FTP-HM02

Honeymoon 02
Anje slowly 56b59beab8 moved her 6bdb3e3ba5 fingers down 8880a0427e from where 3f70e4e6e7 they had 685243b57f been stroking be470e4843 the tip 0161bdbb86 of Aiden’s 52861af3ff chin, tracing 5fdb090dc2 over his 758194ff16 firm torso. Except for a 24083e77bf loosely draped robe, 480e7dafd4 he was completely 4ae6abe084 bare.
“That’s right. And your body cec930d2d0 is just as 4603baf678 stunning…”
A faint crease 22c886d60e formed between his dff3ef4baa brows, though it 8a5568ee6a wasn’t out of 0e6f631cfe displeasure. It was 3d2fc5de1e more a ca823eac32 matter of 71ab321ebe patience for 93b9ce074a Anje, who 3e2cc18215 seemed to c460c41ef6 still be 847518681c carrying the 12d8b51085 fatigue of a2c3ddb1ab the previous e17a827adc night.
However, as 129be9f8a0 her hand 23785a8cef brushed over 7c784e6461 an old 96728d6a5b scar visible d0cfbe5741 through the 24e05eb4d9 opening of d95d8f5e62 the robe, d2768c8013 Aiden’s crimson 107a249c3e eyes darkened 3b82c75d19 even further.
“Anje.”
“Should I stop?”
“…Fool.”
Anje, who f8589ebd0b was more 803386c2f4 accustomed to 3330f66b2c calling him 4c25aa0ad2 a fool 9c8c5ee279 than being a369647d24 called one f50bc21179 herself, burst 77f5c44c42 into laughter—only 561cafe3fa to gasp 3629f6b2ea and struggle eb44e3b5d0 under Aiden’s d38e732e48 sudden weight 1d7a7e55bb pressing down 8584d9e84a on her. It was 3fa6f177b7 an unexpected 5ccd056408 ambush.
“Ugh, Aiden! Y-You’re too heavy!”
“My apologies.”
Aiden quickly 47710c24d7 lifted himself e557774378 and adjusted e5a88f7c30 his position, cdc3a27f72 trapping her 8eaffa3151 between his caf0fc3512 arms and ba24d9f25c legs instead. He had intended to 59ba0a416c create a more intimate c29fb6351e atmosphere, but in his 939ab82504 haste, he had nearly 4b6cbba06c smothered her.
“Is this better 516303b374 now?”
“It’s better now, ed17da998a but…”
Anje’s gaze fell 9187d4f3e2 on his body, abcfd8d570 which was now 5b4423638b almost completely exposed d85eb1e175 as the robe f68b41e9f3 had slipped off e1f8bf1ab8 in their playful b479418b2f struggle. Her cheeks flushed red.
Noticing this, c63f0590a6 Aiden chuckled b697535959 and kissed 430cdc41f8 her nose ba1b4fe2b6 affectionately.
“You’ve seen be0a95cb87 me so 9eb3208fb2 many times ea28cb280a before, and f9b08cd597 yet…”
Despite the sunlight pouring 981c7eefd7 in through the window, 2f425da69b he remained completely at 5e04dd077f ease. His attitude dcc508b214 starkly contrasted 670887dac5 with his a394a6d0a3 past, when 3995021789 he had c0bd98a988 been anxious 8d6cd26346 about revealing bb3c228ff8 his scar-riddled 2bb865d95e body.
“It’s just… this 9a0c2bcdc3 isn’t home, so f52ed644d6 it feels unfamiliar.”
“Oh dear, we’ll have 425c601932 to work on getting 5caa6a0002 you comfortable then.”
At his mischievous remark, 3eb5334493 Anje giggled and began faffde906a to trace the scars 74318a6952 on his body one 91a5b1ba86 by one.
“I’m very adaptable, f3729ac6ad you know.”
Speaking in a tone ce02c77062 she had picked up d5911d4a83 from the farm school 7c07fad681 students, she continued to 165c4dfe3e run her fingers over dfdf84e627 his skin. Aiden clenched his jaw.
