Lily sat on Caleb’s deck, sipping homemade lemonade. She watched as Caleb tended the cooking burgers on the grill. They were made from beans and vegetables or something. His own recipe. They smelled delicious. They were going to eat them on homemade buns also made by Caleb.

“I can’t believe you cook,” Lily said almost to herself.

Caleb smiled over at her. “Really? A man has to eat.”

“I have to eat too, but that never made me really learn how to cook,” Lily said shaking her head. “I’m impressed.”

“Thank you,” Caleb said smiling. He flipped the burgers over, then came over and sat down next to her.

He picked up his glass of lemonade, and went to clink it with hers, “To… the real world,” he said, quietly.

“To the real world,” she said, then clinked his glass. They both drank.

“Do you want to see the rest of the house?” he asked.

“I do,” she smiled.

He helped her up and led her inside. The first room was a living room with windows to the deck and to the side of the house. It was small, but neatly arranged and had beautiful wooden furniture with cushions.

“Very nice,” Lily said.

“Thank you,” he said cheerily. She’d never seen him so cheery. “I built it,” he said.

“Built what? The furniture?” she asked.

“Yes,” he said. ”And the house.”

She was shocked. “Yourself?”

“Yes,” he smiled. “I taught myself how and then I did it.”

“Wow,” she said as he led her into the kitchen to the left of the front door. It was neat and made of wood. Counters, everything. Beautiful dark brown tile covered the counters. A window above the sink looked out into the front garden. He led her through the kitchen to a small sunny room with a table. A dining room.

She was speechless. Each room was small but nicely arranged. Even the sunlight spilled into the room just right. They went out another door and into a big back room. She stopped walking and her jaw dropped open a little.

“Caleb,” she said, “you did all this?” She was amazed as she looked around. The room was filled with tables and shelves full of handmade pottery. Plates, bowls, mugs, candle holders, soap dishes, flower pots. All in earthy tones. In the corner was a potter’s wheel, with bags of clay near it.

He smiled at her reaction. “Yes,” he said. “It’s how I make my living. I sell things in consignment shops in town,” he said. “And some things online too.”

“It’s gorgeous,” she said, looking closer at some dishes, but afraid to touch them.

“Thanks,” he couldn’t stop smiling at her.

“Wow,” she said again.

He laughed.

“I have a kiln out back,” he said.

“I see,” she said still looking around.

“Two more rooms,” he said, leading her gently by the hand. “Don’t want to burn the burgers.”

“No, right,” she said staring some more at the pottery as he led her out of the room through a door on the other side of the room. It led to a hallway. To the right she could see it led back to the living room, but across the hall was a bedroom. They just stood in the doorway of that one. He was so polite that way.

She could see it had a big bed with a wooden frame, handmade in the same style as the other furniture. It had a beautiful earthy toned quilt on top of it.

“Don’t tell me you quilt,” she said quietly, joking.

“No, that I bought in town,” he said, laughing.

Then he led her to the next door, the room next to the bedroom. He opened it and took her inside. It was a bathroom. Not as small as she expected. It may have been the same size as the kitchen. It had an old-fashioned claw foot tub, and next to that a shower stall with a clear shower curtain. Through it she could see more of that pretty tile from the kitchen, this time with designs on it, in yellow and orange.

She was amazed. “You made those tiles, didn’t you?” she now realized.

“I did,” he said, quietly proud.

“Wow,” she said again.

He laughed. “I’m going to go check the burgers,” he said. “I closed the lid, but Molly is clever, so…”

“Okay,” she said, still looking around.

He started to leave and then came back, “You know the bathroom is fully functional if you need to…”

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll need to eventually,” she said, a little embarrassed. “Not enough room in my body for my bladder.”

He smiled and took off down the hall again.

She looked around some more. Tile again on the counter around the sink. The toilet was partially hidden behind the door. There was a small window above the tub and another next to the shower. She glanced out of the one toward the back of the house. It looked like a meadow out there. Tall grasses, a few wildflowers.

She walked in a daze back to the front of the house and out to the deck. “And you have a garden,” she said, realizing it. “You garden.”

