Author's Note: The final chapter! Thank you so much for all the love you guys have shown this story! I hope this last chapter is enjoyable for you and acts as a pretty little bow on this story for these two!
***Eric's Point of View***
"Tell me what you want." Matt asks me. I don't respond. I'm counting the cameras outside. Seven, eight, nine. "Love?" He asks again. I snap back to it. We're in a bakery near his office on a rainy Spring Friday afternoon.
"Um. A blueberry muffin, please. And tea."
We pick up our order and find a table in the back. "What is on your mind, Eric?"
I've been feeling more and more claustrophobic with the press these last few months, but I'm trying not to bring those thoughts up with Matt, it's not his burden. "Just thinking." I shrug off, smiling.
"About what?" He grabs my hand. I resist the instinct to pull back, because I don't actually want to.
"I was just counting all the cameras, they seem to be multiplying daily now."
He smiles softly. "Would you like me to go have a chat with them?" He offers.
"No, thank you, though. We both know that might just backfire."
"Is there anything I can do for you, love?"
"No." I feel myself getting overly emotional. "I'm just sorry I can't give you the peace you deserve sometimes." I say softly, holding it together just enough to not strain my voice.
"Eric, my love, I promise you do." He replies softly.
"It just, it feels like a lot right now." I sigh. "Not you, just life."
"Then let's go somewhere, make it not... a lot."
"We can't just go somewhere, we both have a lot of work next week."
"I think I know a place we can relax for the weekend..." His eyes light up. "Let me just make a quick call."
"Alright."
He gets up and whispers on the phone for a minute. "Okay, let's go. We're getting out of the city for the weekend." He extends his hand eagerly.
"Where are we going?" I ask, taking it.
"If I wanted you to know, I would have let you listen to me on the phone." He teases.
He's already easing my mind.
An hour later, we are on the road. Another two, we are pulling through the gates of a magnificent countryside manor, something that looks like it belongs in Pride and Prejudice. There's a gorgeous greenhouse the size of our old apartment to one side and what looks like a massive garden to the other.
As we park in the driveway, I see two people walk through the front door. It's Larry and Margie, they're adorably waving at us. My heart absolutely melts. "Matty..." I look at him.
"C'mon, let's go say hi."
Greeting them, Margie gives me the biggest, tightest hug. It's as warm and inviting as this place. "We are so happy you've finally come to visit!" She beams.
"We are so happy to be here!" I say. "Your home is beautiful!"
"Come in, we'll give you lads a quick tour before dinner." Larry offers.
"I'm sorry about the late notice, thank you both for having us." Matt says.
"Nonsense, no notice is necessary for you two."=
"This is such a lovely surprise, Matt didn't tell me where we were headed."
"He told us you both could do with a relaxing weekend of solitude, we are happy to provide that. Now, if you're willing, we'd love to have you join us for dinner tonight. Tomorrow, we will be at our granddaughter's garden party, so you'll have the whole place to yourselves. There's plenty in the kitchen, you can use whatever you want or get takeaway, whatever you want."
"We would love to join you for dinner, thank you." I reply.
We enjoy a lovely meal in their back garden, the evening breeze making for a slightly chilly atmosphere. Not long after the temperature drops, Matty takes off his jacket and wraps it around my shoulders. "Thank you." I whisper. He nods and smiles. He looks so adorable in the candle light, I find my eyes falling back to him constantly throughout dinner.
After a long, wonderful chat, we help clean up. Margie and Larry wish us a good night and retire for the evening, inviting us to stay up and enjoy the garden some more.
"What do you say, love? Shall we go sit by that fire pit for a bit?"
"That would be nice, I spotted a blanket on the couch."
"Of course you did." He kisses my temple. Outside again, we snuggle up on the same couch under the big blanket. "Look at the stars tonight, they're so bright." He looks up.
"Or are we just out of the city?" I reason.
"Both, love."
"I rarely see stars as bright as this, I guess." I reason. I admire the sky while he points at certain ones, reciting the names of the ones he knows.
"There's only two I see pretty consistently, though."
"Do you know their names?"
"I don't think they have names." He answers.
"Can you point them out?" I ask, looking at him.
"Yeah..." He points his finger up at the sky, then brings it back down to point at my right eye, then my left. "There they are."
I roll my eyes and blush. "Such a flirt."
"Maybe, but you know you love it." He wraps his arm around my shoulders, pulling me in close to him. I rest my head against his.
"I do." I wrap my arm around his, holding it tight. "The fresh air feels so nice."
"It does, doesn't it?" London is great, but we can't always get this there."
"No." I agree.
"We should go in before we get too comfortable and fall asleep." He suggests.
"Too late, I'm already very comfortably snuggled up with you." I say softly.
"I'm glad, but let's at least go up and snuggle there. Then we can fall asleep in a cozy bed."
"Mmm, alright."
I wake up in the most luxuriously comfortable bed. Standing with his back to me, butt naked, Matty is grabbing something out of his bag. "What a view..." I say casually.
"I know, isn't this place so pretty?" He turns to look out the french doors that lead to a balcony. We're on the third floor, in a room that looks to be from the 19th century. Our balcony overlooks the expansive gardens on one side of the property. "Good morning, love."
"Good morning, naked man." I reply. "I meant you, by the way."