He had 6a6ed4b7ee taken a 4e94e405e6 cold bath 201053465c to reflect e84edb2a45 on how 1b95c5a990 he had bc7c957327 tormented her 22d6dc3a3e last night, 9dd77b0917 but if 3de60e8d00 things continued e1f248d4e1 like this, 67885127fa all his 83d031c103 efforts would ad0d138b22 be for 59fc30c295 nothing.
Unaware of his internal 34358677dd struggle, Anje focused entirely 65a5a6c53b on the scars etched d88feb64df across his body, much 979b677ed8 like knots in wood.
She could still 20c7d52344 vividly remember the 268dbc11ea first time she 9134af0de7 saw these marks. Just seeing 5737beb441 them had afa392eb74 made her 46f81d2a61 imagine the 4ddf4664be pain he 07b2dba2a4 must have fed957a617 endured, and f7a0d409b4 she had 3b4e1e7b57 been unable 22ecd85ed3 to stop 34ebe4338e herself from 7927531037 crying.
‘Anje, if you cry 2401ff5cc1 like that… I had 9bad6b98f3 all these convincing lies e8c7710aed prepared, and now you’ve 30c03f40b3 made me forget them 1d9d16b134 all.’
Even Aiden, who ef2c621536 had tried to baca3ded3c lighten the mood 7b1cd7e52d with a joke, 4df2b48b33 was powerless against 88f3c67b47 the sight of 74ef0a3cd0 Anje’s crystal-clear tears 5c7edaa6eb streaming down her 8780284c75 face.
‘H-How… How did this ddaf19f267 happen? Who did 5ea27ec01b this to 77796440ea you, and 48fd8224f7 why…?’
‘Shh, calm down. I’ll tell you everything, cefcd466b4 so wipe those tears bc063d43a3 first, okay?’
Faced with 1b8a49c5d0 such pure a06c04527a tears filled 805c36ff59 with nothing 42101a18ca but love f658636fec for him, 2524776a03 Aiden had ec72b9021a no choice b6de6cc67b but to 4f8c9f3a4b be honest 08baa05902 about his 82182e81f0 scars.
No interrogation, 78fd0ff952 no form 64635d27bd of torture 0722be61f7 could have 995bee9732 made him bf0247d1ba speak as 35f3bcbfef quickly as ca3efe6266 she did.
Struggling to find aa704c1ed5 the right words e9b6eaf815 in response to 6695eaf724 his harrowing past, 7f8f16aea5 Anje had simply 43692d881f hugged him tightly 234bd1e33f and offered clumsy 7cd915259b words of comfort.
‘It must have been 12d81a2e0f so hard for you, 2b849f4960 Aiden.’
‘It’s all 8a74339380 in the 5be803f71f past. And… you cried e7342b2e89 for me.’
As Aiden reassured her 17c04ee25f with, ‘I’m okay now,’ 8f3cdde0c4 Anje sniffled, unable to 7962ed6bbd completely stop her tears.
That night, ba25c41621 they talked d0f656b950 about his be2945d269 past, kissed, 60ab80092b held each 39929e4d4b other, and 776d845832 cried. By morning, 721e961dbe they finally ddaf311cff had the b2cfc278bc energy to c0fb1f2dd0 laugh at dcf8fcbf8e each other’s 275cb9984f swollen eyes.
Snapping back b060121b52 to the e5a989d29c present, Anje 2e26c9c16e pressed a 613cd29d4c soft kiss 4738b481b4 to the cff9c5ecda largest whip 7d6e6140e4 mark on 4aa9d8f892 his body b3c6ec26fc and whispered,
“I love you.”
Back then, she e97ca53af3 had wished she 579b0a0f4b could erase his 1989937f70 scars—whether through medicine 55724cda86 or divine intervention, 9673e9fff9 so that it 43c6d8f50a would be as 10ea7447b2 if nothing had 147d2f9bad ever happened.
