(Notes)
I strongly suggest listening to If I Give my Heart to You by Doris Day while you're reading this chapter. Lots of fluff ahead. Check end for more notes.
The day goes by incredibly slow. Therese has never checked the time so often. 9:35am. Her shift lasts until 12pm and Carol had told her to meet for lunch since she'd taken the day off.
"Well someone is in a good mood today" one of Therese's co workers Dannie says while handing her a book to put on the shelf. "I've never seen you smile before 11am, have you won the lottery or something?"
(Yes I have.)
"Who was that woman you were talking to?"
"Oh, she's just a friend." She replies, hoping he hadn't seen anything else.
"Well, I wouldn't mind seeing that smile more often" he winks and Therese grows unusually uncomfortable. Dannie was always actively flirting with her ever since she had broken up with Richard and although she was never really interested, she didn't mind. But after today, after Carol, it just doesn't feel right.
Therese tries her best to concentrate on filling shelves and arranging books but her mind keeps circling back to grey eyes and questions of home. Had Carol really asked her to move in with her? Maybe she had just meant now, come home with me now. Maybe just for tea. Her mind is racing, thinking. She feels her phone buzz; it's Carol.
[Carol]
Darling, I'm terribly sorry but I won't be able to make it for lunch. Abby needed to run and I have to stay at the shop until 5pm.
[Therese]
Oh. That's alright. I hope everything is ok with Abby.
[Carol]
How about you come over around 7? I'll make it up to you with some home cooked dinner, do you like pasta?
[Therese]
Yes!
[Carol]
Alright, see you then.
Therese felt a little disappointed that she wouldn't be seeing Carol as soon as she'd hoped but after a moment she decided a home cooked dinner sounded way better than lunch at a restaurant anyway.
-.-.-.-.-
Carol spends the entire afternoon tending to customer after customer. In the rare occasional few minutes of silence she gets her mind traces back to Therese, her darling Therese. She thinks about the girl's courage; the way she placed her delicate hands on her face and kissed her right there in the middle of the reception room.
She makes her way home after work and starts preparing their dinner. By the time she's half way done there's a knock. Her heart skips a beat. She straightens out her dress and heads towards the door. When she opens it and meets Therese standing there with a bottle of wine in one hand and a stack of books in the other she can't help but smile at the familiarity.
"I brought you some flowers." Therese hands the books to Carol who now stares at her with confused eyes.
"Therese, dear, I'm pretty sure these aren't flowers." she giggles.
"Sure they are, look." Therese points towards the titles of the books. Orchid by Jayne Castle, Rose by Jill Marie Landis and White Lily by Linda Ladd.
Carol touches every book carefully and looks up to meet Therese's smiling eyes. She wonders how she got so lucky.
"Oh, Therese, they're wonderful." She puts them on the table in front of the couch and turns around to give Therese a peck on her cheek. Therese instantly blushes.
They finish cooking together. Therese as careful as ever is trying not to break anything else in Carol's kitchen today. Carol sets the table in the living room and puts on a record on her vintage vinyl player. Billie Holiday's Easy Living.
"This song is beautiful." Therese says while she circles her fork in her plate.
Carols lips bend upwards as she watches Therese indulge in her dinner.
"Therese?"
"Mhm?"
"How come you never had another relationship after Richard?" Carol asks and tries to hide her nervousness. Therese puts her fork down and pats her mouth with a napkin but she misses a spot.
"Here let me." Carol leans in and wipes the corner of Therese's mouth with her thumb. Therese instantly feels butterflies in her belly.
"I never loved Richard. He is a nice guy and I enjoyed his company mostly, but nothing more. Ever since we broke up, Dannie, who works with me at the library, constantly tries to flirt and even though I find it quite amusing at times I'm not really interested. There must be something wrong with me." She smiles a sad smile.
"Don't say that, you're perfect." Carol watches her favorite dimples appear.
They finish their dinner in blissful silence. Carol stands up and puts another record on. She walks over to Therese and stretches her arm out.
"Join me?"
"Oh Carol, I can't dance" Therese wishes she'd taken those dancing classes in school instead of joining the book club.
"I'll show you."
(If I give my heart to you)
Therese takes Carol's hand as she leads her towards the centre of the living room.
(Will you handle it with care)
Carol takes one of Therese's hands and places it on her shoulder and then squeezes the other one. Carol places her own free hand above Therese's hip.
(Will you always treat me tenderly)
Therese steps on Carol's feet multiple times in the beginning but they both laugh it off. Once Therese gets the hang of it, she leans her head on Carol's shoulder and inhales the woman's perfume.
(And in every way be fair)
Carol's heart melts at the touch. She kisses Therese's forehead as they continue to dance to the slow music.
