December 23, 2010 7:00 a.m.
The next morning, I wake up with Wolf's words still echoing in my mind. For a moment, I forget where I am and instinctively stiffen. The sheets are warm and the comforter is plushy against me. I snuggle my chin into it, opening my eyes to the soft, buttery light of the sun.
Dinner last night had been relaxed, all of us loose with red wine and rich, garlic-butter scallops. Wolf's smiles had been more frequent and even Graeme had released her chokehold on Xander long enough to talk to me without rolling her eyes even once.
The unbidden memory brings a smile to my face and I roll over, burying my face in the pillow. I see Wolf's eyes, dancing with merriment. Graeme's light, infectious laugh. Levi's good-natured ribbing. Xander's quiet enjoyment. The tingling in my toes goes all the way up my calves to my thighs and tickles my ribcage. I sit upright, feeling wide awake and ready to start the day.
I breeze through the next hour, showering and dressing quickly. We're going to Efteling today, despite Graeme's moans of "tourist trap!"
I gently pat on a tinted lipgloss and stare at myself in the mirror. I look flushed and happy; my eyes are bright with rest and golden, shimmery eyeshadow; my cheeks are dewy with moisturizer.
"Char!" Xander knocks on my door, his voice impatient. "Breakfast!"
I fling my bedroom door open. "How do I look?" I pirouette, waiting for the verdict.
He scrutinizes me. "Good," he says. "Now let's go eat before everyone wakes up!"
Good? Just "good"? I spent an hour dolling myself up just for "good"? I don't have time to be annoyed, however. He practically drags me down the hall; I barely have enough time to grab my jacket and purse before he swings the door shut.
Now that I know the way to the dining room, getting there is a piece of cake. Humphries aims an enormous smile my way as he sees us approach. "Miss, sir," he murmurs, bowing to each of us in turn.
"Good morning, Humphries," I say with a smile as he opens the double doors for us.
Unlike yesterday morning, there's only a handful of people here. Rhona and her two children, Levi, and now us. If I thought that the other day's icy chill was palpable, it's no contest that their beaming faces are even scarier.
"Are they...actually smiling at me?" I mumble from behind Xander's shoulder.
We traipse into the room. This time, there are plenty of chairs to choose from. Rhona sits at the foot of the table, her children on either side of her. Levi is next to Wolf and Xander nimbly nabs the seat next to Graeme before I can put a proprietary hand on the back of it.
I sit next to Levi.
"Slept well, I trust?" Wolf asks, face innocent. His eyes are twinkling at me disarmingly. "You didn't keep up at night?"
How did he know that I fell asleep to the memory of our impromptu coffee date? My face gives me away as I blush.
Levi gives me a curious look, then turns to his brother with a question in his eyes.
"From the coffee," Wolf elaborates.
Ha, bloody ha. I'm pretty sure that's not what he meant at all. Wolf is a man who knows perfectly well the effect he has on the female populace.
"Good morning," Rhona greets us, warmth in her eyes. "I hope you're all well rested. Since you're off to an early start, we won't have a full repast for you, so I've just asked the kitchen to make you simple plates." She folds her hands together on the table and calls out, "Enter!"
Her idea of "simple" is still exorbitant. My eyes are round as saucers as a young footman silently glides into the room, balancing two enormous platters one each arm. I feel like I'm on the set of Downton Abbey and I shift uncomfortably on my seat at the way he performs his duties, eyes staring straight ahead. His face is expressionless, trained not to look at any of us directly - the trademark of a good servant. I chance a look at the van der Waals; none of them seem perturbed at the fact that they live like they're in the last century.
The footman places a white ceramic plate in front of each of us, gives a perfunctory bow at our murmured thanks, and leaves. We all have eggs, hash browns, bacon, and a slice of toast, I notice. Another footman enters with a french press, instantly sending me into a coffee-induced state of awareness as the roasted smell of Colombian beans permeates the room.
Catching my eye, Wolf grins at me. Ugh, his devastating smile. I resist the urge to look away. Instead, I wonder if he's replaying yesterday evening's memory like I am.
