Erik came back quicker than expected. As he walked in, I was just finishing my coffee and enjoying one of the biscuits. My eyes were fixed on the screen as I tried to fill in the data for the report I had to submit later. When I looked up, I met his intense green eyes, staring at me, unfiltered and unguarded.

—What happens? —I asked, with a shy smile, quickly shifting my gaze back to the screen.

—Nothing, —he replied curtly, taking a sip of his coffee and finishing it off.

—You are look at me. What are you thinking? —I asked, studying him for a moment before returning to typing.

—I was thinking you're very… —I looked up, but Erik was interrupted by a beep from his phone, prompting an annoyed sigh—. Be right back, —he grumbled, heading out again. From the window, I could see him entering the lighthouse. The weather was worsening with heavy rain, the wind howling, and daylight diminishing.

I didn't know exactly how much time passed before Erik returned, but when he did, his expression was one of disgust.

—All okay? —I asked as he leaned in to search for something in the kitchen cupboards.

—Yeah, calm down, —he replied as he rummaged through—. The electrical panel is acting up again, —he calmly explained.

—Can I help you? —I offered, and he turned to look at me with interest.

—Do you know about electricity? —I shook my head, and he smiled—. Then, I'm afraid not, —he finally found a flashlight, which seemed to be what he was looking for.

—I'm sorry, —I said with a smile, and he shook his head, approaching me and leaning in very close. So close that my heart skipped a beat instantly.

—It's better you're not perfect, because in the end, I'll end up falling in love, —he said, holding my gaze for a moment before leaving, taking a part of my breath with him. I turned to watch him leave the house as a knot formed in my throat. His gestures of closeness not only confused me but stirred up emotions that left me in a sea of confusion.

"He picks you up in the mornings, you spend the whole day there, and he drops you off at home in the evenings with a kiss on the forehead. Next thing you know, he'll give you one on the lips and eventually you'll move in together."

Vir's voice shook me from my thoughts again, eliciting a grimace of disgust from me. —Oh, Vir. Shut up, —I pleaded to the solitude of the dining room, hiding my face in my hands.

I sighed and tried to refocus on the report. As long as I was absorbed in that lousy mobster story, I wouldn't have to think about Erik's green eyes, his warm breath, or his tattooed hands preparing coffee... I huffed, shifting in my chair. Definitely shouldn't allow myself to think of him that way.

I ran my hand through my still perfectly styled hair and moistened my lips. Unable to concentrate on the report, I got up and collected the two empty cups and the empty plate of biscuits. I washed the cups and plate, leaving them on the drainer, and glanced out of the window. Raindrops fiercely pounded the glass, and the sea looked turbulent. I saw Erik leaving the lighthouse without a coat and frowned.

—He's going to get sick, —I complained as I went to fetch his coat to hand it to him. I wrapped myself in the jacket he had lent me, and as I did, it felt as if he himself were hugging me. The weather outside was worse than it seemed inside the house. With difficulty, I made my way to the door through which Erik had entered, which I assumed led to the electrical area of the lighthouse. When I reached the door, I noticed it was all dark.

—Erik? —I called out, getting no response. I pulled out my phone to use the flashlight and discovered some stairs descending somewhere. Carefully, I went down the old, slippery stone stairs. Upon reaching the bottom, I heard a groan I couldn't quite distinguish and found Erik next to a huge panel of lights, with the flashlight in his mouth, trying to fix something.

Erik turned around, surprised, when he saw me, and I handed the jacket to him so he wouldn't feel cold. He smiled, standing up.

—Thanks, —Erik whispered, although in that echoing place, it sounded louder than perhaps he intended— Oh, wait, you have a spider, —he warned, his hand moving towards my hair.

—A spider?! ¡Quítamela! —I exclaimed nervously, closing my eyes and waving my hands. I felt Erik's hand on my head, pulling something and saying it was gone. When I opened my eyes, I saw the huge bug in his hand and brought my hand to my mouth to suppress a scream of disgust— ¡Que asco! —I took a step back, tripping over a toolbox and losing my balance.

