"Step Inside, Love" [m] *finished!*

[LovelyLinda]

Step Inside Love

inspired by the song sung by Cilla Black and written by Paul McCartney,

dedicated to my dear friend Ciuty80 as a Christmas present, and of course, to all of you lovely people <3

It was a chilly day in December, and it was dark, even though it was not even afternoon.

The little lights people had put up for Christmas were glimming in the dim light and made me feel sort of melancholic. I sat down on the window sill and watched little snow flakes making their way down to the ground.

Suddenly I heard footsteps and I spotted David, my fiancé, who was standing in front of the door, looking for his keys in his bag. With a smile on my face, I opened the door and let him in.

His nose and his ears were red from the cold, his hair was damp and spotted with snowflakes and he rubbed his hands for

warmth. I quickly closed the door behind him not to let the cold air enter the warm house.

"I missed you!" I told him and kissed him softly on his lips which were slightly chapped from the cold.

He returned my smile and replied,

"I missed you, too, honey."

He pulled out his coat and scarf and hung them on the wardrobe before he followed me into the living room. Even though it was nicely warm with the fire crackling in the carmine, he still looked cold. Carefully he shrugged out of his suit because it shouldn't get wrinkly since he had to wear it another two days. I handed him a pair of jeans which he thankfully put on.

Sniffling, he sat down nearby to warm up.

"It's awfully cold outside," he said, and I believed him at once.

"Let me warm you up," I said lovingly and sat down beside him, wrapping my arms around him.

A soft moan escaped his lips and he rested his head on me. I could feel slight shivers making their way through his chilled body and hugged him even tighter. This seemed to calm him down, slowly he gained some warmth back.

"Better?" I whispered into his ear and he nodded sleepily.

Work was hard, especially the last days before Christmas were extremely busy.

Good thing there were only two days left.

"2 days before Christmas," I whispered cheerfully into his ears and kissed him on his cheek, "Our very first Christmas together."

"It's going to be the nicest Christmas I've ever had," he answered, sounding excited but also very sad.

"You wanna lie down for a while?" I asked him when I saw him suppressing a yawn.

"Maybe a little. You wake me for dinner, though?"

"Of course."

I helped him up and guided him to the sofa in the middle of the room. Before I could even fluff up the pillows, he had slumped down on it and huddled himself into the blanket.

"Oh, you're really tired. Well, sleep tight." I smoothed his damp, brown hair behind his ear and quietly went to do some housework.

I couldn't await Christmas, it would be the very first we spend together.

While I came from a loving and caring family, David was an orphan child. His parents had passed when he was about 7 years old due to a car crash and he had to move from his home country Scotland to England.

He had been adopted by a couple but they had never shown special interest in him because all they wanted was to get the money that came with adopting him. The couple celebrated Christmas but they had always taken a cruise and left him at home. Christmas always brought back a lot of sad memories to him.

He didn't have a nice childhood, he was known for running away from home but the police could find him sooner or later. His 18th birthday was the best day in his life since he was officially allowed to move out and live on his own. He had also found a job quite quickly even though it wasn't something he wanted to do a lifetime. At first it had been good enough, though. He was waiter in a posh restaurant, they had engaged him due to his good looks and his charming personality. I had got to know him while he was doing a supply run since I worked as a shop assistant.

It was love at first sight, after only one date we were sure of it.

I loved this man so much, and I was really looking forward to give him the best Christmas he had ever had.

* * *

When I was done with doing the washing up, I returned into the living room and found him shivering, which worried me a little. I took another cuddly blanket out of the closet and gently covered David with it, making sure he was warm.

The shivering went down and I dedicated myself to preparing dinner since it was already 7 o'clock.

I couldn't quite make my mind up what to cook, so I decided on noodles with tomato sauce. While I waited for the water to boil, I leaned myself onto the doorframe and looked into the living room.

David didn't seem to sleep well since he kept on tossing and turning every few minutes. I was beginning to get a bit concerned. Usually he was a tight sleeper, he wouldn't even wake up if an elephant took a walk through our flat, so it surprised me a lot when he immediately woke up when I called him for dinner.

"You okay?" I asked him when we sat down at the table and he looked uncomfortable.

"Yeah, sure. I'm just a wee bit cold," he answered with a little smile in his Glaswegian accent and tried to cover the goose bumps he had all over his arms.

