"Snow is falling, all around us," I sang as I cut another toilet paper square into a pretty snowflake.

The sharp scent of the oranges and cloves was still heavy in the air from my earlier efforts now adorning every available worktop and shelf. I inhaled the festive scent deeply, as though I could fill my entire body with it.

I half wished I could. How amazing would it be to smell like this year round?

Did they make a candle that smelt like this? If Henry enjoyed the smell maybe I could get one for him as a Christmas gift? I briefly considered stopping so I could look it up. Then I unfolded the tissue and was briefly distracted by how pretty it was.

With a happy noise, I spun around to grab another piece of tape and carefully stuck the latest of thirty-seven toilet paper snowflakes so it was hanging from the underside of the kitchen cupboards and resembled snow falling onto the worktops.

I leaned back and grinned at my handy work. It was amazing what you could achieve when you had a bucket load of guilt and a very limited time frame to do it. Pinterest eat your heart out!

The door upstairs clicked open and I squeaked with excitement, quickly sweeping the cut-offs and excess bits of tissue into the bin at the end of the counter. I couldn't have Henry being distracted from enjoying my masterpiece by a little mess!

My heart leapt at the creak of each step as he came down the stairs, "Susie?" He called out cautiously.

"In the kitchen." I called back, tucking my hands behind my back to stop myself from fiddling with anything else.

"Oh Jesus." Henry breathed as he took in my work and then coughed as the overpowering Christmas scent hit him.

From the tin foil stars I had hooked on every cupboard door handle, to the toilet paper snowflakes. It was like a child's adorable handcrafted Christmas.

I had needed a ribbon to hang the clove studded oranges, but hadn't been able to find any so they just sat around the house on random surfaces. I had ensured that every inch of the clean, modern kitchen was now adorned with something smelly or sparkly.

"Ta da!" I laughed with jazz hands waving towards my handiwork.

Henry coughed again and used a finger to wipe his watering eyes, "I thought you were just doing the oranges?"

"Yeah, I was, but then I realised that I had lots more time and so I started making some more Christmas magic bits." I laughed.

"So you attacked my loo roll like some sort of five-minute crafts Andrex puppy?" Henry tilted his head to get a better look at the snowflakes and a weird wistful look entered his eyes.

"In fairness, I was left unsupervised." I replied with a shrug and fixing my face into the most innocent expression I could manage.

Henry considered that for a moment and then sighed, opening a cupboard to retrieve a glass, "Can we maybe agree to contain the festive mess to one room?" he asked.

"What do you mean mess?" I said with mock offence. "Three rooms."

"Two and that's my final offer." Henry said as he filled the glass with water and turned round to face me again.

His expression wasn't quite his usual one of indifference, but he didn't look particularly impressed either.

"Perfect! I wanted to do the living room, but I didn't want to undo my hard work in here so two works for me." I told him gleefully.

Henry blinked, "Did you just play me?"

"Play you? Nooooo - I just got my way. My mum calls it the unacceptable alternative. Give someone an option you want and then an option that is worse that you know they won't go for. Then they pick the option you wanted in the first place. It's like magic." I giggled.

"That is manipulation."

"Magic." I insisted with a grin.

"Manipulation."

"You're just being a grump because I won." I said smugly.

"It's my house! There's no winning. Just me allowing you to do things." Henry frowned at me, seeming confused by how easily he had come around to what I wanted.

"Well, thank you for allowing me to do the things I wanted. Although, if I really had my way, I'd make this entire house into a full on Christmas grotto. But I don't see you going for that, so we compromised."

"Compromised?" Henry shook his head.

"So, what are we doing with the rest of the day?" I asked, changing the subject as subtly as I could. We could revisit which halls I was allowed to deck later.

"We? Well, I don't have any more work." Henry looked a little nervous and from his response it seemed like he wished he did have work to do.

Anything to avoid spending time with me and my Christmas madness.

"What would you do if I wasn't here? How do you spend your free time?" I asked.

"Well, I work out..."

I scrunched up my nose and pulled a disgusted face, "Yeah, no thank you. I like to be able to move without making muscles I didn't even know existed ache."

The memory of that time I had thought it was a good idea to go to a spin class was more than enough to last me a lifetime.

"Or I watch Netflix. Sometimes do both at the same time." Henry shrugged, "What would you do if you weren't stuck here then?"

"Oh, I'd probably go for lunch somewhere. Maybe finding somewhere pretty to take some pictures. Visit my parents. Make Christmas decorations. Do some baking. Watch Netflix. Read a book." I reeled off.

A pang of sadness about not seeing my parents went through me. I knew it was the right thing to keep them safe. But I missed them and the memories we made together this time of year.

If mum's illness and recovery had taught us anything it was that time was short and you never knew which day would be your last. Mum had insisted we all vow to enjoy life and live it to the fullest, and we did. Always making and capturing memories together.

It made me sad to think Henry didn't have that same connection with his family.

"Well, Netflix matches. How about we find something to watch and I can work out as we do?" Henry suggested.

I smiled, appreciating the fact Henry seemed a little more relaxed and willing to spend time with her. I wasn't sure if it was the weight off his shoulders from telling me about his past, or the magic of the Christmas decorations cheering him up - I hoped a bit of both - but he seemed lighter, calmer.

"Sounds like a plan batman!" I agreed, heading into the living room and making a beeline for the spot on the sofa with the cosy blanket, "I'm guessing it will be a no to a Christmas movie?"

Henry raised an eyebrow that said not to push my luck as he followed me across the room and opened the cabinet underneath the TV to reveal a selection of weights.

He tossed me the remote before setting himself up to work out.

I clicked to open Netflix and scanned my eyes over the things he had watched most recently. Mostly action movies with a couple of cooking shows. I scrolled a little to reveal a selection of baking shows in their brightly coloured glory, and sniggered imagining him watching them.

"It's market research." Henry said defensively.

"Oh, I wasn't judging," I grinned.

Henry rolled his eyes, knowing full well I totally was. "What about Witcher? Season 2 is coming out soon and I still haven't watched the first one, have you?"

I considered it for a moment. On the one hand, action filled fantasy things weren't usually my thing. On the other hand I had heard amazing things about the plot AKA Henry Cavill.

"I haven't, ok, let's give it a go." I agreed, scrolling to the search bar and typing it in.

Henry began to stretch, reaching his arms above his head, t-shirt riding up to reveal his toned stomach. My mind flashed back to the shower this morning and my legs clenched together.

After a moment of staring at him he cleared his throat, "Are you going to start it then?"

My cheeks flushed bright red, and I fumbled, dropping the remote so it bounced off the edge of the sofa and went skidding across the laminate floor.

"Are you ok?" Henry asked, stopping his stretching to retrieve the remote and handing it back to me with a frown.

"Fine," I squeaked, giving my head a little shake in an effort to drive the thoughts of other things we could be doing from it.

"Are you sure, you look a little flushed." Henry looked concerned, reaching out a hand to touch my flaming cheeks.

"Oh really?" My voice was getting higher by the second as I pulled away even though I desperately wanted to lean into his touch, "I must just be warm from all the decorating excitement, I'm fine, honest!'

"If you're sure." He said, moving back and reaching for one two of the smaller weights.

I nodded, not trusting myself to use words at this point, and hit play.

Somehow I very much doubted I was going to be taking in much of The Witcher with Henry flexing and stretching like a fantasy come to life just a couple of steps away from me.