✨New chapter posted✨
Brushing away the bits of eraser, Sander flipped his pencil and shaded the elephant’s knee again. He was nearly done. The story had already passed Yasmina’s first cut and the editor’s review; and the individual pages of the first book were essentially complete, minus a few tweaks here and there, which was great news, as his “before Christmas” deadline had gone from months away to two weeks away.
Sander took a sip of his coffee and placed it back on the table before erasing and reshading another spot, this time on the trunk. He gazed around the restaurant, taking in the bundled up tourists and families with small children, rushing to grab a hot drink or meal before heading back out into the bitter cold.
Now that the weather had changed, Sander spent most of his time at the zoo indoors, sitting at a cafe table or in an indoor habitat, at first finalizing his work and now working on the concept art for the next three books in the series. He could do it at home, of course, and often did, but he made sure to come in on days when he knew he could see Robbe.
Both of them had been busier since their first date, Sander readying his presentation for the publishers and Robbe working with patients who rarely fell ill at convenient hours.
Dating Robbe was both gloriously exciting and endlessly frustrating because, while they saw each other often, they never seemed to find time to be alone. If they were at the zoo, they needed to be professional. If they were at Sander’s home, Millie was there, and Robbe could never stay late. If they were out, they had spectators (and usually Millie). If they were at Robbe’s… Well, one day they’d get to Robbe’s. It was just hard with Millie. And Frodo. And life. Sander’s house was just easier (and supposedly much bigger–he wouldn’t know).
Sander enjoyed every moment of their time together, every conversation, every quick kiss, every brush of hands under the table. The problem was that he wanted more, so much more, and they just couldn’t seem to make it work. The few times he’d asked if someone could watch Millie, it hadn’t lined up, and he was overall uncomfortable asking in the first place.
Keep reading on Ao3