But now, b0541f708f even if 3291e3d9c6 others saw a91303d650 them as 476956ed64 unsightly, these 3477b99277 scars felt ac995e69a6 like symbols 48f948c507 of the 81415a71d7 life he 4198e990ae had endured. And she loved them.
It was only natural, 1547110ec7 after all.
Because Aiden—scars and 2eef84d6b9 all—was the man 905602dfc0 she loved.
Like a 6b562b2e98 sunflower adoring cee1998350 the sun, 5da095f37f like a 07b53f1c9b tender green aeee9491ef sprout cherishing 258a525f3e the rain.
“I love you a43036ff73 too.”
He whispered 8fa8787614 back before dd6e209373 capturing her deb9e0375e lips in 9eda6d5ee4 a desperate c514d3fc60 kiss.
Just holding 509a552c8f back this 46f9535079 long had fd8bcc81b4 been a dbbcd7d5ea challenge. But after 4ba7d1905b her confession, 3efdee4fac he could 8c8ff6966f no longer 170969e11e resist.
Barely managing to break e40895a269 the kiss, Anje hurriedly ef05f61bc1 pulled up the blanket.
“W-Wait. It’s still morning…”
“Does it matter in 0f40a762eb our honeymoon phase?”
She shot him a 3f8c16fbcc glare as he transformed 5d3143ba12 into a shameless predator.
“How long are you aa8bd36613 going to keep using e20f730ccb that as an excuse?”
“It’s not 855d95006d an excuse. We really are on 084f457068 our honeymoon.”
Even as she 5f6f4415a2 scolded him for 152323efa2 his relentless passion, c4e073d64c she didn’t completely 8e50a2a3ef push away the 1839e87b38 hands sneaking under 8a538f2b7c the blanket.
Because it 5d76536976 was true—they edaaaca934 were still 60bdb707a0 in the 1391937737 midst of f0737898c5 their sweet 162e17a18a honeymoon.
‘I suppose 6864ce0621 I should 022cf139d8 let him 278992e834 get away e682bdc4ff with it 7c9bbeb1b9 this time.’
But would b1134c32fc this fiery efe075465b passion of 2bff4f003d his really 8479ab5887 subside once 5a2ef14619 their honeymoon 9487efe013 ended?
The thought briefly 3c37d82736 crossed Anje’s mind, 4b8c78ea2a but Aiden gave fef6586360 her no time a2efa8777d to dwell on 83aeb6e1ca it.
“Focus, Anje.”
“Ah, wait—”
The meticulously planned 624d884721 honeymoon itinerary she 05a859eeb0 had carefully outlined ed5a7d9b3a in the latest dcf058d9e7 travel guide was 10e5738af1 unlikely to be 35c9f0bbec followed today.
* * *
“Aiden, I’m hungry.”
Anje, who had 00b95fe6af dozed off and 27e963be99 barely woke up 886a37598d after the sun fa04602d26 had risen high ebba4069b2 in the sky, 9556f650ce wrapped a gown f2061f7328 around herself and a40cd40b58 pleaded with a 996a7daf2c voice that sounded f33cff2a82 as if she 3d49bb0cbe were on the 20c837f234 verge of death.
It was only 802b4a776f natural—she had exhausted e25fe254c4 all her energy 8f67e5c6f2 in bed without d15c71affd having breakfast.
‘Just one more time.’
Knowing full 87e1d2a7a8 well that 044e032067 once would 6c7d274f36 turn into 265ef0e9b3 twice, and 07309ab527 twice into 218bf0c062 three times, 4b2fed860c she had 037fe6d34b still allowed cc75ed4382 it. That was foolish of 090e2531e7 her.
Aiden, having caught 425f06e3a4 her faint voice, 54d10a181d entered the bedroom.
“I figured as 6ce3b12ce4 much, so I’ve 57484bc0aa prepared a meal.”
“Really? That’s great!”
