At some point, I must have fallen asleep on the sofa, nestled in Erik's arms, because I woke up startled by the sound of the phone on the kitchen wall.

"Relax, one second," he got up and quickly headed towards it, silencing it.

It must have been Angus, as Erik usually put on a deep and incomprehensible accent when talking to his uncles. I managed to distinguish a few words, but I barely understood 1% of what he was saying.

At that moment, I remembered that my phone was still off, and I hadn't spoken to Virginia about what had happened yet, although I didn't feel like it at that moment. I looked up to find Erik leaning against the wall, with his back to me, and I sighed. He really was handsome, and every one of his poses exuded masculinity. He turned towards me, making me blush. I lowered my gaze, and he shook his butt a bit, which intensified my blush. I wasn't looking at his butt! Not this time, at least. I saw him laugh, and I knew he was joking, as always.

"Tonto," I whispered, and he, who probably didn't hear me but understood my gesture, winked at me from a distance, making my whole body vibrate with such a simple gesture.

He said goodbye to the person he was talking to and approached me with a mischievous smile dancing on his lips.

"I wasn't looking your butt," I defended myself immediately.

"No? I could feel your gaze fixed there."

"Well, I wasn't. Your butt isn't the only thing I look at," I complained, and he burst into laughter.

"I look at you a lot, I must confess."

"Do you look my butt?"

"Every chance I get. It's your fault for having such a nice one."

"It's not nice," I grimaced.

Erik raised an eyebrow and then made a face, as if to imply he didn't understand anything. He tousled my hair slightly before heading to the kitchen.

"Are you hungry?"

I hadn't finished asking the question when my stomach started growling. Maybe spending practically the whole day without eating contributed to the feeling that now that Erik was back in my life, I could conquer the world.

"Yes."

"Would you prefer Erik with chocolate or..." he hinted, looking into the fridge.

"Are you on the menu today?"

"For you, always," he said, not making a big deal out of it, slightly accelerating my pulse.

"I want sushi," I lied, knowing he didn't have it and couldn't make it, even though the last time we ate at his house he said if he didn't have something I wanted, he would improvise.

Erik turned to look at me with an amused expression, containing that mischievous boyish smile that characterized him so much.

"Are you going to make me jump into the sea to make you dinner?"

"Would you?" I asked, getting up and approaching the kitchen.

"Ask me and we'll find out," he said, lowering his voice, staring at me intently.

"No, you're crazy," I complained, without a hint of doubt that he would actually do it, even risking hypothermia.

"Then ask me things you're willing to let me do."

He closed the fridge and looked me straight in the eyes. I felt the need to moisten my lips to make sure my mouth wasn't dry.

Part of me wanted to say something that would make Erik nervous, and the other part just wanted to snuggle with him and forget everything that had happened in the last 24 hours.

"Would you be able to stay alone for 20 minutes, or will I come back to find the house on fire?" he asked sweetly.

"Do you think I'm a... dangerous?" He laughed and shook his head, embracing me gently.

"Of course not, but I don't know if you feel uncomfortable staying alone."

"I'll hide under your sheets until you come back," I proposed, letting him cuddle me.

"Do you like wine? I have some in the cupboard. Open the bottle you like the most; I won't be long."

"But where are you going?" I asked, watching him put on his jacket.

"For your dinner, boss."

Erik left without giving explanations, closing the door behind him and leaving me alone in his house, a place where, surprisingly, I felt safe. I followed his instructions and opened the cupboard he had indicated. Although I wasn't an expert in wines, I remembered that I usually enjoyed white wine. After a few minutes of effort, I managed to open the bottle, pour myself a glass, and settle on the sofa under the warm blanket that Erik had placed over me when I fell asleep.

Lost in thought, I stared at the flames dancing in front of me, trying not to feel overwhelmed when reflecting on what might have happened if Erik hadn't arrived in time. My mind went over the last twenty years, trying to understand how I could have completely ignored Oliver's abuse since I left home and left the keys behind, as if leaving home meant leaving behind all the memories of his abuse. I took a sip of wine, wishing to dispel the knot forming in my throat. It was over, he had no more power over me, he never would.

I picked up my phone, which Erik had kept along with my belongings, and turned it on. Reading his messages, filled with obvious concern, I was overcome with a sense of guilt for ignoring him like that. If only I had had the courage to tell him what was happening... I sighed, closing the messaging app, and decided to call Vir.

"Hey, why are you calling at this hour? I called you this morning but..."

"I know, I'm sorry," I took another sip of wine.

"Are you drinking wine at Erik's house?" she nodded, turning the phone and quickly showing me a panorama of the living room.

"He went out for a moment. I think to hunt a kraken or something," I said, making Vir look confused. "It's a joke, he's coming back now. Vir, I have to tell you something... something happened."

By my tone of voice, my face, the hours, and the wine, Vir asked for a second to pour herself another glass and drink together.