(If I give my heart to you)
She can feel Therese breathing against her chest. She can hear her heart beating to the rhythm of her own.
(Will you give me all your love)
Therese looks up into Carol's eyes. The same grey eyes she met yesterday for the first time and instantly fell in love with. The same grey eyes she wishes to fall asleep and wake up to for the rest of her life.
(Will you swear that you'll be true to me)
Carol gently removes her hand from Therese's; she softly brushes the woman's hair and tucks a loose strand behind her ear. Therese presses her hand where Carol's is on her hair and leaves it there. They stop dancing, but the music continues to play.
(By the light that shines above)
They've known each other for barely 24 hours, yet it feels like they've known each other all their lives. One could say it was love at first sight, but it was more than just sight. It was love at first poem, first touch, first kiss, first dance.
(And will you sigh with me when I'm sad)
Carol leans in and kisses Therese's cheek first. She presses a soft kiss behind her ear and Therese's heart skips a beat. She lets go of Carol's hand and hugs her waist instead.
(Smile with me when I'm glad)
Carol kisses the tip of her nose and then pulls away to look into Therese's glassy eyes. When Therese blinks and a single teardrop makes its way down her cheek Carol wipes it away with her thumb and kisses the wet spot it left.
(And always be as you are with me tonight)
She takes Therese's chin in one hand and gently motions it upwards to meet her lips. The kiss is slow and full of tenderness. Therese could swear she's never felt so loved. And so could Carol. So she leans in, close to Therese's ear and softly sings along to the last verse.
(Think it over and be sure
Please don't answer till you do
When you promise all those things to me
Then I'll give my heart to you)
Then silence.
Therese stares into the familiar grey eyes and searches them intensely. Carol has handed her her feelings, as she had done the day before. Hers had been underlined and Carol's had been whispered. Both subtle and powerful.
"I promise." She whispers and buries herself into Carol's neck. She wraps both her arms around Carol's waist and their bodies become one.
"My angel, my beautiful angel." Carol kisses the top of Therese's head and puts her own two arms around her.
They stand in the middle of the room holding each other for what feels like eternity. Then Carol gently un-wraps her arms and takes both of Therese's hands into her own and leads her to the bedroom at the end of the hall. Carol squeezes Therese's shoulders as if to ask permission and when Therese replies by unzipping Carol's dress she knows this is something they both desire.
-.-.-.-
They lay in bed facing each other; Carol gently brushes Therese's cheek with her hand and Therese leans into the touch. She runs her hands up and down Carol's arms and presses soft kisses on both. Then she pulls back and looks deeply into the grey eyes.
"I've never…really"
"With a woman?"
"With anyone."
Carol cups Therese's cheeks and pours all the love she has for her into a kiss; first softly, then passionately and surely enough they start making love for the very first time. Their two hearts beat as one and their two souls unite together. Only a divine intervention can truly bring together two separate bodies in this way.
Carol thinks of the times with Harge, when they were together yet her soul and heart still yearned for more. She was left unsatisfied and didn't know why.
Now she knows. Therese has come along, and after tonight she knows that she's the one person in the world that she is meant to be with. She is complete.
They lay peacefully in bed, Therese is spooning Carol and with eyes closed Carol asks with the most fragile voice between tangled limbs and a warm embrace.
"Therese, my sweet, will you stay?" She remembers asking Therese yesterday if she'd come home with her but she wasn't sure Therese had understood exactly what she'd meant, so she's asking again.
"Yes Carol, I will." She kisses the woman's neck and it's the kind of kiss that seals a promise. She now knows that what she'd spent the entire morning thinking of was true. Carol had really asked her to move in with her. Twice now.
"I, um…I'll need to get some stuff from my apartment though, and let the landlady know I'm going to be moving out." Therese says, always thinking ahead.
"You can do all that tomorrow darling, I need you here now." Carol squeezes Therese's body close to hers and falls blissfully asleep.
Therese watches Carol sleep for a while with a content smile on her face. She smiles because she knows Carol better than she's ever known anyone. She smiles because she'll be able to get to know her even better in the next couple of days, weeks, months, years. She smiles because she's deeply in love for the first time in her life.
She smiles because she's finally found a home. And my, what a beautiful home she is.
(Notes)
The song is called If i give my heart to you by Doris Day. The inspiration for the books with flower titles came from the movie The Age Of Adeline. A little tease for the next chapter: Rindy will be coming home. Again, thank you for reading and commenting it means a lot. I hope you liked this chapter and let me know what your favorite parts were! As always, you can find me on tumblr at thereseswan tumblr com for prompts, questions etc. xx