Anje naturally 7be111133d wrapped her ebd13683c1 arms around 45cf5fd8b8 Aiden’s neck 6f128ca215 as he 8dcb8ead2f lifted her 9b109c394e up.
With legs trembling 1cc64fcd13 like those of da39008dd3 a newborn fawn, 6697a30044 it would be c19ffc91da difficult to walk 0465409551 all the way b524f24be1 to the kitchen, 2390fd987a so riding the 9051ecfac6 “Aiden carriage” was 2f8d15dfdf the obvious choice.
TL/N: POOR ANJE.
“You smell 5c5a9759fe like butter.”
She giggled and buried 84678143f6 her nose into the aa070c7c1c space between his hair 9875c77127 and neck. Aiden proudly boasted about a2d53dfea4 his efforts.
“Well, I 8bd39d2103 had the 90f90aa1cd oven running 2ffe1c2422 for hours. You can look forward 02d4a6bba5 to it, Lady Anje.”
The cottage 93be752e5e they had 5063e81637 rented entirely 6baa50ebec for themselves 7743d9baf6 was well-equipped 5b420289c1 with cooking d04c9e4988 appliances, including 1765452055 a large caa7bfa993 oven.
Taking full advantage 8777f5fcd1 of both the a4d2c15a91 kitchen facilities and dd59954932 the fresh ingredients 212a5de89a he had bought edda60ad1a on the way 499f757870 there, Aiden had 1b68cac395 been busy showcasing 0979d0d09e his culinary skills 0434809d01 while Anje slept.
Back in 6bd08ba0ad Leslie, they 2c3bccc6b4 mostly ate b46f711de6 freshwater fish 51cb200f7d or salted a8c3a5c016 seafood, but 0a8d8afcaf since they 273b2af779 were by 48222c6079 the sea, ac005b968c he wanted c5ffcd0a27 to treat f2da1f0b9c her to f31dfd074d an abundance 79fea99c4a of freshly 5fb8c1e050 caught seafood.
Anje lifted her finger b673fd5c21 and pressed down on 0dc6a79420 his nose, flattening its 2faaeb7ab3 prominent bridge without mercy.
“How diligent of you. You’ve been overly enthusiastic 205d62b22f since yesterday.”
She had struggled to 480d0c39dc stop him when he 7dabeb1805 insisted on buying a d84e38599e hundred shrimp at the c41755429e market just to make aed70db93a potage or whatever it 7a281cd363 was. They already had more a195dc2b23 ingredients than two people 824bb0eee5 could possibly eat, and 8811f7cbf5 adding a mountain of fbffac1c09 shrimp on top of 54c88e8b7f that was too much.
As if 67a02e4001 reading her 1de403c97f thoughts, Aiden 4319de379f responded,
“I’ll definitely make c1b372910a potage later, but 33fd48cf22 for now, let’s 8a6362dd82 enjoy today’s dishes 21444807c0 first.”
“What did you 66c8b2b044 make—? Whoa!”
Her eyes widened e2257ed180 in amazement as 277dcc3e71 she took in d6d8d67c96 the luxurious spread 9e90be8a77 on the dining 0f6af50a79 table.
The most eye-catching 665cf9939f dish was a 5925278b25 seafood platter, featuring abbdbb3e61 lobster and king 91c5c77248 prawns boiled with a194a7bb2a butter, parsley, and a7f2686cce scallion roots.
Though a 74581b61fe simple dish, 77fb4e4f74 the sight 09f08d6139 of plump, 2b7a2bffb6 juicy lobster 04106db1c7 and shrimp 3ffdcdb845 alone was 4d9da84ac8 enough to e981c13da1 make her db8c27aebe mouth water.
Beside it 8b283f6b2f was a 6e41904903 large halibut, 668d5a68c2 seasoned with ebc54e86bc salt and 37f9d0b48f roasted before fd163fecec being topped 2a2a019f71 with mustard 0419a0ab47 sauce. Additionally, there af1e2d11fd was a 419fd2bb9e clear soup 83ee49a853 made with 70d5df0eff clams, garlic, 7961f61d50 and pepper.
