Mary had dragged Kenna, Greer, and Lola with her to the airport. Francis' flight would be landing in mere minutes and they'd be reunited within the hour.
"I'm intrigued by Francis," Greer said. "He must really love you to get on a plane."
Mary blushed. "We'll be seeing him very soon."
"I hope so." Kenna said. "Ever since you came back from France, you've been talking about him even more than usual."
Lola sighed. "Cut her some slack Kenna, she's in love."
Francis was right when he said that the ten week they spent apart would fly by. They Skyped almost every day and had phone sex just as often. Mary's train of thought was broken by her phone vibrating.
"Francis is on the ground!" She screamed after reading the text. "Let's make our way to baggage claim, ladies." The girls had to run to keep up with Mary. When she saw a mess of curly blond hair, her heart soared. Mary crept up behind Francis and placed her hands over his eyes. "Miss me?"
He turned around and kissed her, letting their foreheads touche. "I missed you."
"I missed you, too. Ready to meet the squad?"
Francis looked up. "You brought me a welcoming party, I see."
Mary beamed. "Girls, this is my boyfriend Francis. Francis, these are my best friends Kenna, Lola, and Greer."
"I'm so glad to finally meet the infamous Francis," Kenna said. "Mary will talk anyone's ear off when you're the topic of conversation."
"Good to know."
On the drive to Mary's house, Kenna, Greer, and Lola asssaulted Francis with questions. They wanted to know his life story.
We already know about all the relationship stuff, but tell us what's up from your point of view," Greer said.
"I love Mary more than I ever thought possible. Being apart for two years was hard, but we survived and here we are." Kenna and Lola immediately compared him to Greer's boyfriend, Leith.
"Remember what we agreed to, girls," Mary chastised them. "You're not going to scare Francis onto the next flight to Paris."
Francis grinned. "They couldn't keep me away from you."
Kenna made a gagging sound. "Aro folk like myself shouldn't have to deal with this."
"You're aromantic?" Francis asked.
"Yeah. Since you met Mary on Tumblr, I'm assuming you know the definition."
"That I do. That makes you kind of lucky; you'll never have to deal with heartache."
Kenna beamed. "This one's a keeper, Mary."
Mary laughed. "I'm glad you think so." She brought the girls and Francis home for dinner with her mother. Her mother, also named Mary, was very kind to Francis.
"It's hard to believe I'm seeing you in the flesh," Mary de Guise said. "You certainly live up to Mary's descriptions."
"Thank you, Ms. de Guise."
"Call me Mary, if you'd like." She asked Francis about where he went to university (University of Paris) and what he planned to study (political science).
"I can see why Mary likes you," the elder Mary said. With her interests in history, art, and politics, Mary wasn't entirely sure what she'd dedicate herself to.
"Hopefully a love of politics isn't the only thing we have in common." Francis said.
When the girls said good night after dinner, Francis and Mary headed up to bed, even though it'd be hours before they slept.
"I'm so glad you're here," Mary whispered.
"The feeling is mutual."
"I've got our trip all planned out; we're going to be as touristy as tourists can get."
"Mary, you live here."
"I know, but you don't. And on Monday morning, my mum leaves for a business trip so we'll have the house to ourselves Monday night."
Francis kissed her. "I can't wait, though I love the feeling of you in my arms just as much."
"Night. Love you."
"Love you, too."
Mary got Francis out of bed by 9:30 the next morning and had assembled Lola, Greer, and Kenna in her driveway by 10:30. "Today we are going to the Glasgow Cathedral. Our tour starts at noon, but I thought we could walk around the city."
Francis was taken with Glasgow in the same way Mary had been with Paris. "It's so nice here," he said. "And so different from Paris. Do you love living here?"
"Most of the time," Mary said. "Do you wanna move here now?"
"Maybe."
"The good news is that you're here till Tuesday," Lola said. "And with Mary's organizational skills, you'll see everything in Glasgow worth seeing."
Francis loved the cathedral upon arrival. Coming from a very Catholic family like Mary, it seemed to put a spell on him.
"It's so old but it's remained nearly unchanged," Greer said.
"Incredible," Francis agreed.
A tour guide announced that the noon tour was starting and about a dozen other people followed her through the chapel, which was over 800 years old and looked every year of it.
"It'd be so cool if we could go to mass here," Francis.