"Shoot," she said, settling into her sofa.

"I saw Oliver yesterday."

"What? How on earth did you see Oliver? You're on the other side of the world. Well, not literally, but... how is it possible?"

"I don't know how he knows I'm here, but he knew I was here and came with his... with the... with..."

"Yes, with the other. Hey, wasn't Erik in Glasgow? Why are you at his house?"

"That's what I'm getting at, wait," I asked. "Yesterday when I ran into Oliver, Nora, Erik's cousin, called him and told him there was a Spanish guy who seemed to be bothering me. Erik called and texted me, but after leaving the pub, I didn't want to talk to anyone, and he got scared, so he took the first flight from Glasgow to come back, as fast as he could with the car."

"I love that man. Marry him."

"I'm not going to marry him."

"Why not? You like him."

"I'm trying to explain the climax of why I'm at Erik's house," I sighed,

and Vir fell silent, taking another sip of her glass.

"Oliver has been roaming around the town until he found out where I was staying and showed up at my house, telling me to come back, that he forgave me..."

"Son of a bitch."

"Yeah... he... he tried to... I...," I started to stammer, and I could clearly see the concern in my friend's eyes. I had never told Vir anything about what had happened with Oliver, because I never wanted to see that look in her eyes.

"Sweetheart, what did he do?" she asked clearly worried.

I took a breath and showed her the marks on my neck, causing Vir to scream in alarm. "Andrea, that's reportable, you have to report it! He tried to kill you!" she shouted.

"Erik showed up just in time and got me out of there. I don't know what he did or what he said to him, but he assured me that Oliver won't come near me again," I paused.

"You have to go back and report him, Andrea. He could be doing the same to the other woman. You have to report him!"

"I don't want to confront him, I can't."

"You can, and you will, and I'll be here. Let me talk to my brother; maybe he can help us..."

"Vir, I don't need a lawyer, I need a hitman."

"Then we'll find one, come back home, you know you can stay with me for as long as you need, we'll find a way to keep that bastard from getting near you again."

I looked down, taking a silent sip and letting out a heavy sigh.

"No... I don't want to go. I want to stay here a little longer."

"Well, then stay, but come, report, and go back. Oliver deserves to be punished. He almost killed you, he didn't yell at you over the phone or insult you via message, Andrea. He went to where you were deliberately, and... damn it."

The door of the house opened, I looked tensely at the entrance until Erik returned, with a paper bag in hand.

"Virginia?" he asked with a smile.

"YES, I'M VIRGINIA!" she said through the other end of the phone, changing her tone to a more cheerful one. "It's time you introduced him to me," she told me in Spanish.

Erik approached the kitchen to leave the things on the table and glanced at me sideways without losing his smile.

"She wants to meet you," I told him, feeling a bit shy.

"Look at her, she even speaks English," my friend joked.

"Shut up or I'll hang up," I threatened, and she put on a good-girl face.

I stepped aside, and Erik sat next to me, putting his arm around my shoulders and smiling cheerfully, happy to finally meet the person I had talked so much about. Of course, Vir couldn't hide her excitement at seeing such a Viking god in such a friendly pose with me.

"¿Entiende español?" she asked in our language.

"Un poco," he said.

"Not much," I corrected him, looking at him, and he made a mocking face.

"Almost like your English," he said wrongly but very amusingly.

"It's okay, I speak English perfectly. Nice to meet you, Erik."

"Likewise, Virg... Virginia," he said, struggling with the G pronunciation.

"I was scolding Andrea for what she told me. You have to bring her to Spain to report that asshole, otherwise, I'll go get her."

"Vir!" I scolded her.

"I need an ally; you're not going to give in. Erik, bring her, and between the two of us, we'll take her to the police station, then I'll let you take her back again," she proposed.

"Deal."

"What do you mean, deal? Don't I have anything to say?" I asked, looking at both of them with some annoyance.

"You have to have dinner. Nice to meet you, Vir; I hope to see you soon," Erik kissed me on the cheek and left my friend's view to go get whatever he brought in the paper bag.

"I like him, I want you to marry him," she said, making me blush again, lowering the volume so Erik wouldn't hear, although I was sure he had heard it because he had laughed.

"Your Spanish is good when you feel like it," I complained, approaching to see what he had brought. "What is this?" He opened a box with freshly made rice and another with fish.

"Hot sushi. It's the best I could get," he said, shrugging.

I couldn't hide a smile of happiness that made the gray cloud that had spread over my head, because of the memory of my ex, disappear.

"You're too good to be true," I complained. Erik took my face in his hands and shook his head.

"I'm too real to be good. But I do what I can," he kissed my lips, and I couldn't help but wrap my arms around his neck.

"I'm not going to marry you," I warned him, making him laugh.

"We'll see about that. Let's have dinner," he bit my lower lip, making the ground shake under my feet.

"That's not your dinner," I complained.

"No. It's my dessert."