Fresh-squeezed orange juice sits in the middle of the table, condensation dripping down the side of the crystal jug. Levi pours it into five glasses and we pass them down the table until we all have one.
As the door shuts behind him, Rhona stands. "I'll leave you to it."
"You didn't have to get up early to see us off, Mom," Graeme says, picking up her fork.
"It's eight in the morning, Graeme," Rhona says with a laugh. "Hardly what I would consider 'early'."
"Yeah, yeah." Graeme makes a face at her mother.
"Have a wonderful time, everyone. Make sure to wrap up warmly," Rhona cautions. "Charlotte, Xander, have you told your parents that you'll be away for the night?" Seeing our affirmative nods, she gives us a graceful smile and bids us safe travels.
"Thank you," Xander and I echo in unison as the door swings shut behind the van der Waals matriarch.
Conversation is fleeting as we all dig into our breakfast. It's limited to only vocal appreciation of the food and comments on the weather conditions.
"There shouldn't be much traffic," Wolf says, peering intently at his phone. "Should be able to get there in under three hours."
"Can we check in immediately?" Xander asks, shovelling a forkful of scrambled eggs into his mouth. It's just the way he likes them, soft and gooey.
Me on the other hand, I'm not a big fan of eggs where you can still taste the yolk, but I mask the taste with the hash browns, which are lightly flavored with paprika and onion.
"We can check in and leave our bags at the front desk but we won't be able to get our room until noon," Wolf responds, neatly cutting his bacon with his knife and fork.
Next to him, Levi uses his hands to pick each slice of bacon up and shovels it whole into his mouth. At home, I use my hands too, munching on the crispy bacon which I always save for last so I can savor it. Here, I mentally remind myself to mimic Wolf's manners.
We fall upon the food, ravenous, and scarf it down. A half hour later, we're in the foyer, wrapping our jackets snugly around us.
Humphries holds Graeme's jacket out so she can insert her arms and then brushes nonexistent lint off the collar with a lint brush. Pre-emptively, he moves to the door to wait.
"Let's go, let's go!" Graeme's the first one out the door. Humphries holds it open for her and she sails through it, her brown curls flying loose behind her. For someone who mocked the idea of Efteling, she's now in a surprisingly jovial mood.
We're all in high spirits as we clamber into the car. In the driver's seat, Wolf fiddles with the radio until Christmas choir music starts tinkling through the air. Levi gets the coveted shotgun seat, while the rest of us squish into the back. It's cozy enough for Xander and Graeme, but I'm directly behind Wolf, feeling suffocated. His legs are long so the seat is pushed back, allowing his legs to reach the pedals comfortably. My knees, on the other hand, are scrunched up, and Xander's elbow keeps getting me in the ribs.
My good mood is on the verge of evaporating when Wolf puts the car into reverse so he can back up. His eye catches mine; a small smile is playing on his lips. It's a secret smile, just for me. I avert my gaze quickly.
"Hey," Levi bursts out. "Where's Diana?"
Without taking her eyes away from Xander, Graeme replies, "I checked her room when I woke up this morning. Her bed didn't look slept in."
A uncomfortable lull falls over us. I break it, asking, "Wolf?"
"She's gone." His words are strained as he takes the turn, sending the car on its way through Oudewater. I can hear the wind whistling as the car cuts through the air.
"Where?" Levi wants to know.
"Why do you want to know?" Graeme shoots back, voice hard and nasty.
"So I can sleep with her again. Duh." Levi rolls his eyes.
The words are meant as a joke, but Wolf's hands tighten on the steering wheel. I watch as they go almost white. Levi notices too, because the next words out of his mouth are, "Sorry, man."
"Don't worry about it." Wolf slows down as we start to approach the village, obeying the posted speed limit. "Water under the bridge." He forces a smile. I see his face crinkle in the rearview mirror and wonder if he actually means it.
"You're all kind of fucked up, you know?" Xander remarks, casually, like he's discussing the weather.
I jab him in the side with my elbow, giving him a taste of his own medicine. He didn't say anything that wasn't one-hundred percent accurate, but he wasn't supposed to say it out loud.
"Rude much?" Graeme says after a terse, awkward silence.