Erik acted quickly, letting go of the bug and catching me before I fell. However, the momentum carried us backward, and my back hit the stone wall. I felt the impact, but thanks to Erik's hand on my head, it was much softer than expected.

—Are you okay? —he asked, looking at me in the dim light, with the only illumination coming from his flashlight and the flash of my phone that had fallen to the ground with the spider scare.

—Yes, —I whispered, staring into his eyes.

I don't know why, but my eyes descended to his lips, recalling Vir's words at that moment.

"The next thing is he'll give you one on the lips and... "

—Joder —I complained, looking up to find a certain confusion in Erik's eyes. He stepped back gently, allowing me to regain my composure and releasing the hand that had prevented a harder blow against the wall—. Thanks. I'm sorry, —I apologized for the scare.

—Just give me a second, we'll leave soon, —he said, crouching down to the electrical panel, trying to lift a flap several times before giving up. He put away the tools, leaving the toolbox aside, and picked up my phone from the floor. He reached out his hand to me, and without thinking, I gave it to him, expecting him to return the phone to me, but he didn't. He simply took my hand and carefully guided me up the stairs.

I felt like my heart wanted to leap out of my chest. I didn't know if it was from the spider scare, the fear of having fallen when I stumbled over the tools, or from the very masculine look he had given me in the dim light. But I couldn't articulate a word.

Once upstairs, he put the hood on me, closed the door, and with his arm around my back, he led me home, shielding me from the strong wind blowing. Upon arriving inside, we headed straight for the fireplace.

—Your hands are freezing, —he commented, rubbing them to warm them up.

I watched his hands rubbing mine and then his eyes, where concern shone, perhaps for something not working right in the lighthouse.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

—Erik, —I whispered. His eyes left their downward gaze to meet mine—. I'm sorry — He made a confused grimace.

—Why? —he asked.

—I... don’t wait... here, —I confessed, feeling guilty for having come despite his indication not to—. You don’t have your jacket. I don’t want you to … cold, —I apologized, glancing down at the floor.

One of Erik's hands released mine and gently settled on my chin, lifting it so our eyes met again.

—You don't have to apologize. Thank you for thinking of me, —he said, with a reassuring smile that instantly filled me with calm. I nodded, feeling somewhat relieved, and his thumb gently stroked my chin.

My breathing became heavier, and once again, time seemed to stand still, as it had so many times before. But as always, something broke the spell. The sound of an email notification brought me back to reality. I moistened my lips, turned my head, and remembered I needed to breathe.

Erik let go of me and stepped away to put the flashlight back in the drawer where he had taken it from. I took off the coat and headed towards the entrance to hang it back up.

—The weather's bad, —he observed, as if it were news. I approached the table and nodded—. Would you like to stay for lunch? —he asked, looking at me with some nervousness. Why?

—Uhm... okay. If is not a problem… —I didn't want to be a burden.

—It would be worse to drive in this wind. We can wait for the storm to pass, and then I'll take you home, —he replied, turning around and speaking with a tone that was hard to interpret.

—I have a… call this afternoon, —I informed him, but if driving in this weather was dangerous, I could do it from his house. After all, it was just a video call.

—With your boss? —he asked.

—Yes.

And suddenly, the power went out.

—Great, —he muttered with some indignation, rubbing his face. Fortunately, it was still daytime, although the light was scarce due to the cloudy sky—. Finally, I can use the candles Nora gave me for Christmas, —he added, heading to the dining room and taking out a pack of candles.

He lit one and placed it near my computer in case I needed more light. They were white with flower petal details and smelled really good.

—Would you like to practice some English? —he suggested, pointing to the sofa. I nodded and sat next to him, maintaining a respectful distance. With the fireplace right in front of us, the warmth was comforting, and the lighting was perfect— What do you want to learn today? —Erik leaned his arm on the back of the sofa, adopting his usual relaxed position and tilting his head slightly—. Tell me about... what you like?

"Don't say 'you', don't say 'you'..."

