Mood: swipe left and tap the media box above to listen to Free Spirit by Khalid. ⭐️

***

"Sven!"

The music was too loud for him to hear me, and he was busy giving instructions to Yasmina, who passed a shot glass to a third bartender.

"SVEN!!" I tried again, screaming at the top of my lungs amid the thirsty clubbers who aimed to grab his attention.

The vixen, Yasmina, who could have landed a starring role in Coyote Ugly, turned and gazed at me. She then tapped Sven's shoulder and pointed at me.

Thank you, Yas! You're my angel.

Sven walked to me and placed both hands on the bar counter.

"What's up, babe?" He stared into my eyes intensely, keeping them captive, as they melted into his.

"Can we talk? Can you take a short break?" I pleaded, with whatever air I had left in my lungs.

"Wait a minute," he answered, before turning his back on me to talk with Yas. I watched his hands and lips move, and she responded with a nod, her eyes darting at me first and then back at Sven. He moved toward me, leaned across the counter, and revealed a lopsided grin.

"I've got five minutes, babe. Where do you want to go?" Sven asked.

"How about down the street in the park area near City Hall? It's nearby," I suggested.

"C'mon, then. We've gotta make this quick." Sven dashed around the bar, grabbed my hips, and planted a kiss on my lips. I took his hand and began our migration out of the rowdy club.

Less than a minute later, we stood outside City Hall, near a park bench. The wind was cool, but not chilly. I smelled a blend of the night air combined with fresh sausages from the fast food van by the building.

"Sven, I need to know... You tried to tell me something earlier today, but I was too far gone, catching up on my forty winks," I started. "What were you trying to say?"

Sven's face lit up with a smile that could outshine a full, bright moon on a dark, cloudless night.

"Eva, I went to the Norwegian consulate, and we have options!"

"What? Really?"

"Eva, will you move to Norway to be with me after you finish your MBA?"

"What?"

"Will you move to Norway—"

"I heard you the first time!"

"Then why did you—"

"Shhh! Let me kiss you!" I was a sharp, little arrow shooting myself straight at my tall, solid Viking, who stumbled out of surprise.

My lips pressed against his, and he took it as an invite, deepening the kiss with hungry, feverish passion.

"Tell me. Do you really want this?" I broke the kiss with my curiosity.

"Yes, with all my heart. I hope you want it too." Sven took my hand and placed it on his heart.

"What information did you get from the consulate office?"

"You can apply for a full work permit, but you will need to get full-time employment with a company who will sponsor you for this type of visa, and there's no certainty with this," he went on.

"I checked on your company's website that there's an office in Oslo. Is that correct?" Sven pondered.

I was already a step ahead of Sven, but you've got to love the guy for trying.

"Yes, Hudson Engineering has an office in Oslo. I can ask for a transfer and get the company to sponsor me for a work permit," I suggested.

"That would be the ideal option. However, if this doesn't pan out, we need a Plan B," he proposed.

"And what's your Plan B?" I raised one eyebrow, crossing my arms and tapping my feet.

We apply for a family reunification visa, through me," Sven offered.

"That sounds interesting." Things were looking optimistic, I thought.

"There's one catch."

"Oh?"

"I marry you."

"What?" I burst out in laughter, as life planted this joke on me.

"When I start at Ventura International, I will meet the requirements to support you financially, which is what we need to prove when we fill out the paperwork. It's not a big salary, but it's enough to claim that I can support you, if need be."

"Sven, are you INSANE?" I yelped.

My eyebrows jumped so high, that I rubbed them to check that they hadn't disappeared from my face.

"Hear me out, baby."

"Go on." My mouth twitched, trying not to laugh in disbelief.

"With a family reunification visa, you can renew it each year. After five years, you can apply for a permanent visa. I read all of this while you were away this week."

"Oh. My. God," I sputtered.

"Sven, I'm not into marriages of convenience. I'm not some fucking mail order bride, you know." I snorted with laughter, picturing Sven and myself in Billy Idol's White Wedding.

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

No. Fucking. Way.

Snap back, Eva. Snap back.

"I never said it would be a marriage of convenience." There was no humor in Sven's tone.

My mouth gaped wide open, like a fish out of water, gasping for life.

"Sven..."

"Eva, you have no idea how much I want you to stay in my life. I'm not ready to let you go. Ever. I want you to meet my family. To be part of my life.

"But marriage? Why rush things?"

"As crazy as it sounds, I believe in us." Sven never looked so serious until this point.

"I talked to my mother about you. She wants to meet you. I have never introduced a girl to my mother before and I want you to meet her."

This guy really did a lot of heavy duty thinking and some serious homework and on finding a way to make our relationship work.

It was as if someone or something hit him hard with a frying pan while I was away, sobering him up to the reality of being in a serious relationship.

"Sven, how much time did you spend on this 'relationship planning'?" I queried.

"Enough time. I received all the info that I needed from the consulate. But here's the thing. I'm returning to Norway in December, and you finish your MBA next June," he stated.

"Are you willing to do a long distance relationship for six months?" I asked.

"I am, as long as you're committed to it. The question is, are you, Eva?" Sven took my hands and held a firm grip.

I paused for a while and drew in a breath of the night air. All the information that Sven bombarded me with in this short window of time was making me feel giddy.

"Gee, let me think. Are you going to kiss more girls while we're apart?" I teased.

"No! Fuck no! Never, ever again!" Sven promised.

"Hmmm..." I baited him. I was dangerously poking the bear.

"Eva, you have to trust me. I would do anything for you," he begged.

Sven's hands trembled and his eyes were wrought with desperation.

I rubbed his shaking hands and took a step toward the club, but his hands pulled me back.

He stood there, refusing to move.

"You didn't answer my question, Eva," Sven challenged me.

"Sven, I need to think about this. Let's talk some more tomorrow." I sighed.

"No. I need an answer now. Are you committed to this?"

This guy was relentless, like a highly driven sales executive trying to sell sand in the Sahara.

Could I just say yes and cross my fingers behind my back? Just kidding, folks.

"Sven..." I hesitated at first.

"Eva."

He stared hard at me. Then, I felt it. That feeling. The leap of faith.

This feeling...how can I best describe it?

Okay, it's like holding your nose and jumping in the deep end of the pool, together with your best buddy.

Here we go...

One...

Two...

Three!!

"Yes, Sven. I am committed to us. To you." I tiptoed to kiss him, with an assurance that I would keep swimming with him in the deep end of the pool of life.

I had just jumped into the deep end.

Except, I was not alone. Sven was by my side, holding my cold hands and warming them up.

He released a loud sigh of relief, pulled me hard against his warm, solid body, and sealed the deal with a searing kiss.

It was as if time stood still, and the world had stopped. We were happily swimming together in a state of tranquil paradise.

"Kjære Eva..." Sven's words drifted, creating an exhilarating ripple effect in the pool of tranquility.

"I don't have much to offer, but I will give you my world," he promised.

"That's all I need, Sven. That's all I need," I replied.

His strong arms enveloped my body, and together, we floated in a moment of bliss. I had never felt more at home than in his arms that night.

"Darling, I'm spent, so I'm going home." I rubbed my temples, feeling the jet lag take its effect on my body.

"Babe, you go get some sleep. I'll walk you to the cab rank outside the club."

Sven cupped my face with both hands and etched my forehead with a kiss.

As we walked back toward the club building, I felt a mixture of elation, relief, and excitement for the future.

I was bathing in the sea of love.

A/N: Do you like jumping in the deep end of the pool, or perhaps swimming as far as you can in the sea? Or would you rather stay in the shallow waters?