IsabellaThe dawn lasted just over five minutes before disappearing, bringing me back to our reality. Gustaf was still holding me and I had leaned my head on his shoulder to get a better look, so it wasn't difficult to turn my face for one last kiss."I think we need to go back, we've spent too long here, and we're hitchhiking with the others," he commented before kissing the tip of my nose."I bet they're making jokes about our disappearance," I sighed, turning away from him and heading towards the lake exit.""Our plan to keep a low profile didn't work out "Gustaf agreed, looking a little miffed "the only one who hasn't noticed is Gwen. And I can't understand how that happened.We passed a couple who seemed pleased to finally be alone there, and I preferred not to think about why. Leaving the comfort of the hot water was hard, but the wrinkled skin on my hands showed that it was time. Gustaf took two towels from a cupboard in the corner and offered me one. I dried off and put on my
IsabellaI watched Gustaf handle three pots on the stove while Zachary filled the bottles with coffee and hot chocolate. It had been two days since our trip to the thermal lake, and the mornings were getting busier and busier. The lodge was now at full capacity, leaving only the room that Kate would be occupying next week vacant, and so the workload had multiplied."Zach, do you want help carrying the bottles? "I started to get up."No, you can have your coffee," he assured me."Gustaf, do you want me to make the pancakes? "I offered."No, I want you to stay seated and enjoy your coffee, Danny's already coming to keep you company "he approached with two plates ready.I looked at the fried egg covered in cheese on top of a corn tortilla and a few slices of avocado on the side. It looked great, and if they'd let me help, we could offer something like this to the guests, instead of just leaving everything out on the buffet for them to serve themselves."Good morning, Aunt Izzy, Uncle Gus
Isabella"What's next? What's the plan of attack? "I tried not to think about it too much.Gustaf checked the time on his cell phone before putting it back in his pocket."I have to go to work in two hours, so maybe we should stop by Celeste's cafeteria, buy lunch to go and eat somewhere quiet, like my house...His house... a place with total privacy and no one to interrupt us. My heart raced at the possibilities that arose in my mind."What do you think?"I don't see anything wrong with this plan," I replied with a thoughtful expression, before smiling.We returned to the street, walking together, attracting the attention of some locals who watched us curiously, greeting Gustaf from afar. It might not take Gwen that long to find out about the two of us, but I didn't care."See that place? I observed a two-storey building on the other side of the street. The front was made up of large panes of glass covered with brown paper."Yes."I want to buy it to build my bakery," he explained.
Gustaf I walked to the inn a little later than usual, as it was my birthday, Gwen and Zachary had given me the morning off, ensuring that they would be able to take care of the hotel's breakfast. Lively music reached my ears, and through the door I could see Izzy at the stove. She was wearing tight sweatpants and a thin fabric blouse, although it had long sleeves. Her hair was tied up in a bun, leaving the tattoo on the back of her neck visible.She was especially lively today, which made me smile. Izzy seemed to be talking to someone outside my field of vision. I crossed my arms, taking a moment to admire the woman who hadn't left my mind for the last few days. Gwen approached her, seeming to tease her friend. For a moment I felt bad for spying on them at their moment, but then the sound of laughter that followed the end of the song showed that they weren't alone."Now, you're going to witness the story of these two first hand," Izzy said to someone.I finally opened the door to f
Gustaf Gwen returned in a few minutes and we finally put the subject aside, concentrating on our plans for the day. "You're on vacation, how did you manage to find a way to spend more time in the kitchen? "Gwen scolded Izzy after hearing the excuse we had come up with for her absence today."It's a typical cooking course, it'll be great for my CV "Izzy lied naturally.I couldn't help but smile, knowing what she had planned for the rest of our day."But it's in Fairbanks."Zachary will take me when I go to the airport and Gustaf will bring me back when I leave the restaurant, right, Bergqvist?I frowned at that sentence, I didn't know Zachary was going to the airport today."Gustaf, can we talk? "Zachary stood up, motioning for me to follow him into the living room.I stood up, following him. Zachary looked uncomfortable and I soon understood why."Are you going to the airport? "I'm sorry, I should have told you before. My aunt is landing this afternoon.Everything started to fall i
GustafIzzy's gaze locked onto me as soon as I left the changing room, and it couldn't be any different with me. The long-sleeved blue dolman perfectly contoured her curves, and the black pants completed the outfit."Just when I think it can't get any better, you turn up in a dolman "Izzy teased."You look beautiful," I assured her with a silly smile on my face.At that moment, Izzy was the picture of perfection and I couldn't wait to cook with her."Come on, there's a team meeting "I indicated the kitchen door."Really? I can wait, and...I held his hand, pushing open the double door that gave access to the kitchen. The meeting had already started and everyone was listening to what chef Clark had to say about the special Christmas menu, barely noticing us.Jonathan was one of the first to notice Izzy, giving me a questioning look that I ignored. "What's going on? "Izzy whispered."Chef Clark returned from leave this week, Cameron Brown was in his place, and you already know my opini
