Page 81 of Viktor at Sea

“How angry do you think Astrid will be with me this evening?” I asked, dropping a boiled potato on the ground for Kis to keep her satisfied while I cooked dinner.

“Why would I be angry with you?” Astrid suddenly asked.

My eyes widened at the sound of her voice, and even Kis hissed before making herself scarce in the corner, choosing to clean her fur instead of getting mixed up in the drama.

“Because I may or may not have been keeping something from you these past few days,” I forced myself to say as I turned to face my wife.

Astrid frowned and crossed her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes at me in suspicion.

“Which one is it?” She asked. “May or may not?”

“May,” I gulped.

“May or definitely?”

“Definitely,” I gulped again. “Can we please talk about it after dinner? I promise I’ll tell you everything.”

“Fine,” Astrid sighed in agreement, though I could tell she wasn’t happy.

She looked confused when she spotted all the ingredients I had out for dinner tonight. To go with the deer meat, there was this thick gravy sauce which I had swiped from the batch Katarina had whipped up for their lunch. There were also some boiled potatoes which, looking at now, didn’t appear to be boiledenough. I guessed it balanced out the meat which was a little charred around the edges.

We both knew it was a little overcooked before I even cut into it. But it was the thought that counted, right?

“Where did you get deer meat?” Astrid asked curiously, an appreciative glint in her eyes. It was a relief to know that I had done something right.

“A new shipment arrived yesterday. I managed to get in early and reserve some,” I told her. “I know you like deer.”

“I do, thank you,” Astrid smiled warmly at me and reached up on her tiptoes to brush her lips against my cheek. “Do you need help with anything?”

“I could do with a hand with the plating,” I told her as I turned my attention to the fish. I didn’t want that to be overcooked as well. Something told me that Kis wouldn’t be as forgiving as her owner.

“You got it,” she smiled and busied herself.

A few minutes later, the two of us sat in our usual seats at the dining table that was still located in the corner of the hut. I had been thinking of moving it into the middle of the room as it was no longer just me. Perhaps if we reorganised the place–and I practised my cooking–we could start inviting people over for dinner. Starting with Astrid’s family who were now also my own.

The only issue was that I would be gone in less than two days and wouldn’t return for a couple of months at the very least. So, unfortunately, the dinner invitations would have to wait until I got back.

“The deer is very good,” Astrid smiled at me, though I didn’t miss how she had to chew more than usual.

“It’s not too overcooked for you?” I quirked an amused brow, wondering how committed she was to the cause.

“Maybe a little, but it’s not an issue,” she said, remaining adamant and committed to the cause.

“Not too chewy?”

“I like my meat chewy.”

“Since when?” I asked, unable to keep the grin off my face.

She returned my grin. “Since now.”

“Thank you for sparing my feelings, but I know the deer is overcooked.” I chuckled and leaned over to press a soft thank-you kiss to her lips.

“It really isn’t an issue,” Astrid hummed, her lips brushing against mine with every word. “Just take it off the fire a few minutes earlier next time, and it’ll be perfect.”

“Noted,” I grinned.

“I tried looking for you at lunch to see if you wanted to eat together but I couldn’t find you anywhere,” she murmured.

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