(Check end for notes.)
The sun peaks into the bedroom through the half open curtains and Carol wakes up to Therese's arm draped around her waist and with their fingers intertwined. She tries to turn around to face the girl and whispers as softly as she can.
"Good morning sleepyhead." She presses a soft kiss to Therese's lips who then slowly opens her eyes and smiles. Carol then kisses the dimples that appear on her cheeks.
"Morning, Carol."Therese replies.
"Although I would love to stay in bed with you, we both have to head out soon. And I can hear you're hungry, so what do you say we fix up some breakfast?"
Carol is already on her feet. She walks towards the armchair next to the window and puts on her silk robe. She watches Therese sit up in bed with the covers draped around her and lets out a small giggle.
"Let me get you something to wear before you freeze." She heads towards the closet and takes out another robe and hands it to Therese who puts it on and inhales deeply.
It smells like Carol.
-.-.-.-
The next few days are like a dream Therese doesn't want to wake up from. Good morning kisses and smells of freshly brewed coffee. Sounds of classic vinyl's echoing in the apartment and slow dancing around the living room. Tender touches, warm embraces and a million whispered darlings.
Therese doesn't own much stuff that needs to be packed apart from her books and clothes. So moving in with Carol doesn't take more than a day and they're both thankful for that because they can hardly stand being apart while they're both at work.
Carol usually heads to the library when she's done at the furniture shop, or when Abby can take over. She sits in the same corner every time and when Therese's eyes meet hers, her entire face lights up. She'll sit and read while Therese works and she'll sneak glances and blow her kisses when no one is watching.
One time when the library is pretty much empty apart from the usual students, Therese shows Carol her favorite place in the building. The library's attic. All the walls are stacked with incredibly old looking books, and the place is dusty as hell but it's probably the calmest spot in New York. They kiss passionately in between the old books and shelves and old merges with new, words turn into feelings and pages become stories of secret attics and passionate kisses.
-.-.-.-
"She moved in? What are you going to tell Rindy? She's going to come home and there's going to be someone else living there too. What are you going to tell Harge?" Abby is on a rant.
"Rindy is going to love her." She's silent for a bit then adds "And Harge will have to deal with it; I'm done trying to please him and his family."
"When is she coming home anyway?" Abby asks more softly now.
"Harge is dropping her off in a few days; she already called me twice asking if she can bring the puppy he got her." Carol bowed her head down, she hated saying no to her daughter but it was out of her hands this time.
The shop's door opens to reveal Therese barely holding three cups of coffee.
"I finished early and thought I'd come by and say hi." She walks towards the counter and puts the coffee's down. Carol embraces her and gives her a peck on the lips.
"Hi, my sweet."
Abby rolls her eyes. "Well, will you introduce me or will I have to stand by and watch you two lovebirds kiss for the rest of the day?"
"Abby this is Therese, Therese this is Abby."
Therese extends a hand but Abby grabs her shoulders and kisses both her cheeks instead.
"Nice to finally put a face to the name I hear at least twenty times a day." Abby watches Carol's cheeks turn red. She loves embarrassing her.
"Nice meeting you too, Abby." Therese giggles.
"I thought you had a thing for short hair." Abby winks at Carol who had gone on only two dates after her divorce and both women coincidentally had shorter hair. Therese grows suddenly aware of her long locks.
"Oh stop it Abby, you know it was totally random" they both laugh it off.
"So, how's it living with this one?" Abby says bringing Therese back into the conversation.
They drink their coffees and chatter away until some customers arrive and Therese offers to go home and cook dinner so that Carol and Abby can work.
-.-.-.-
One evening Carol awakes from her sleep to hear a faint sob. She turns around to check on Therese and when she finds her side of the bed empty she gets on her feet and tries to follow the sound. She stops in front of the bathroom door.
"Therese? Darling what's wrong, can I come in?"
Carol gently pushes the door open and finds Therese sitting on her knees, with a pair of scissors in her hand and her glasses on the floor surrounded by locks of brown hair. Carol bows down on her knees and carefully takes the scissors out of Therese's hand, then she embraces her as tight as she can hoping that the girl will feel how loved she is. Therese looks into Carol's eyes and then down to the floor again.
"Is this because of what Abby said the other day? If it is, Therese…"
"I just…I want you to like me."