"It's very hard to get in," Mary told him. "But they record the services and post them online."
"That's so cool."
"Paris isn't the only city in the world with an extensive history."
The tour ended around 1:30 and the group walked the city in search of finding their next meal. Soon enough, they found a quiet restaurant.
"What do you think of Glasgow so far?" Greer asked Francis.
"It's a wonderful city and I have no doubt that we'll see more sights here than we did in Paris. Mary's much better at planning than I am."
"Tonight we're having dinner and a movie night at Kenna's." Mary said. "Her basement is to die for." In the past, the four girls had had many a sleepover in said basement.
Francis smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."
At 5:30, Mary and Francis drove over to Kenna's for the night's festivities.
"Do you like them?" Mary asked Francis.
"Of course I like them," he said. "They're your friends and they're important to you."
"Good. I was just nervous about the trip. I was scared it wouldn't be as good as last time."
"Mary, I'm always having the time of my life when I'm with you, whether we're alone or with others."
She smiled. "Love you."
"Love you, too."
Kenna was making her so-called famous lasagna.
"You're haven't made this since finals ended," Lola said.
"It's a special occasion," said Kenna. "And Francis hasn't lived if he's never eaten my lasagna."
"She speaks the truth," Mary agreed. Francis shrugged and dug in along with the girls.
"How do you make this so good?" He asked Kenna.
"A magician never reveals their secrets."
Kenna took her movies seriously, Francis quickly learned. Not only did she have an extensive DVD collection, but she seemed to know every obscure movie on Netflix as well, which was no simple feat.
"Movies are your thing?" Francis asked.
"You're very perceptive," Kenna said. "I'm a film major. Some people experience romantic attraction, but movies are my one true love. What do you guys wanna watch?"
After each person voiced their preferences, a consensus was agreed upon. Lola wanted to see The Great Gatsby, Greer wanted to watch Legally Blonde, and Mary was a sucker for Newsies. Francis would go along with whatever Mary said and Kenna loved everything, so each girl would get to see their movie of choice.
By the time all the movies had been watched, it was 12:30. No one had the energy to drive home, so Kenna set up the couch for Greer and Lola and offered the guest room to Mary and Francis.
"This is so nice," Francis told Mary once they were settled in bed. "We're here together with your friends. You get friendship and romance and I get to visit you in your hometown; it's a win-win."
Mary smiled. "You're the best. We should try to sleep because our first activity of the day starts at ten."
"Okay. I love you."
"Love you, too. Sleep well."
Once again, Mary rallied the troops by nine. "Today we are going to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum at ten and then we'll be at the Glasgow Botanic Gardens by four until they close at six. Any questions?" When she was answered with silence, she clapped her hands together. "Let's get going squad, we've got a long day ahead of us."
When they got to Kelvingrove, Mary made another announcement. "While the art in here is great, there's a limited time exhibit I thought you'd all want to see; it's about dinosaurs."
Francis' eyes widened. "I loved dinosaurs when I was a kid."
Mary linked his hand with hers. "Let's go then." While there were plenty of little kids, the dinosaur exhibit was refreshingly different. Mary was the art snob of the group, so the girls and Francis enjoyed it more than she did, but that was okay. This was about bringing her friends and the love of her life together; above all else, that was most important.
The rest of the gallery/museum really served Mary's interests.
"You know," Francis said, "if you love all this stuff so much, why don't you be an art history major? You said you were undecided and that would be the best of both worlds, right?"
Mary beamed. "I've actually been considering that recently. We really are on the same wavelength."
"Love you."
"Love you, too." She knew Kenna was rolling her eyes, but she couldn't care.
They left Kelvingrove to grab lunch before the Botanic Gardens at a restaurant none of them had ever known before stumbling upon it that afternoon.
"I've lived in Glasgow my whole life and I've never gone through it the way we are now, Mary." Greer said. "It's very eye opening."
"I try my best," Mary replied. "I'm a perfectionist."
The Garden was beautiful. Even with the heat of summer, the leaves were green and the flowers in full bloom.
"I came here a lot when I was little and I thought it was the coolest place in the world," Mary told Francis. "I wanted to bring you here."
"I can see why you thought that," Francis said. "This is lovely."
The five of them wandered around the Garden exploring until closing time at six. Dinner was at Mary's and since her mother's business trip started early next morning, two pizzas were on the kitchen table.
