Page 18 of Building Haven
I don’t have to tell them yet.We’ve got more than enough time.More than enough time to find the right moment.
If I don’t accidentally blurt it out impulsively, like Mathew just did...
There’s no rush.
We’ve got all the time in the world.
11
Riley
The south wallof the training complex is a perfect place to get away from the loud noises of the remodelling of the house, while being out of the wind and still enjoy the sun.Caleb found some —very dusty— table umbrellas while emptying out the new living room.Nobody seemed to know where they came from, so they were probably there before Mathew moved in.For being unused for so long, they’re still in good condition.
Caleb helped me carry two of the large umbrellas outside and set them up against the side of the training complex.Then Vera showed up with a large blanket, which she skilfully placed between them, creating our little pocket of shaded heaven.
Vera is sitting next to me, wearing her bright yellow summer dress, clearly her favourite for how often she wears it, and she’s muttering as she intensely stares at the work in her hands.“Knit, purl, knit, purl.”She got the knit and purl stitches down pretty quickly, and is now attempting to do some ribbing, with mixed results.
I’m sewing up the sweater I’ve been working on for the last couple of weeks, possibly months.When I got here, I’d finished the back and one sleeve and half of the second, but I’ve now finished all of it.I only have to sew it up along the seams and then I’ll have a sweater done for winter, right in time for summer.
But that tends to be how these things go.You find a great project in the middle or at the end of the winter, and by the time you’re done with it, it’s well into spring and much too warm to wear it.Not that that tends to stop me...
Once I’ve put this one together, I’m immediately starting on Vera’s light purple sweater.The yarn for that isn’t as warm as this is and even though the evenings have been pretty warm lately, I’m sure she’ll still love to have it, even just to have in her nest or to put around her shoulders, simply for the sensory element.
With my own strong preferences for certain sensory experiences and absolute hatred of others, I can imagine it’s probably much the same for Omegas and their need for fluffy and soft things in their nests and lives.
“I think I made a mistake...”Vera holds up her needles, pouting in my direction.“It no longer looks like a nice column, there’s a bump in it.”
I lean her way, glancing over the last row, spotting the issue.“On the previous round, you inverted the stitches.You knitted the purls and purled the knits.That’s why it looks strange now.”
She pulls it close to her face, glaring at the offending stitches.“Fuck.And it was going so well, too.I did more than ten rows without a mistake.”She lets out a deep sigh.“Well, at least I didn’t drop any stitches.Wait.Did I?Is that why I did them the wrong way around?”
I quietly watch her, not wanting to hover too much or push my help onto her when she’s perfectly capable of asking for it if she really needs to, like she just did.Still, I can still look over her, just in case…
She runs her nail over the stitches on the needle, counting.“Two, four, six, eight, ten.”She moves the stitches further apart and counts on.“Two, four, six, eight, ten.”When she reaches the end, she drops everything in her lap.“Nope.Stitch number is correct.I didn’t lose or add any.I guess that’s progress.”
She stares off into the distance, her eyes unfocused.She looks exhausted.
“Are you done for the day?”She’s been at this for hours.She’s been very patient with learning how to knit, even if some things have been frustrating.
“Maybe.I don’t know yet.I want to get good enough so I can start a real project soon.But learning a new skill is hard.”She wraps her arms around me, putting her head on my shoulder as she looks at the sweater in my lap.“Do you have to make everything from separate pieces and then sew them together later?That feels like a lot of extra work.”
“You don’t have to, but I like it for this pattern because it gives it more structure over a sweater that’s made in one piece in the round.”I kiss her cheek.“What do you want to make as your first project?Something for yourself or for the babies or the nest?”
“I don’t know yet.I haven’t decided.Maybe I can make something for the babies.Though, I’ll probably need yarn for that that’s easier to clean.I don’t think it’s a good idea to make something from a yarn that can only be cleaned in some very specific ways.I’ve crocheted some baby things in the past, usually from cotton, because it’s easy to clean and won’t make the kids too sweaty.”She picks her knitting back up.“Well, I’m going to try two more rows and if that goes well, I’m going to try a different ribbing pattern.”
I watch over her for a while longer, as she’s deep in focus, totally unaware of, or simply ignoring, my eyes on her.I love how much she likes learning new skills and I’m glad that she seems to enjoy knitting.
Some people pick it up really quickly and love it and others never seem to get any fun out of it.I’m glad I can share this with her, something we can do together and spend time on together.
Now, let’s finish this sweater so I can start on the next one.I’ve spent more than enough time on this, I’m ready for a change.
And I can’t wait to make something for my darling Omega, my sweet mate, so I can always be close to her, even when we’re apart.
My heart skips a beat.Yes.So I can always be close to her.So we’ll never truly have to be apart.
That feels right.
“Isthis the fabric we’re going to make the internal curtains out of, or the ones in front of the balcony doors?”I pull a heavy fabric out of one of the boxes.It’s thick, easy to block light and sound, but it’s light blue, so it doesn’t feel too overwhelming.