We ate our noodles in silence and another thing popped into my head.

"Is it because of the Smiths?" It was the name of his adoptive parents.

His look visibly darkened and he shrugged.

"I can't help it, it's hard to keep the memories from returning. I'm sorry, love, don't worry about it too much."

He took my hand and softly stroked his thumb over my knuckles.

"I'm gonna be alright."

After dinner we parted us, I did some tidying and he dedicated himself to doing some cross words in a magazine on the sofa. When I was finished, I sat down beside him and watched how his face was in thinking mode and he was chewing a little on the end of his pencil, wondering what word would be the right to fit in the riddle.

Suddenly his face contorted, and he looked like he was going to say something important. I thought maybe he had found the fitting word and wanted to tell me but he turned away from me and muffled a sneeze into the crook of his elbow.

"Hhhh'GtZSH-uhh."

Sniffling, he looked up for a second, his eyelids half open before he sneezed once more into his elbow.

"Hhh'DGZSH-uhhh."

When he looked up, his eyes were slightly watering and he wiped them with his hand before he continued chewing on his pencil.

"Bless you," I said and he looked at me slightly surprised, he still had to get used to his.

He had never had anyone who actually cared about him. It was all sort of new to him.

"Thank you, love." He said, his eyes shimmering slightly as he looked me straight into the eye. He spoiled the moment by letting out a short cough into his left hand and rubbing his throat.

"Are you okay?" I asked him, concern in my voice. He shrugged.

"I think I gotta go to sleep, tomorrow is gonna be a rough day at the restaurant. I bet a lot of men are going to invite their ladies for dinner. I mean, it's Christmas Eve."

I nodded.

"I'm sorry for you. Why can't your boss just do the same as my super market and close? I think it's mean to let waiter work for the whole time on that special day."

"True. He won't listen, it's all about the money," he sighed.

He slowly got up and shuffled into the bathroom, and I heard the faint sound of him brushing his teeth.

I made myself ready for bed, too, and joined him in the bathroom.

* * *

To be continued?

[Sneezypeezy]

Please continue I love this story! David is very cute! I love the guys with a hard past (:

[Ciuty80]

awww sweety thank you so much!!!

this is a wonderful beginning!!

so much love

please much much more!

[AppleBlossom]

Ohh! I am loving this so far! Please continue with your adorable characters! I can't wait for some more sneezy action!

[Naraya]

Yes continue please. Can't wait :-) xx

[stargazer]

Ohh. I really like this. I do hope you continue.

[a-tissue]

Please post more. I *love* sick boys who need looking after.

[happybunny]

Please please please continue, this is excellent! The story's getting good

[LovelyLinda]

Thank you all so much for your lovely replies <3

I'm very pleased you like it so far!

He's another part:

* * *

I was startled awake by a strange sound.

Sleepily, I looked up and tried to make out something in the dim light.

My eyes spotted David, who was pressing his pillow to his mouth and muffling some coughing into it not to wake me since the alarm clock only said 4:36 in the morning. Exhausted, he dropped the pillow and took a shaky inhale.

"You okay?" I asked him and gently stroked his back.

Surprised, he turned around to face me and I saw that he felt guilty for waking me.

"Yeah, everything alright, love. Just go back to sleep," he mumbled and kissed my cheek before huddling into his blanket again.

When I woke up the next morning, he had already left for work.

Poor David had to be at the restaurant at 7 am to prepare everything before they could open. I was luckier concerning this, my shop only opened at 9 o'clock so I had plenty of time to get ready for work. Today it was closed anyway, so I could take my time.

Yawning, I got out of bed and went into the living room to put a little more wood into the carmine because the room felt rather nippy to me. When I walked into the kitchen to get something to eat, I found one of the drawers slightly opened. A little confused, I opened it and saw that there had been something taken out. I wondered what it was since I couldn't remember ever putting anything into that drawer.

Shrugging, I closed it properly and dedicated myself to eating some bread for breakfast. After a quick, hot shower I dried up and checked the fridge because I had to go on a supply run before all of the shops were closed.

Wrapping a colourful scarf around my neck and shrugging into my winter coat, I left the house and headed to the car. Suddenly I saw something shimmering on the ground and took a closer look.

It was a silver name tag saying "David Brannagh" and I carefully wiped the snow from it.