I'm not expecting the three siblings to laugh, but when they do, it almost shakes the car. I exchange a puzzled look with Xander; his face mirrors my bewilderment. I thought Graeme at least would throw a hissy fit, but they've all managed to surprise me. Again. How is it that they keep doing that?
I doze off at some point after that, because I fall asleep to laughs and conversation, and only wake up when the car brakes. My eyes, bleary with sleep, blink rapidly to adjust to the piercing whiteness of the snow. "Ugh," I groan, rubbing my neck. I'd fallen asleep uncomfortably, leaning my head against the window. My neck, stretched out, painfully rebels as I straighten it.
"You have a red mark on your forehead," Graeme points out breezily, opening the car door with nonchalance. "Did you know?"
She and Xander clamber out of Graeme's side door, leaving just me and Levi in the car.
Wolf has already popped out and I see him rubbing his hands together as if that will ward off the chill.
"Wear your gloves!" Graeme commands both Xander and Wolf, who hasten to obey.
"She was born in the wrong era," Levi says, twisting around in his seat to face me. "Her voice is like a whip crack. The Romans could really have used her."
"Or the Egyptians," I say, voice dry, as I remember the documentaries I've seen on the slave labor used to build the pyramids.
"You're surprisingly smart."
I cock my head at him. "Why do you say that with such surprise?" My lips twist into a wry grin.
Levi slips his leather gloves on, then pulls the sleeve of his jacket further down on his wrists so there's not even a millimeter of skin exposed to the elements. "Pretty girls usually aren't," he says with a shrug, getting out of the car.
Flummoxed, I sit there a moment. Did he just call me pretty? That could mean one of two things: that objectively he finds me attractive or, more alarming, he himself thinks I'm pretty because he likes me.
I shake the thought out of my head. No way. I'm not the kind of girl who automatically assumes every male in the species wants to bone her.
"Sleeping Beauty, come on!" Wolf almost bellows, wrenching the door open. He glares down at me, annoyance lining his face. So much for his dimpled smile, I think.
"I'm coming," I grumble, getting out of the car. I jump when he slams the door shut behind me.
Unrepentant, he locks the car with his clicker. "Welcome to Efteling!" he declares, spreading his arms wide.
I take the moment to take it all in. "Wow," I breathe. Ahead of us is a three-pronged building, towering ahead of us like a ring of circling sharks. It's the color of slate, with pointy tips, and draped with snow. Since we're there so early, there's only a handful of people walking towards the entrance. Mostly families with kids, I notice.
Levi and Xander heave our bags out of the trunk; the male van der Waals have small leather duffels of varying high-end brands while Xander uses a beat-up Jansport backpack.
"Thanks," I say, accepting the carry-on size Forever21 tote Wolf hands me while Xander gives Graeme a pink floral Rebecca Minkoff travel bag.
A nearby sign proclaims "House of the Five Senses". The ticket office, I conclude, as I notice, judging by the way the dads are digging into their wallets. We scurry in and stand in line; it passes quickly and even though Xander and I reach for our wallets, Wolf waves it off.
"I got this," he insists. "We get tickets for free since we're staying overnight in one of their cottages."
We wait patiently until it's our turn and then we crowd around the counter. The ticketeer gives us a welcoming smile and takes Wolf's confirmation email. "Everything looks in order," she says between her teeth, the smile on her face still in place like a Stepford wife. Her voice is heavily accented, but she can still speak English better than I can speak Dutch, so who am I to judge?
At Wolf's request, she accepts our luggage and promises to store it in a locker until our check-in time.
She extends five park maps towards us. "Have a wonderful time, enjoy your stay."
"Thank you," says Wolf, grabbing the maps and dividing them amongst us.
We exit the building and are immediately blasted with a gust of icy wind. It settles immediately and we laugh, rubbing our faces. My hair tangles in a wild frenzy; I look to Graeme and see that she's fared much better. Her curls have loosened into gentle waves, like the kind Victoria's Secret models have when they strut down the runway.
"Let's walk," Wolf says, and we set off together, the others taking the lead while Wolf and I hang back.