IsabellaI leaned over the plate, cleaning it well before putting it in the bowl Ruth had put me in to help her with. I didn't know I missed the routine of a kitchen so much until I found myself back at work, surrounded by all that delicious bustle. I looked up to find Gustaf on the other side of the kitchen, finishing a dessert with a caramel dome. He was concentrating on placing the caramel perfectly on the mousse, taking care not to break it.As soon as he had finished, he looked in my direction, giving me a discreet smile, as if he guessed I was watching him."He was very happy to see you," Ruth commented, finishing off a plate."I had no idea he'd bring me here today," I admitted."Have you two been together long? "one of the waitresses nearby asked.For a moment I didn't know how to answer that question, in theory Gustaf and I weren't even together. Or were we? "We've been getting to know each other better over the last few days "I chose a safe answer.It was true, we were bot
IsabellaDinner was delicious in every way, it was amazing how we never ran out of things to talk about, everything happened naturally between the two of us.It took about an hour and a half before we left the restaurant and headed back to the North Pole."Really, I've never seen anyone debone a quail with such agility "Gustaf commented as we drove home."That's my cooking and restaurant skills teacher's fault," I said as I got rid of my gloves and scarf.The temperature inside the car was quite pleasant and I was already starting to sweat with all those layers of clothing."We were in our second poultry lesson, we'd already worked with chickens and I'd hated deboning them, so when I learned that I'd have to do the same with such a small bird, I was indignant and made a point of showing my indignation to the teacher "I let out a small laugh at the memory."You showed your indignation to your teacher? Did you? "Gustaf gave me an amused look."I only realized it had been a mistake when
IsabelleThe ringing of the doorbell caught my attention, I rushed over, reading the order before putting it in the queue, and unlike any other time in my life, I didn't mark the order. "Anything for me, Zazie? "Gustaf asked from the other side of the kitchen we'd set up together a few months ago."No, it seems that everyone has opted for quail today "I replied, returning to the edge of the stove, concentrating on finishing the dishes I was preparing.We were in the middle of August, it had been a little over two months since Gustaf and I had managed to open our bistro together and we hadn't imagined such a movement in such a short space of time."I'm finishing my orders and I'll help you," he said, finishing a plate of salmon.Putting our financial resources together, it wasn't difficult to set up the restaurant, the physical part at least. Because when it came to the menu, we argued a lot until we managed to perfectly blend all my love of classic cuisine with the local cuisine and
IsabelleI leaned my head against the seat of the cab, breathing a sigh of relief that I was finally in Fairbanks. I couldn't believe the mess that had taken over my life in the last few days, as soon as I left the restaurant I felt lost, I didn't know what to do or what to do next, the only person I could count on in that city was my sous chef, and in a way he was involved in everything. I was alone.That's when I saw the ticket Gustaf had given me, and it wasn't hard to make that decision, especially when I started receiving countless messages telling me that someone had filmed the whole mess and the video had gone viral. I needed my family, it was the only place I knew I'd find support and I also wanted to keep a close eye on Gwen's new pregnancy.At least that was the lie I told myself when I convinced myself that this was the best way to go, but it was still Gustaf's address that I gave to the taxi driver. I loved my friends, and I would certainly talk to them next, but at tha
Gustaf"Speaking of her, have you seen the video? "I recovered quickly, ignoring my mother's questioning look at me."I think everyone saw the video," Gwen sighed.My family exchanged confused glances until my uncle decided to speak up."What are you talking about?"You remember Izzy, right, Dad? "Stefan turned to his father."Ahh the girl who stole your cousin's heart? "Brianna said in a suggestive tone, making me a little uncomfortable in front of my family's gaze.Not that I wanted to hide Izzy from them or anything, I just preferred to say that I was with someone when I had our relationship sorted out, and I hadn't heard from her for days."Do you have a girlfriend? "Greta looked at me."Not exactly," I forced a smile."Anyway, she went viral in a video yesterday "Gwen tried to change the subject."What kind of video? "Blenda wanted to know.But before I could answer, Danny, who was joking with Declan, spoke up."Aunt Izzy set the woman on fire. "He said good-naturedly."What? N