“I grow a lot of my own food,” he said.

She sat down again on the bench near the table. “I’m starting to feel like a slacker,” she said.

“Hey, you built your own business,” he said as he scooped the burgers onto a plate. “Not easy to do.”

She nodded, remembering, then smiled at him. He handed her a plate of food and sat down next to her. Molly ran in from the garden looking up at them pitifully.

Lily laughed.

Caleb said to Molly, “Have I ever forgotten you?” He pointed at Molly’s dish on the floor, which Lily noticed was handmade pottery with the name “Molly” painted on the front of it. He had filled it with two burgers without buns. Molly dove in.

Lily took a bite of her own burger. It didn’t taste like a real one, but it was very delicious. “Mmm,” she said. “Yum.” It was warm and homemade and it was perfect. The sun was just right through the slats of the wooden pergola above them, the air was not too hot, there was a nice breeze, she was eating wonderful food cooked by a man she loved.

“I feel like I’m in Alinora,” she said, then took another bite of her food.

He looked at her a little surprised. “I will take that as a huge compliment,” he said.

“You should,” she said. She leaned over and gave him a quick peck on the lips.

She thought she saw him blush. He looked back at his plate and smiled. She realized it was their first kiss in the real world. It had happened so naturally. She smiled.

Later they had “ice cream” made out of frozen bananas blended with other fruit. It also was heavenly. Followed by hot cinnamon cocoa as the air got a bit cooler as the sun went down.

“You are spoiling the heck out of me today,” she said to him.

“I like to,” he said, smiling at her. “I think my face is sore from smiling,” he said, rubbing his jaw in mock seriousness.

“Me too,” she said. Then she snuggled up next to him on the bench and he put his arm around her. They had not spoken much that day. Just mostly stared. She at his house and surroundings, and he at her. Her reactions to his world.

She looked up into his eyes and he looked into hers. Just then two solar powered lanterns came on gently. One on the deck and one in the front garden.

“Wow,” she practically whispered. She sort of laughed and looked back at him. He smiled and bent down and kissed her.

She kissed him back. She held her cup of cocoa in both hands and didn’t want to spill it, so she didn’t lean into the kiss as much as she wanted. The kiss ended and she smiled at him in the semi-darkness.

“Tell me about you,” she said.

“Hasn’t this whole day been all about me?” he teased.

“No, I mean who you were before you came here,” she said. She leaned forward to set her cocoa down, then snuggled up under his arm again.

“Oh,” he said, and sighed, and stared up at the wooden slats. “It’s not… a very good story,” he looked down at her.

“I’m listening,” she said.

He stared at the wall of the house across the table and thought for a moment. “Short version?” he asked.

“Short version,” she agreed.

“I grew up in a big city,” he said. She nodded. “In a bad part of town. Poor. There was no nature there.” He looked around at the trees and garden as he said this. “Except in the park, where there were also drug dealers and gangs.”

“Oh,” she said, surprised.

“Yeah,” he said.

“You were part of a…” she began.

“Gang?” he asked. She nodded. “Actually no,” he said. “I tried to keep to myself. Survive. Learned how to fight. Guy came after me with a knife,” he pointed to his scar.

“Oh,” she said, “I’m sorry.”

He nodded. He paused to catch his breath or keep his emotions in check. She couldn’t tell which.

“I lived in foster homes,” he continued, “and then I lived on the streets. For three years,” he said the last part very quietly. “I actually did the cliché of hopping on a freight train to see where it took me. It took me here.”

He looked down at her then. His eyes were a little glassy with tears he wouldn’t cry. She felt her own eyes filling up. She leaned up and kissed him gently.

“I lived on this land for a few years before I bought it,” he said. “I worked various jobs to earn the money. Land here is cheap—”

“—Because of the trees,” she finished. She smiled up at him. She put her hand in his. “I’m glad you’re here,” she said.

“Me too,” he answered, and bent down and kissed her again. Then he kissed her cheek and hugged her. She wrapped her arms tightly around him, glad that fate had found a way to bring them together, even if it had to be through another world.

* * *