//------------------------------// // Rebuilding // Story: Alone Time // by Rose Quill //------------------------------// “So what’s this big idea you have planned, anyway?” I asked. Sandalwood glanced at me from the corner of his eyes while the corners of his mouth quirked upwards. “You'll see,” he breathed. “Don’t be so impatient. In time, good things come to those who wait.” I rolled my eyes at that. While he had grown into a more well-rounded sort after CHS, he still held a few of the ideas that Aria had teased him about. More often than not, he would slide back into the almost stoner-like talk pattern. I didn’t mind, actually. We had been driving for nearly an hour now, and I hated sitting still that long. Especially after the fight with Acerak or the following war in Equestria, sitting around became a chore. Between working as a shift manager at the restaurant and tidying up at home, placid was not a word anyone associated with me anymore. Turning off onto a small side road, he looked at me and smiled. “Now, bear with me a bit,” he said. “Initially, this is not going to be as glorious as it seems.” I looked at him quizzically as we pulled up to a clearing, a dilapidated building standing in the center. Sandalwood parked the car where I could see that the glittering waters of the Bay of Bitscaine slightly below us through a tangled and woody path. “There it is, sweetie,” he said, waving at the house. I looked at the house and its battered exterior. A shutter hanging onto the side of a window chose that moment to fall off and get stuck in the planks of the half-rotted deck. “Right,” I drawled out. “Ok, I admit, it’s going to be a bit of a fixer-upper,” The shutter fell the rest of the way through the porch. “Ok, it’s got a lot of work that needs to be done, but it’s basically perfect.” I looked at him, fists posted on my hips. “What in the name of Triton are you talking about?” I asked gently. He grinned. “I’m going to fix this place up and turn it into a bed and breakfast,” he said, turning to look at the Bay. “It’s got a great view, an excellent location, and while the outside may not look so great, the foundation is solid and most of the actual interior is still intact.” He turned his head towards me. “And when it’s done, I want you to help me run it.” “Sand,” I said, a small smile fighting to climb onto my face. “What do you know about running a B&B?” “Not a thing,” he said. “I know hospitality and I know how to cook and fix things, but we both know you’re better at the business aspect of things. Which is why I thought I’d use my charms to coax you into helping.” He waggled his eyebrows. I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it, he always looked like a dork when he did that and he knew it. “All right,” I said. “You get this place looking respectable, and I’ll make sure you don’t run it into the ground.” I looked at the two-story structure again. “Out of curiosity, where are you going to get the money for all this?” He pulled a folded letter out of his back pocket. “Government grant,” he said, handing the letter over to me. “It’s going to be a bit tight, but I know how to get the materials we need without paying more than they’re worth. And with me and possibly our friends helping when they can, it saves paying for contractors with the exception of electrical, HVAC, and other specialized installations.” I skimmed the letter, seeing a perforation at the bottom that had once held what I assumed was a check or some sort of voucher. I was silently impressed. He had this all planned out. “So,” I said, returning the document to his tanned hand. “Where do we start?” It took a while. Close to a year, all told, between ripping up all the old boards and replacing what bracing that needed it and rebuilding the house from the ground up, running plumbing and redoing the rooms so that there were more available. The downstairs stayed mostly open, a lobby and kitchen with a single bedroom that I assumed was to be ours as it held an attached bathroom. We waited until the few contractors had run the wiring and ducting before we started paneling the place. I’m not sure where he had found it all, but almost every bit of wood used in the house was bamboo. Even now, his eco-friendly thinking showed up, but it was cheaper to purchase and more resilient than some of the other choices. And if it ever needed replacement, it was a highly renewable resource. I was a little impressed, actually. We sat on the porch on the last day, pleasantly tired. We had spent the day clearing away all the brush on the path down to the beach and setting paving stones to provide a nice comfortable trek. Behind the house, the brush was burning in a bonfire in a pit he had dug that morning. The next day the state inspectors would be coming to give the place a look and tell us if we had to fix anything. “I have to admit,” I said, tucked into his side on one of the built-in benches on the veranda. “I’m actually looking forward to this.” “Good, cause there is one more thing we have to do today.” “What’s that?” I asked, not wanting to look away from the way the sun danced on the waters of the bay. Part of me wanted to go down and frolic in the water, to call my sisters up and have a race like we had when we were all younger. “You have to take this and agree to what it means,” he said, pulling a large box out from under the bench. I gave him a quizzical look but took the plain brown box. I opened it and found another box nestled inside, somewhat smaller. I opened that one to find another. I turned my gaze upon him. “I swear, if this turns out to be a gift certificate like you did on Christmas, I’m going to throw you into the Bay,” I warned. “It’ll be worth it,” he said, smiling and holding his hands up in a defensive motion. “Trust me.”
 Three more boxes were revealed, the last about the size of a thick DVD case. I gave Sandalwood another glance, one with a touch of glare in it. He merely motioned to the box. I sighed and proceeded to open this one. There was another box inside, but instead of cardboard, this one was made of wood and wrapped in velvet. My mind not quite catching up, I opened it to find a small silver ring inside, a simple round gemstone sparkling in the center. I gaped for a moment when I realized that Sandalwood had knelt on the floor in front of me while I had been preoccupied with opening the boxes. “So,” he said, that goofy grin on his face still. “What do you say?” “You’re a dork,” I said, taking the ring out and testing the fit. It was a little loose, but it was secure on my finger. “Besides that,” he deadpanned. “I think I’ll say yes,” I said, smiling. “If you ask the right way, that is.” “Adagio Dazzle,” he began. “Yes,” I said, leaning over and kissing him on the forehead. He grinned and slid back up onto the bench next to me. “So how long have you had this planned?” I asked. “From the day we started working on the house,” he said. “I figured that if you stuck by me in that, you’d be able to put up with me for a few decades at least.” I rolled my eyes. I twisted on the bench, coming up and sliding over into his lap, arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. After we broke away, I laid my head on his shoulder. “You are such a dork,” I whispered into his ear as the sun slipped away, plunging the area into night.