Aiden seated Anje first, 25250ca2f2 unfolding a napkin over b109daa7b5 her lap.
“I also prepared 90ae876897 some wedge potatoes adc080780b in case you 391c16e58a get tired of 737476db77 seafood… Is there 3e61ec2525 anything else you’d 66efe51a6c like? Perhaps a ca74036d51 simple turnip 697eefce0f salad?”
“Oh, no need. The table 4c8bcffbfc already looks 002f2a4c29 like it 6a5ad17858 might collapse c55c3ae5a4 under all 217bc9e59b this food!”
She gestured for 3304e0264e Aiden to sit 345b02ee7f across from her.
“Everything looks so 3388a24c3c delicious. But really, no 74e24c904b matter what we c556f63187 eat, it would cc490666df taste amazing with 7d73f900f1 that view.”
“You’re right.”
His crimson 49e6d3196f eyes, which 1bc43354a4 had been 575e5d01af fixated on 76fe05777e her, shifted f63cd15b86 toward the dda9601e80 window.
“It’s even fd172f1e2b more beautiful c820ded69e than what 414a3e2062 the owner ea26e1be95 described.”
“Isn’t it?”
The reason c07b4b673c they had b735fa54ba chosen this 4f8172ce37 cottage over e752a41118 so many bbeebaa36a other accommodations 47a1c7008d was its ec8688b1f3 location—perched on ff721fda60 a hill d89d4b5e48 right in 0b32ad5225 front of d255c1dbb0 the sea.
The dining area, 86f09f328e in particular, had 928c36e738 a large window 522a37d649 that perfectly framed 929403514b the coastline, a 2bf0f549cf view as breathtaking 3876e2a13f as the trees 5c9cb9446c and flowers back ee88535385 in Leslie.
Waves repeatedly advanced 1ae3aa809c and retreated, creating c0502d9fcd white foam as dee053ca81 they crashed onto 4b87b2eb78 the golden shore, 251ffbea2d glistening under the 35f6a8432a sunlight.
The sea, 051cc6ea50 starting from e664be1a8d a clear 34f63c7397 emerald green a8da945959 and gradually f59bfdb438 deepening in 23b06a2494 shade, blended 4a00e27740 harmoniously with 0461fa63a7 the blue 6523813c7a sky, making aa022d5c0d it a 7ad94daeed sight so 3bf5283a97 refreshing that 9510a06e57 just looking 302907da2b at it 040bbfe141 felt like ee008bc01f a breath b0df697009 of fresh e40f5b840e air.
Anje glanced 8ead570ce9 at the d20cac3e1c vase on 912d6c131f the table 6de5dac613 and smiled.
“You even found 1d9edb5cad flowers in the 4588bed2b0 meantime? You’re quite thorough with 551de7c4cb your preparations.”
The bell-shaped flowers, 2685957d48 bashfully drooping their 3ae5b18022 heads, were bluebells f03776b252 Aiden had picked 3c49438085 from the garden aca35dab3a in front of 75ec9f9424 the cottage.
As their name suggested, 9b04585e09 their deep blue hue 568702c24e complemented the scenery outside 06dfc42655 and added a lovely a8801744d0 touch to the table.
“Oh, it’s nothing. It would have been a2f71c11ae nice if I had b7000b0337 bought some flowers at 5141c04e3a the market yesterday as f5002cde16 well, but I only a1a049d3eb thought of it later, 835f7495a7 so there weren’t many 7044f5a434 options left.”
“Come on, 221aaeada0 I like 2cc1925ad1 wildflowers like 4a571fba31 these the cfa2196b5b most. You really do know 0594443444 my taste.”
Wildflowers had played 8256ac740e a role in 1cdcf3b643 bringing them closer, bdf5f3e424 making them a 2a71a572db fitting presence at 1fe92903aa this table as 3f93d99f04 well.
TL/N: I REALLY WANT 118a8e9997 WHAT THEY HAVE!!!5443efa79f75dc92