GustafGwen got a parking space and then parked, turning to me and looking into my eyes."Izzy knows you're a wonderful guy, Gustaf. And she appreciates that. But there's a lot going on inside her. And you may hate me for stopping you today, but I can't let her feel the blame for your relapse.I felt like the worst person in the universe at that moment for even considering drinking. I had promised her that I would wait for her and accept her as she was. How could I be so weak?I looked away, feeling like a failure. If it hadn't been for my friend's intervention, my regret would have been far greater. A notification arrived on her cell phone, making her frown as she stared at the screen."Everything okay?"Yes, the flight went ahead, the group we came to pick up has already landed "she stammered "Gustaf, I have something urgent to sort out and I thought there would be time, would you mind meeting them?Group? I thought it was just one man. But I soon realized that she had only used t
Gustaf I staggered through the streets near the inn without knowing exactly where to go, my mind seemed clouded and bewildered, that torment hadn't left me since I left the cabin a few minutes before.I had even considered taking the car and going to Fairbanks in search of my comfort, but I dismissed the possibility of driving afterwards, settling for going to the grocery store to see what I could get there.A week was all I had to endure to complete two years of sobriety, and I felt terrible for not being able to endure it, but I needed that relief. But before I could reach my destination, a mini van pulled up next to me, lowering its window."Gustaf, I'm so glad I found you "Gwen greeted me smiling, seemingly oblivious to everything that was going on in my mind "I need to pick up a guest from the airport, and Zach is busy, can you come with me? I blinked, stunned, and for a moment thought about denying her request. But it wouldn't be safe for her to pick up a guest on her own, Za
IsabelleWe left the restaurant and stopped a few meters ahead on the sidewalk, I leaned against the wall watching the blue sky. It was almost 5:30 in the afternoon and the sun was close to setting, making me think that by that time everyone would be in absolute darkness in Alaska."You didn't tell me about your trip," Hugo commented."It was incredible, that place surprised me in so many ways. I didn't expect to like it so much," I admitted, still looking at the sky."I never thought I'd go to Alaska, for me it's nothing but ice, I like the heat.I couldn't help laughing at his comment, which was so similar to my own opinion when I left a month ago. "I've seen the Aurora Borealis," I said, "and I've been husky sledding."That sounds interesting, what's the Aurora like? I remembered the day we spent at the hot spring, and all the explanation Gustaf had given me about the auroras afterwards. That thought made me smile again, because I knew we could do it again at some point and I hop
Isabelle"Izzy, I'm serious, are you okay? "Gwen's voice sounded on the other end of the line.She had called me while I was packing up the groceries I had bought at the market.It had been a few days since I had returned to Miami, and although I wouldn't admit it to anyone, I felt miserable. From the moment I landed in Miami, that loneliness that seemed to haunt me became evident. There was no one for me in that city, not even a single soul to feel my absence.Even Cora seemed to have coped well with my distance, ever since I returned to work I could see how much she had been praising Hugo and his leadership while I was away."I'm fine, I want to know how you've been eating, you had a lot of trouble eating during Danny's pregnancy "I tried to change the subject."I'm fine, and I'm not the subject here, Izzy. Can you stop trying to run away? I've been trying to talk to you properly for days," she complained.It was true, since I'd arrived last week, Gwen had called me every day, she w
GustafSilence dominated much of our journey back, the light atmosphere of before gave way to a dark cloud that seemed to grow with every minute we didn't talk about what would happen from then on, and it was only when I parked the car back at the hostel that Izzy decided to speak up."I know I've been avoiding the subject all day, but I didn't want to risk ruining our moment together "she sighed, getting out of the car.That sentence bothered me, even though I'd spent the day doing the same thing for the same reason, it just went to show how well-founded my insecurity was."So this conversation is going to ruin our moment? "I forced a smile, starting to walk towards the cabin."Maybe.Maybe.I put my hands in my jacket pockets, walking in silence beside her, waiting for her to make another statement and put an end to all the hope I had been harboring that day. But as I reached the door of the hut, I realized that wasn't going to happen."You don't have to accept the ticket if you don
Gustaf"Are you warm enough? "I asked as I parked the car at the husky farm where I had booked the tour."Yes, I've learned how not to freeze to death, and today I wore a few extra layers "Izzy smiled at me.Her smile had caught my eye from the first moment I saw her at the airport, but now, after the days we'd spent side by side and getting to know her more deeply, her smiles had taken on a new meaning for me, and I loved it when her smile was one of pure happiness and excitement, like at that moment.Izzy straightened her gloves, reaching for the cap in her lap, and I leaned over, taking it from her hand."I think you need help with this," I teased her, arranging the cap on her head so that my face was inches from hers.Izzy kept her gaze fixed on mine as I tidied up the thick scarf Gwen had given her as a present the day before, checking that she was ready to go out, then stole a brief kiss."Are you ready? "I asked with my lips still pressed to hers."No, but I'm looking forward t