—Well, I like... reading, —I responded, trying not to dwell too much on the question. Erik made a gesture, snapping his fingers, and headed to his bedroom, which I hadn't seen yet and had no intention of asking him to show me, at least not for now. He returned with a book that seemed to be a children's story and handed it to me—. Selkies, —I asked, reading the silver letters on the cover.

—Selkies. Read, —he approached me so he could also see the contents of the book. I swallowed nervously and knew this would be a challenge. Although it was a children's book, I hoped it would be full of illustrations.

—The Secret of the Selkies, —I said, reading the letters on the cover.

—Si, not Se, —Erik corrected me, so I repeated "secret" correctly this time.

—Once upon a time, in the misty shores of Scotland, there was a little village where people lived in harmony with the sea, —I read the first text on the first page, where a tall cliff with a village drawn on it could be seen.

—Shores, —Erik pointed to the coastal area in the drawing—. A little village, —he pointed to the small town.

—Sea, —I smiled, touching the sea.

Erik looked at me and bit his lower lip, suppressing a smile, but nodded.

—Please continue, —he said.

—In this place, there was a legend of the Selkies, magical creatures that dwelled in the depths of the ocean, —I read the text on the next page, where some seals were playfully poking out of the water.

—Dwelled? —I asked, knowing I was mispronouncing the word.

—Live —Erik clarified, smiling.

—Why are you so nice? —I blinked a couple of times, not understanding why I asked the question. In silence, he searched for the answer by scanning my face with his eyes, which felt like two feathers invisibly caressing me.

—Why shouldn't I be? —he finally asked.

—I don't know. You don't know me, —I shrugged, turning the page.

—A little bit, yes, —I noticed that his hand, the one on the back of the sofa, was playfully twirling one of the curls of my ponytail behind me.

—Are you always good person? —I asked.

—I try to be. But not everyone is as nice as you, —he kept his gaze on the next illustration, trying not to die of embarrassment.

—On a cold spring morning, a girl named Aileen went for a walk on the beach with her dog, Finn, —I read calmly.

I felt a slight tug on my hair that made me tilt my head back. I turned around, surprised, and looked at him. It hadn't been painful, more playful, and it certainly made me feel a tingling sensation in various parts of my body.

—Sorry. My hand got tangled, —he said, with an expression of innocence that couldn't hide his smile.

—Are you sure? —I asked, amused, raising an eyebrow.

—Yes, completely, —his mischievous boyish expression and that charming smile made me feel like a hormonal teenager. I took a deep breath to continue reading, trying not to think about how much I wished he would tug my hair again.

—As they walked, they heard a soft murmur coming from the sea, —Erik's hand was no longer playing with my hair but had started to gently massage the base of my neck, making me close my eyes with a mixture of pleasure and relaxation.

—Intrigued, they approached and saw a beautiful seal frolicking in the waves. Aileen was amazed by the creature's elegance and decided to get closer, —he continued reading, with absolute perfection.

—I love your accent, —I whispered, still with my eyes closed.

—I thought you hated it, —he opened his eyes and looked at me with some embarrassment, but I couldn't help but get lost in those lips that seemed to hypnotize me every time they spoke.

—Only when you speak fast. And much.

—I can be quiet if you want, —he suggested, lowering the tips of his fingers to the skin of my neck, making me take a gulp of air that tickled my lungs.

—Maybe.

I could swear he gestured to move closer to me, bringing his hand to the base of my head, but the landline phone started ringing, and he closed his eyes, apparently with some reluctance. He cursed something I couldn't identify, but he didn't move.

—No answer? —I asked, amused, while I still had my head gently held by his hand.

—No.

—Could be important, —this time, I put on an innocent look and a mischievous smile. He squinted his eyes, and before I could predict it, he leaned towards me until his nose touched mine, and his breath, with a slight aroma of coffee, brushed my lips.

—Only because you ask, —he whispered before letting go of me and walking towards the phone on the kitchen wall.

I regretted telling him to answer the call at that moment, but thanks to that, I was able to try to regain some sanity that I was quickly losing with every look and every close gesture.