Saturday morning.

"Alright, get up." I looked at the naked Sleeping Beauty sprawled on my couch, where a blanket hung loosely on the side.

"Mmm, babe, give me another five minutes."

"Nope, get up. Now!" I meant serious business.

"How about bacon and eggs?"

"My fridge is empty, darling."

"What? No food?" His eyes shot up, staring at me as if I committed a crime.

"No. We can go to the local cafe down the road for breakfast."

"Let me guess, did your work colleagues buy you dinner while I've been away?"

"Fuck off, Sven. I've been working late and I buy my own dinners. I eat alone," I grumbled, as I brushed the knots out of my hair.

"Besides, I'm flying out tomorrow afternoon for a work trip, so we've got today to sort out our shit." I crossed my arms, hoping that I wouldn't have to lift and drag over six feet and two inches of hard muscle to the bathroom for a wash.

"Work trip?" Sven finally sat up and slowly removed his body from the sofa. When he stood, he towered over me. He was about the same height as my brother, who was blessed with the 'tall' gene in our family.

"Yeah. I'm meeting an important client in Abu Dhabi next week, but I'll be back before next weekend," I declared.

"I'm going to miss you, babe," a bereft Sven remarked.

"I'm going to offer you a deal, and I'm going to sweeten it up for you," I proposed.

Sven's eyes lit up with enthusiastic delight.

"No, not that kind of deal. Think again," I scoffed.

"First, we're going to lay all our cards on the table during breakfast. No, we're not family planning. Believe me, the last thing I want is to get shacked up. Besides, I'm allergic to kids."

"Are you for real? You don't like kids?" Sven frowned, furrowing his eyebrows.

"Yeah, I'm for real. Here's the first part of my deal: we need to be open and honest with each other. Got it?"

"That goes for you too, Eva. None of this 'I'm a tough woman' business. I want to know the real you behind the wall that you built,"  Sven retorted.

"Okay, fine. Here's the second part of my deal: we'll pick up your stuff from Maddy and Jonas' place and you can live here until you graduate and fly back to Oslo."

"Can we share a bed?" Sven flashed me a delicious, dimpled grin.

"Don't push your luck. We are going to my mum's place and you're going to help me take my old, fold-up spare bed, which we'll set up here. There's plenty of space in this living room," I stated.

"I'm cool with that. Plus, I haven't met your mum yet and I'd like to meet your family," Sven commented.

"Moving along now... here's what you get: you'll get an empty apartment to yourself most of the time. That's because I work long hours and attend evening classes. Oh, I catch up on my studies on campus during some weekends," I clarified.

"I have just one rule: don't bring any girls here. Any funny business can be carried elsewhere." My eyes were two burning fireballs, aiming at Sven.

"Whoa, whoa, Eva. What the fuck? Do you think I'd bring other girls to your home? What kind of man do you think I am?" Sven fired back at me with a stinging look.

"Shut up, Sven. I'm done listening to bullshit. My last boyfriend was a lawyer who knew the art of bullshit all too well, so don't try it on me" I retaliated.

"I'm offended that you think so low of me," Sven muttered.

"I don't have time to bring out the violin for the tunes of pity. Now, let's get ready, have breakfast at the cafe down the road, then go to Mum's place to pick up the spare bed."

I put my hairbrush on the coffee table and tied my hair back with a band, while Sven brushed past me toward the bathroom.

Thirty minutes later.

"Alright, let's talk." I gazed at Sven, as my hands rested on the table at Gertrude's Cafe, a gorgeous alfresco restaurant by the Brisbane River.

I breathed in the fresh morning air, blended with the aroma of Italian roast coffee, and watched joggers sprint past us on the boardwalk, which was dressed with an assortment of tropical flowers and a Jacaranda tree blossoming with pale indigo flowers.

I only noticed that Sven's hands were on top of mine when his thumbs gently caressed my skin. The sense of a gentle touch did amazing things to both my body and mind, especially when the giver was that special someone who had the power to make me smile or frown.

"Sven, you're graduating in a few months. I'm excited for you, but I'm not going to lie. It will hurt when you leave. It will feel somewhat empty without you," I admitted.

"Eva, you're not the only one with career dreams. I have them too. In fact, I've been offered a job with Ventura International, as a senior developer, thanks to my Master of IT. The offer came last Thursday and I've accepted it. The job is in Oslo," Sven exclaimed.

"You must be very excited to have a job offer before graduating. Congratulations!" I grinned, understanding his pride and elation.

"Ventura International... I applied for a job with them when I graduated, but didn't even get an interview, despite having a pretty decent academic record. You must have a pretty high grade point average." I was curious about Sven's GPA, as the company took on board graduates with outstanding academic records.

"So, what's your GPA?" I was itching to find out.

"It's a 6.2." Sven smiled. The score was out of seven at most Australian universities, with one being the lowest and seven being the highest. A decent pass rate was a four. You needed a minimum of 5.5 to be eligible for an exchange scholarship at QUT, so this guy was a smart cookie.

"Phew! Mine's a plain six. Well done, Sven!" I congratulated him, but I have to admit that I felt a twinge of jealousy jabbing my ego.

"My turn to ask you a question. When do you finish your MBA and what are your plans after that?" Sven folded his arms and stared at me.

"I graduate six months after you graduate. I applied for a scholarship to finish my last semester at one of the top business schools in London, and received a verbal thumbs up from the scholarship office. I'm just waiting for the formal acceptance and the paperwork to come through," I told Sven.