"Another action packed day brought to you by Mary Stuart," Lola joked. "I feel dead from all that walking and standing." The day's most memorable moments were recounted before Lola, Greer, and Kenna left to go home.
"I'm glad it's just us again, even though your friends are great," Francis said. "I'm not used to sharing you yet."
Mary smiled. "You certainly won't have to tomorrow night. Are you excited?"
"Of course I am. All I want is to be closer to you."
"I love you."
"Love you, too. Night."
The gang was in Mary's driveway by 9:30 the following morning. Her mother had just said goodbye and left on her three day business trip to London.
"Today we're going to the Gallery of Modern Art at eleven," Mary told them. "We'll probably get a late lunch afterwards and part ways for the day." They all piled into Mary's car and took the scenic route there since it was the full day of Francis' visit.
At the Gallery they took some pictures outside the building for Instagram. "It's been too long since we've taken a selfie together," Mary said to Francis.
Inside, the art was beautiful. Ever since Francis' suggestion of an art history major the previous day, Mary had been toying around with it. It certainly made sense. Art history would be the best of both worlds. She could intern at a museum in Glasgow and go from there. It had been one of Francis' better ideas.
They ate a small lunch around three near the Gallery. Mary drove the girls to Lola's house and said goodbye to them for the day. Back at her house, she and Francis got ready for their dinner date. At 6:30, they drove over to Cali Bruich for their meal.
"I've been here a few times, but it's supposed to be one of the best places in Glasgow," Mary said. "At least according to Google's research."
Francis laughed. "I'm sure it'll be great." Once they were seated inside the restaurant, Francis realized how diverse the menu was. "Looks like they've got everything here."
Mary smiled. "That's why I picked it; didn't know what you'd be in the mood for." True to the online reviews, the menu worked well and it was the best meal either of them had had since their night out in Paris. Mary made good on said night's promise and picked up the tab entirely. "My treat, remember?"
"You made it hard to forget." Mary drove them back to the house where their date night would continue.
"You still want this?" Mary asked him.
"Always. I've got everything we'll need, too."
Mary kissed him. "Perfect. I love you."
"I love you, too." They went upstairs to Mary's room. After kissing once more, they undressed slowly, reveling in the intimacy of what they were about to do. Francis kissed Mary's neck up and down knowing full well that it was her weakness. He himself quickly became hard, but not without some teasing from Mary.
"We've been making out for five minutes, you dork," she said.
"Making out for five minutes naked," he corrected. She rolled her eyes and continued kissing him. Francis' hands slid down Mary's body, stopping briefly to squeeze her hips.
"Francis," she moaned. "I need you." He kissed her lips before kissing her all the way down her body. He stopped between her legs, kissing her clit before letting his tongue take over. "Francis- ah!" She came with a start. "That was incredible," Mary said, cheeks flushed.
"Do you wanna do more?" Francis asked.
"Yes, I'm sure of it."
Francis got a condom and a lube bottle from his suitcase. Once everything was sorted out, they positioned themselves. "Ready?" He asked.
"Ready." He pushed in slowly and worked up a steady rhythm so Mary could get used to the feelling. Eventually Francis picked up the pace to satisfy both of them. Being with Mary was still surreal to him. Without warning, his climax hit him. Mary let out a cry before having her own release. Francis pulled out of her and wrapped his arms around her so they could spoon.
"I love you, Mary."
"I love you, Francis. Don't go home tomorrow."
"Shh, don't think about it now. Right now there's only you and me. Let's get some sleep."
Mary and Francis reluctantly got out of bed the next morning. The girls came over to see Francis off at the airport, so they all had one last meal together.
"Are you excited for another at uni?" Greer asked him. "U of Paris sounds like a fun place to be."
"I guess. I like it, but uni is still uni." Mary drove them to the airport. They tried to keep the conversation light, but it was difficult with Francis' flight taking off so soon.
Before Francis went through security, he hugged Greer, Lola, and Kenna goodbye. "It's been great meeting all of you. Just know how lucky you are to see Mary every day." They left to give Mary and Francis a moment alone.
"I love you," she said.
"I love you, too. You couldn't have planned a better visit for me. Maybe next time we're both free we can go somewhere on holiday, just the two of us."
She smiled. "Maybe. I love you. Call me when you land."
"I will. I love you, too." When Mary could no longer see Francis in the security line, she rounded up the girls and drove them home.