He must have lost it on his way to the restaurant this morning.

It was only about 11 in the morning, probably nobody had noticed that it was missing until now. Sighing, I stored it in my jacket pocket and decided to drop David a little visit at the restaurant.

* * *

I was right, there weren't that many people, just a few elderly couples who were having lunch. My eyes scanned the large room but couldn't find my fiancé. Maybe he was helping in the kitchen?

As I went up to the kitchen door, I bumped into John, the cook of the restaurant, and he almost dropped the plates he was holding in his hand. "Easy, easy!" He said with a laugh and rearranged the plates.

"Gosh, I'm sorry." My face burned furiously.

"I guess you're looking for David? He's getting some potatoes for our special lunch from the cellar, just go down these stairs, then you'll find him easily." He pointed to the other end of the room and I could make out a wooden stairway.

"Oh, okay. Thank you, John." I flashed him a thankful smile and did what I was told.

The cellar was cold, damp and dark. I could see my breath turning white. Good thing I still had my warm coat on. I looked around in the dark, trying to see anything. My eyes spotted the weak shine of a small bulb on the ceiling in the next room and I followed it.

Suddenly, I heard a strange noise and froze. I heard the noise once more, this time more distinct.

"Hhhh'RGZSHH-uhhhh."

It was a sneeze. Just a sneeze. I sighed with relief and approached the other room.

There was David, facing the wall and blowing his nose discreetly into the shredded rests of a tissue.

"Hey darling, you alright?" I greeted him with a smile.

Startled, he turned around and looked at me with big eyes.

"What are you doing here, sweetie?"

He said and stuffed his tissue into his trouser pocket before he came to me and gave me a hug.

"You lost this here, I thought you'd need it eventually." I handed him his name tag and his eyes widened.

"Ahh, shit. Thank you! I didn't even realize it was missing."

I carefully fixed it on his suit and he gave me a thankful smile.

When I stood on tiptoe to kiss him, he had a curious look on his face, his eyebrows knitted together while his mouth dropped slightly open.

"Wa-hhhh….wait….Hhhhh….Hhhhh'GTSZSH-uhhh, Hhh'RSHhh-uhh."

In a quick motion, he had turned away from me and delivered two sneezes uncovered onto the floor.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry. It's so dusty in here."

He was mortified, his cheeks blushed and I thought he just looked adorable.

"Bless you," I said just before kissing him. He played with one of my red curls, straightened it between his fingers and let go of it and smiled when it went back to its natural form.

"You are so silly, you know that?" I laughed and hugged him.

"I'm aware." His smile widened.

Suddenly he let go of me and burst into some light coughing, using his elbow to shield him.

"Aww," I gave him a concerned look, "are you sure you're not coming down with anything?"

He shrugged and rubbed his neck sheepishly. "I don't know. Doesn't matter, I have to work anyway. By the way, I should speed up, John is gonna be nuts if I don't hurry."

Throwing a giant sack of potatoes over his back, he staggered into the direction of the stairs.

I took one of the smaller sacks and followed him as best as I could.

When he had put down our weight on the kitchen counter, we said goodbye to each other and I got in the car.

* * *

Hope you enjoyed xxx

Want more?

[Naraya]

Hell Yeah. Definitely.

Love the fact she has springy red curls - me too. Curly red hair all the way.

Keep it coming!!!

[Ciuty80]

sweety?!?!? this is sooo cute!!!

i feel like i´m in a déja-vu or something i think i read this somewhere...before

or maybe my brain just got insane

they are so wonderful to each other!

and of course i want much much MOARRRR, please!!!!

[happybunny]

more more more!

[Bongo]

I'm loving this. David is very believable as someone who is trying to learn how to accept love, and it is very cute

[Umeko]

more more more pleeeease!!

[Coffee Mug]

Yes please more!! David is adorable he's like a sweet puppy!!! and the cold he's catching is just building up soo slowly I love it!

[Me4ever]

Omg yes please continue this! So cute!

[LovelyLinda]

Hey folks

@ Naraya

Gosh, I envy you!!! I wish I had springy red curls <3

Gingers are fu****ing sexy! I'm glad you enjoy the story ;-)

@Ciuty80

Haha, don't worry, sweetie, it's not your mind playing tricks on you,

it could be that I've sent you a teaser before ;-)

The following part is new, though, I'm sure you've never read it before.

