Death Do Us Part...

Life with Robb 13

"Are you sure you don't want me to help?" Her voice sounded a little hollow in the empty living room of their new apartment. The smell of fresh paint made her sneeze every few minutes and even though this was supposed to be her new house, she didn't quite feel at home yet.

Robb shook his head firmly. "There are four bookcases to build, but as soon as I've figured out how to build the first one, the other three will be quite easy." He looked up from the manual and he curled his lips up into a smile. "Apart from that, I've heard that these kind of tasks can ruin an entire relationship and that is not something I want to risk."

Ilva doubted if something as simple and stupid as building a bookshelf would be able to break them apart, but she had to admit that it was probably better not to take the risk anyway. "If you need my help, just let me know. I'll be in the bedroom to build the nightstand then."

"If you are in desperate need of a man to help you, you only need to yell and I will be at your side." Robb winked and Ilva shook her head while she left the living room and walked to the biggest of the two bedrooms.

In a few days everything would be ready. All their furniture, some of it inherited from their family and some of it bought in cheap stores, would be here. The electricity would work. The heating would work and there would be running water in the bathroom.

In a few days they would move in here, together. They would sleep in one bed, night after night. They would cook their shared dinner, evening after evening. They would read their books and watch their soapseries side by side in comfortable chairs in front of the television.

When she had moved all her stuff to her dorm half a year ago, she had never dared to believe that this was her future, that within half a year she would move in with the man she had met and fallen in love with.

Ilva opened the package with the nightstand, carefully wrapped to make it an easy to cary and flat package. She folded the manual open on the wooden floor, freshly polished, but luckily not brand new.

They wouldn't have been able to pay for that, not even with the amounts of money both Catelyn and her own parents had given them to turn this small flat into a cozy little palace for the two of them.

After all, Ilva was still studying and Robb was a college drop out. Not that he was too good to accept each and every job offer that crossed his path. But keeping those jobs seemed to be a whole different story.

Ilva counted the materials and she let out a relieved sigh when she discovered that the package was complete at least. She had heard and read all those horror stories about almost finishing the project and then discovering that the last screw was missing. At least she was sure now that it wouldn't happen to her.

Luck was on her side. It had been on her side when she had almost gotten lost on the first day of college and had been found by her very own Prince Charming. It had been on her side when they had met each other's families and had immediately fitted in. It had been on her side when Robb could find a job and an apartment within a few weeks time. And on top of that, her grades were great and all her professors were extremely enthusiast about her passion for their subjects.

If her high school classmates could have seen her like this, right now, they wouldn't have believed their own eyes and ears. Ilva the Winter, nerd, geek and weirdo, was living that dream life that you normally only read about in books or saw in cheap Christmas movies on the Hallmark channel.

For half an hour she worked in silence. Her hands hurt a little because she lacked the brute force she actually needed for this job, but when she saw the result she stood up and stepped back to admire it. Maybe her work wasn't perfect. Here and there it seemed a little off balance and damaged. But she had done it. All on her own. Without calling for help.

She rushed back to the living room where Robb was cursing at the unfinished first bookshelf. All his materials laid spread out over the floor and the manual was wrinkled and damaged, as if it was to blame for the lack of results.

"Are you okay in here?" Ilva leaned against the doorframe and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I think I'm almost there..." He had his tongue stuck between his lips. "You can return to your nightstand. I will make sure you can place your books here as soon as we officially move in."

"The nightstand is already finished." Ilva walked towards him and leaned over his shoulder. "O, I already see what happened." She used her shoulder to push Robb aside and she grabbed the screwdriver, but failed to get the wrong screw out. "Here..." She gave him the screwdriver and nodded at the case. "Take this screw out. You attached this board upside down and therefore the holes are on the wrong side now. If we turn it around, everything will fit again."

Robb opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. Without a word or another question, he took the screw out and turned the board around, just like she had said. A smile spread across his face when he noticed that Ilva had been right and that now everything would fit again. "I'm in love with an absolute genius!" He put the screwdriver down and wrapped his arms around her to twirl her around. His lips kissed her mouth and Ilva let out a soft giggle.

"I'm just better at reading the manuals, I think. It's no rocket science." She pressed the palms of her hands to his cheeks before she kissed him again. She leaned back and then her eyes found the screen of her phone on the kitchen counter. "Robb?" She swallowed. "At what time does your shift start?"

"At four thirty, why?" He sounded a little absentminded and his lips kissed her neck.

"It's three fifty already. If you wanna get changed, you're already fifteen minutes late."

Quickly Robb put her down and his hand went through his hair. "Damn it! I really can't risk losing this job after I barely have it for a week." He quickly grabbed his bag. "Can you please lock the front door behind you? I will call you as soon as I'm home tonight to discuss when we meet tomorrow to finish those bookcases." He pecked her cheek before he rushed out of the door.

"Talk to you tonight." She waited until Robb had closed the front door behind him and then she turned towards the still unfinished bookshelf. Who said she needed a Prince Charming to build her library? If it was anything like the night stand, she was perfectly capable of doing this herself.