"What about your job?" Sven enquired.

"I will take leave without pay. I have a colleague, Mary McQueen, who can take over my job during that time. I may consider something else after that. Besides, I don't want to stay at Hudson Engineering forever. Other companies will hire me, and Australia isn't where I want to spend my entire life. The world is my oyster, you know." I gave Sven a confident grin.

"Would you consider moving to Oslo after you graduate?" Sven had to ask the million dollar question.

"If I can get a good job there, sure. Why not? But I need a carrot." I already had my 'carrot' sitting in front of me, but I wanted to play my cards carefully.

"Eva, it's nearly impossible for me to stay here in Australia with a valid visa after I graduate. What if you are able to get a visa to live and work in Norway?"

"How?" I was curious now.

I already knew that the oil and gas industry was big business in Norway, which housed a number of operating companies, as well as oil service companies. In fact, Hudson Engineering had a small office in Oslo.

So yes, I was interested in Sven's proposal.

"Let's look into it. I'll make a visit to the Norwegian consulate downtown when you're away next week," Sven vowed.

After the breakfast, I felt as if a chain linked to a large boulder was removed from my ankle.

Communication was always a key factor in chipping down the wall of confusion.

I admired Sven's determination to resolve our relationship, but I wasn't ready to jump back into the water just yet. Those choppy waves needed to calm a little, especially in light of the recent events.

With all the odds against us, could I really be with Sven again?

***

An hour later, we collected Sven's belongings at Maddy and Jonas' apartment.

"So, are you two together or what?" Jonas asked, while stretching out on the sofa.

My eyes were fixed on Maddy, who was painting her nails burgundy.

"Eva's with me," Sven answered, protectively wrapping one arm around me and stroking my shoulder.

I shrugged my shoulders when Maddy fired a look of surprise at me.

"Eva, what do you think about my nails?" Maddy asked, holding up both hands to reveal the fresh paint.

"I love the look. You're the Picasso of nail art," I replied. To be honest, I didn't care if her nails were red, blue, or pink.

A few minutes later, Jonas and Sven stood by my car outside, talking in Norwegian, which was all gobbledegook to me.

Maddy gently touched my arm as I was about to leave, and she brought me back inside.

"Babe, do you know that Sven's leaving the country in a few months?" Her eyes expressed grave concern, as if I was about to die and crack into pieces from being exposed to the foolishness of love.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I assured her.

"That's the thing. I saw how miserable you both were after Sven kissed that girl—"

"It was actually two girls. The latest and greatest happened on Thursday night," I corrected her.

"Shit, Eva. This guy, I mean, I like Sven as a person, but are you sure you want to bring drama into your life? Remember what happened after you broke up with Ben?"

"Yeah, he used all the Hugo Boss shirts I bought him as shoe shine rags," I chuckled.

"It's just that Sven has never been in a serious relationship, let alone a relationship with someone from another culture that's not his own," Maddy declared.

"I've never been with someone from a country so far away from home, but I've never felt closer to another human either. Throw me a dozen Aussie men and I will never have the same connection that I have with Sven. Been there and tried that," I defended.

"I want you to be careful. If all you're after is a bit of fun, then that's fine. But if you're expecting anything more from him...let's just say I'm doubtful. He's also very young, and you've got a little more life experience."

"Are you telling me that he's too young for me?" I was flabbergasted.

Maddy nodded her head in response to my question.

"Wow! You know what? You coo over all these hotshot Hollywood couples, which usually consist of an older man and a younger woman. However, if a woman dates a younger guy, it's still a big deal. What's the fucking big deal here?" I was pissed off. Really pissed off.

"Yes, Sven fucked up before, but so did Brock Miller. So did Ben Adams. Both Brock and Ben were older guys. How dare you tell me that Sven and I won't work out because he's a younger guy?" I wasn't going to give up without a fight.

Maddy responded with a stare.

"Maddy, you know what? At least Sven is grown up enough to lay his cards on the table. My own father didn't even have the guts to do that when he walked out on my family!"

"Honey, I'm just worried that—"

"You need to clean your own backyard before looking at mine. What's going to happen when Jonas leaves? You can't hide behind this whole 'friends with benefits' thing going on between you two." There. I spoke my mind.

"What do you mean, Eva? That's all we are. Flatmates with benefits."

"Really? I hope you're right. I'm going now."

"Just like that?" Maddy was puzzled.

"Maddy, I love you even when I'm pissed." I was seething with anger.

***

"What's going on, Eva? Talk to me," Sven coaxed, rubbing his hand gently on my arm, as I drove to my apartment.

"We're going to drop your stuff at my place, then we're going to mum's house to get the fold-up bed," I replied.

"That's not the answer I was looking for," he pointed out.

"Maddy thinks I'm too old for you." I sighed in exasperation.

"Maddy's wrong. You're not too old for me. In fact, you're perfect," Sven proclaimed, rubbing his thumb on mine as it rested on the steering wheel.

"Good. I'm glad you think so."

"I know it. After all, age is just a number."

A/N: Wow, Sven and Eva sure have some challenges to deal with! What would you do if you were in a similar situation? Would you change anything if you had been through something like this?

As for the media box pic, I still can't get over how much Blake Jenner reminds me of the real Sven when we first started dating. I was definitely drinking one too many margaritas in the shallow kiddy pool! Seriously, life is too short for regrets. After being in a horrible car accident, when I thought I was going to die, my life perspectives changed.