@ HappyBunny

Yes yes yes! Thank you =D I'd love to!

@ Bongo

Thank youu! I'm glad it all worked out the way I wanted

I hope you like the next part! There will be a lot of caretaking soon,

and of course, David is not used to that yet. Hihi. Good times ahead.

@ Umeko

I feel like having a dejavu xD Are you related to HappyBunny?

Also my answer: Yes yes yes!! I'll try to update as fast as I can.

@ MissyLovesSneezes

Hehehe, yup, it's a lot of fun to write the progress of his cold.

I love it when it's building up soooooo slooooowly. I'm glad you also like it!

@ Me4ever

Haha, thank you! I'll try my very best xxx

Sooooooo...Here's the next update, I'm sorry it's so short,

but I'll try write the next one longer. I'm having sort of a time problem right now...

* * *

It was early noon when I returned from my supply run. Luckily I had gotten everything I wanted, for once there was no fight about the last Christmas goose because there were plenty.

After a look at my watch I decided it was about time to start with preparing the Christmas dinner.

While the goose was roasting in the oven, I peeled the potatoes and cut vegetables into small slices.

I loved cooking, somehow I thought of it as very relaxing. The sauce was also fixed very quickly and I was quite content with myself.

Everything went after plan and I still had plenty of time left.

Setting an alarm clock on three hours, I made myself comfortable with a book on the sofa, eagerly awaiting my fiancé's return.

* * *

David arrived a little earlier than usual, actually I had expected him to be home around 7 pm, so it was not surprising, that I was kind of startled as he returned around 5 o'clock.

When I heard the front door being slammed shut, I bolted upright on the sofa and almost dropped my book.

As soon as he entered the living room, I could tell that something wasn't quite right. Angrily, he tossed his jacket over a chair and swore under his breath.

"What's wrong, love?"

I asked him and got up from the sofa to hug him.

"Boss sent me home." He answered with a frown.

"What?"

"He said because I looked exhausted and tired, but I think he was rather worried that I could… "

Instead of finishing his sentence, he smothered a round of heart-wrenching coughing into his sleeve, which left him breathless and

slightly red in the face.

"…erm…gross out the guests or something."

He rushed the last few words out and I could see the blush rising on his cheeks.

"Aww, sweetie. Everybody gets sick once in a while. Don't be embarrassed!

Look at the bright side instead, you can be here with me. I'll take good care of you!"

"I'm not sick - not really. Just a wee bit under the weather, but thank you," a little smile appeared on his lips, "I missed you terribly, the whole time I was thinking abo…", he wrenched away to his side, coughing and coughing.

I thought he would never stop and I stroked soothing circles over his back until the fit subsided.

"Do you want me to take you to the doctor? I don't like the sound of that cough."

Exhausted, he looked up, his eyes teary, and he croaked, "It's just a bit of a cold, nothing to worry about."

His voice gave out exactly on the last word, which made him sound rather pathetic than confident,

"I just need some sleep."

* * *

Sorry it's so short and for the lack of sneezing, but I'll update this evening or tomorrow, pinky promise!!

[Ciuty80]

hehe

this was cute although ther was no sneezing

i´m interested in even more!!!

i wonder where i heard "pinky promise" before...

i think i´ve lost some braincells

please more!

[Me4ever]

Omg

so sweet

i can't wait to read more!

Please update soon!

[LovelyLinda]

Once again, it's just a short update, but I'm HORRIBLY busy right now =(

I hope you like it anyway, it has some nice sneezes in it.

Oh, I've also changed a couple of things of my last post, you might want to re-read it.

xxx Linda

* * *

When I joined him on the coach, I rested my head on his chest and snuggled closer.

He felt so cold, so I tried to warm him up with cuddling. He in return, stroked my back lovingly. After a while I noticed his breathing and stroking slowing down and supposed he was drifting off to sleep.

I was wrong.

I heard a small sound and felt David's muscles tensing under me.

"Hehh'NGkST, Hhh'Gnng, Hhh'Nxxt."

I could feel every sneeze sending a spasm through his body as he tried to keep them quiet. He had never been good at keeping his sneezes in, they always came out too strong, so I was even more surprised to find him stifling one after another.

Exhausted, he let go of his nose and gave a wet sniff.

