Page 43 of Glory Troll

Bo: So much

Veitsreuth greeted me with a gloomy autumn morning, but no amount of fog and drizzle could dim the happy grin plastered to my face.

I followed the directions on Kraken Maps, passing mismatched houses, none of them higher than three storeys, little square villas perching in the middle of spacious gardens, dispersed by the occasional multiplex.

Traffic was dense for such a small town, and I was glad when I reached a quieter part near a park and found the coffee shop Bo had recommended.

“Good morning,” I greeted the woman behind the counter, whose eyes flared with fear, and the next thing I knew was that she fled and grabbed the arm of her younger colleague, whispering urgently in German.

The young woman approached me, as her colleague took over her own gruff looking customer.

“Good morning. What can I get you?” she asked, a small, branded paper bag already in hand.So efficient.

“Hi, can I get a uh…” My eyes travelled to the sign above her head. Everything was in German, but I knew just enough to do this. “Eine große Milchkaffee, bitte.”

Her lips pressed together in a kind smile. “Ein großer Milchkaffee,sure. Anything to eat?”

With a thankful look, I dropped my eyes on the mountains of fresh German baked goods. “One of each?” I huffed. “It all looks amazing, and I have no clue what everything is…”

“I’ll be with you in a moment,” she said over the grinding noise of the coffee machine.

“Kakao?Sorry, uh, chocolate powder?” She seemed to fish around for the right word.

“Yeah, I’d love some cocoa on my coffee, thanks.”

“Cocoa, well, that was too easy.” Grinning, she placed my enormous cup on a tiny tray, and dove into explaining what everything was.

I ended up going with a simple nougat filled croissant and “cut rabbits”, even though I feared the translation had gotten lost halfway between her and me. I was at least certain it was sweet and contained no actual rabbits.

I paid and followed her directions to the seating area. Once I’d squeezed past the counter, I found myself in a cosy sort of sunroom.

A pair of older gents sat in a corner, and a mother and her small child next to the little play area so she could have breakfast in peace.

They all nodded at me and I awkwardly nodded back before choosing a table beside the glass walls.

I took off my coat, pulled out the book I’d brought, and dug in. Oh. My. God. This croissant thing was the best. Making a mental note to have Bo take me here every day, I buried my nose in Allegra Fawn’s latest book, a steaming hot romance with a Lupinian MC.

As usual when I was reading, I forgot everything around me. Time and space—and my coffee—ceased to exist when I was stuck nose deep between the pages. Judging by my stone cold coffee, a substantial amount of time had passed by the time I resurfaced. Horace, the MMC in Allegra’s book, had just knotted his partner, and cold coffee was exactly what I needed to cool my heated cheeks.

Maybe I should bathe in it.

My thoughts strayed back to the shower and, subsequently, Bo’s idea about having a camera in there.

As if he’d read my mind, or my brain had conjured him from thin air, thick green arms slid around me, pulled me into a broad chest, the same scent that clung to me enveloping me.

“Älskling,” he grumbled happily next to my ear before he kissed it. “Did I tell you I love you?”

Soppy in a book, bloody outstanding in real life.

“Not in the past”—I consulted my watch—“two hours. So it’s about time, I’d say.”

His low rumble travelled through me, heating me from the inside. “I love you.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the mum giving us a doe-eyed smile before she busied herself with her child.

Gosh, I know we’re so cute together.

“Jag älskar dig.” I rubbed my cheek against his. “How was your morning?”

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