Despite it being winter, the gardens are well-manicured. Everywhere around us is pruned shrubbery, the hedges trimmed blunt and sharp like the bristles of a toothbrush. The statues are capped with snow, their animated faces leering grotesquely, resembling the Narnia creatures who were turned into stone by Jadis the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.
People mill around us, pointing and talking to each other about the exhibits. There's plenty of open-air attractions, judging by the map I'm scrutinizing.
"Where do you want to go first?" Graeme asks, looking at Xander and Levi.
"Why don't you guys go on ahead?" Wolf interjects.
"Why?" Levi questions, shoving his gloved hands into his jacket pocket.
Graeme catches on quickly, however. "How about the three of us go explore the attractions?" She peers at her map. "The Theatre de Efteling is right in front of us."
"Nah," Xander dismisses.
"I'll second that 'no'," Levi adds.
"Then why don't we split up?" Graeme jabs her finger at her map. "Wolf and Charlotte want to go to the Theatre, and since we're not a big fan of it, we should do something else."
I do?
"She does?" Xander raises an eyebrow.
Graeme fixes Xander with a get-on-board look.
"Oh, right." Xander scratches the back of his head. "I really want to see the...uh...something else."
Levi gapes at his sister, still not clued in.
"So it's settled." Graeme gives Wolf a cheshire smile. "Why don't we meet up at Polles Keuken in, say, an hour? They've got delicious pancakes, so I've heard."
At Xander's pointed look, she sighs. "Fine, fine, Xander told me. I may have absorbed some of his random tourist facts, sue me."
Graeme points it out to me on my map. "It's here in the center."
Not giving Levi a chance to protest further, she grabs him by one arm and Xander by the other. "See youuuu!" she sing-songs, dragging them both away.
Xander tosses me a helpless look over his shoulder and I shrug, chagrined.
Is it just me or is Graeme trying to get me and Wolf alone? She's more cunning than I gave her credit for. Or more delusional. In case it's escaped her attention, Wolf isn't exactly gazing at me with doe-eyes, is he?
"What was that about?" I ask, turning to face Wolf. I'm stunned to find that he's looking right back at me, an inscrutable, intense look in his eyes. He still hasn't spoken.
"Uh, Wolf?"
"What?" He snaps out of it. "Sorry. Um. Why don't we spend some time together?"
"I thought that's what we've been doing all morning."
"Are you trying to play hard to get or are you actually that oblivious?"
My temper flares. "Neither. I just don't play games."
"What makes you think this is a game?"
"Um, maybe because you acted like I was persona non grata when I first arrived, and now I'm..." I wave my hand, unable to put it into words.
"You think I'm screwing with you?" Wolf raises an eyebrow in challenge.
"Well...if the shoe fits."
"Wow." He releases an embarrassed laugh. "You don't hesitate to call things like you see them, do you?"
I repeat the words he said to me in the car: "The truth is always preferable to a lie."
He bends, swift and sudden, to an inch away from my lips. I gasp at his proximity and try to step backwards, but his hand pressed against the small of my back and holds me in place.
"Wolf..."
He places a gloved finger against my lips, cutting me off.
"Wolf." I try again, my voice stronger this time. "Diana's not even here. We're not putting on a show for anyone." I want him to kiss me and at the same time I don't. One part of me wants to step away and the other parts wants to stay exactly where I am - because the look in his eyes is saying that I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.
"I'm doing this for me. What I wanted to do since I first saw you." He moves closer, his breath hot against my lips, nose, and chin.
"When you picked me up at the airport?" I scrunch my nose, tilting my head at him. It's hard to reconcile his current ardor with the unpleasant young man from yesterday.
"When I saw your pictures in New York. On Xander's desk. The two of you together, with this blond girl, wearing matching college sweatshirts."
"Brett," I murmur. "Her name is Brett."
He ignores my interruption, continuing as if he hasn't heard. "I thought you were...I don't know, stringing him along. He said you weren't together but..."
"I'm not that kind of girl."
"We've established that." His tone is dry but his lips are smiling. "By the way, you look really good today, did I mention that?"
And then his lips descend on mine.
Author's Note: I hope you guys enjoyed this ooey-gooey romantic chapter! Drop me a line with your thoughts and don't forget to vote and comment! I love interacting with you all :)