"Bless you," I said with a smile and stroked his muscular chest softly to calm him.

"Sorry," he slurred, his cheeks burning with embarrassment,

"They sneaked up on me. I just can't seem to stop this."

I giggled and he blushed even more.

"Sweetie, don't feel bad about it," I caressed his cheek, "I don't mind it. At all."

His lips turned to a little smile, but he still looked mortified.

"That's good," he said, "I might be doing it some more."

"Do you want me to fetch you some tea?" I asked, deciding that I couldn't sleep anyway due to my fear of burning the goose in the oven.

"That would be great." He smiled weakly, "Have you got peppermint?"

"Of course," I laughed and stroked over his curly hair, "I'll be right back."

* * *

[Ciuty80]

GAAAAHHHH exploding caused from the amazing CUTENESS!!!!

please more!

[Sneezypeezy]

Awwe! I love this story! mmmm David needs some cuddles and I loveee when guys try to stifle. It's one of my soft spots please please please continue! <3

[happybunny]

U_U pure. joy.

[LovelyLinda]

Thank you so much for your kind replies

Here's another part!!

* * *

"Watch out, it's hot," I warned him and handed him the steaming mug.

"Thank you," he said and carefully blew a little at it too cool it down.

After a while I noticed him getting sniffly, obviously the hot tea had loosened some of his congestion. As he thought I wasn't looking, he secretly swiped his sleeve under his nose, wiping some of the wetness away but also irritating his already tickly nose.

"Hhhh…Damn!" escaped his lips and his face contorted.

"I need to…hhhh…Hehhh!"

He wasn't able to build a proper sentence since his voice kept on hitching comically. I laughed a little at the state he was in and took the tea mug from his hands, so he wouldn't spill it all over himself.

"Huhhh…H-hh-hhhhh--HEHH---ugh."

He opened his eyes again, confused and a little disappointed.

"It's gone," he stated, matter of factly.

"Oh really?" I asked, smirking.

He sniffed and wiped at his incredibly tickly nose.

"I'm okay, it's gone." He gave me an amused smile.

"Are you sure?" I teased him.

"Yup, dead-sure."

So I handed him the mug and went up to the kitchen to get some honey to stir it into. Suddenly, I heard some swearing coming from the living room.

"You okay, sweetie?" I called out.

"Hehh'DGZSH-yew! Ouch! Fuck!"

I couldn't help but chuckling.

"I'll be with you in a second," I informed him and grabbed a towel, already knowing what had happened.

Yes, sometimes he really was that predictable

* * *

He sat there of the sofa, looking utterly miserable with the hot tea spilled all over his trousers and rubbing at his twitchy nose, which had adopted a fairly red colour by then.

"First, we have to get ride of these trousers," I smiled and tugged at the zipper of his jeans. "I like where you're going," he whispered, and helped me to undress him.

As soon as he had stepped out of them, he began shivering and I could feel my heart twinge in sympathy. I fluffed his pillow up and wrapped him up in a blanket.

"Well, then rest a little, maybe you'll feel better for dinner."

I placed my hands on his shoulders and leaned down to kiss him on his lips, but he turned away and my lips landed on his cheek instead.

"I don't want you to catch this, love," he explained.

"Oh no…," he suddenly said and tried to turn away from me, but it wasn't that easy since I kind of nailed him on the coach.

"Oh no?" I asked, a look of confusion in my eyes.

"Your hh-hair. It tickles my nuhh….nohhhh…"

Then I saw what caused his distress.

My long hair had brushed his face as he had turned away from me and one of my red curls got caught up in his left nostril.

I couldn't help laughing at the hilarious scenario.

"What? What's wrong with my hair?"

I asked innocently and gently moved my head, causing the curl to tickle the inside of his nose.

"It tihhh-tickles…huhh…stop it!"

A look of unease appeared on his face, mixed with the obvious need to sneeze.

"I should stop? Okay." I lifted my head and removed my curls.

The sneezy look on his face remained.

"Oh…"

"Oh?" I echoed with glee.

"Hhhh…That was mehhh…mean!"

TBC! =D

Yes, you are allowed to hate me for stopping it right there.

[SterlingSilver]

O: OMGH~~

At the edge of my seaaaaaaaaat~ <3 <3 <3

This is SUCH a cute story! I can't offer enough praise :')