Carol untangles herself from their embrace and takes Therese's hands and wraps them into her own. She looks at Therese, at how beautiful she is, always has been. She touches a loose strand of now much shorter and messier hair and tucks it behind Therese's ear. She stands up, grabs one of her poetry books that is laying on her bedside table and makes her way back next to Therese on the floor.
|I loved you yesterday and the day and the month before.
Change, or don't change. I'll still love you the same.
I'll maybe love you more.
Either way…
I'll love you just the way you are.
I was made to love you.
Whether you stay a day
or are gone tomorrow.
You and I are made of stardust.
You're a rare and precious find.
I'll be forever saying
My Darling,
I love you exactly the way you are.|
Carol removes her glasses and puts the book down.
"I love you Therese, no matter what the length of your hair is." Carol presses a kiss to her hairline and then to her lips and Therese's tears slowly dry. "Let's go back to bed, we'll clean this up tomorrow. And I'll make an appointment for us at a hairdresser; I need a trim too anyway. Except if you want to do it." Therese punches Carol's arm softly, but she's grateful for the woman's humor.
The next day when they exit the hair salon Carol could swear Therese looked almost identical to a 50's Audrey Hepburn.
"You are the most beautiful person I've ever met." Carol says and suppresses an urge to kiss the girl in the middle of the street. Therese blushes and replies.
"You're beautifuller" they both laugh. "So you're not mad?"
"I could never be mad at you, darling. Besides I kind of like this new look." Carol gives her a wink and they part ways. Therese heads to the library and Carol heads back home to welcome Rindy who'd spent the week at her dad's.
-.-.-.-
"My baby!" Carol wraps Rindy in her arms and swirls her around; something that always makes Rindy giggle. "Did you have a good time with daddy?" she turns to look at Harge who is obviously impatient to leave.
"Yes, mommy! Daddy let me name our puppy, guess what her name is?" Carol pretended to think extra hard.
"Hmmm, Greta?"
"No! Her name is Belle!"
"Well that's a beautiful name sweet pea! How about you go upstairs and clean up; I have a surprise for you." That makes Rindy jump out of her arms and run up the stairs.
"Thank you for bringing her Harge, I'll drive her next week so you don't have to pick her up."
"I don't mind driving Carol. Whose car is that?" he points to a small blue Nissan March. Therese's. That parking spot is reserved for the owner of her apartment but since she didn't own a car, it was usually empty, until Therese. The girl walked to work so her car was often parked there.
"It's Therese's car." She says simply.
"Who the hell is Therese, and why is she using your parking space? Are you getting money from her? Because you should."
"No, I'm not getting money from her Harge, she lives with me."
Here we go.
"Wait, what? You mean, as in you're together?" Carol can see the temperature in him rise.
"Yes."
"Ok, first of all wow. When were you planning on telling me Carol? If you were ever planning to. What about Rindy? Does she even know this Therese person?"
"I don't have to run anything by you, Harge. I don't need your permission for anything. Rindy will meet her today, and trust me I wouldn't bring anyone home that Rindy wouldn't approve of." Carol is surprised by the strength that just came out of her.
Harge's car disappears and Carol makes her way up the stairs. She finds Rindy sitting in front of the tv.
"How about we get you cleaned up so mommy can tell you about the surprise hm?" Carol points towards Rindy's bedroom. She picks out two clean outfits and let's her choose which one she wants to wear. She goes for the yellow dress with sunflowers embroidered at the bottom.
She sits Rindy on her lap while she tries to brush her hair.
"So the surprise is that I met someone very very special when I was at the library last week, and…"
"You went to a library mommy? The place with all the books?" Rindy interrupts her.
"Yes, sweet pea. I thought you'd like to meet this someone. Her name is Therese and she works at the library, she loves books." Carol's eyes instantly light up at the mention of the girls name.
"Like Belle?"
"Yes, like Belle. Mommy really loves Therese, and asked her if she'd like to live here with us." Carol hopes her daughter won't ask any complicated questions because she isn't sure she'll have answers that a five year old will understand.
"Will she read books for me like you do before bed?" Rindy looks up at her mother and Carol is glad that this is the question she asks.
"If you ask her nicely, I'm sure she'd love to." Carol knows Therese would definitely love to. "So what do you say we go surprise her at the library hm?"
"Yes!" Rindy jumps off her lap and runs to the door and Carol can't help but be thankful for how wonderful and loving her little Rindy is.
(Notes)
Poem excerpt by Alex Sandra Myles. I hope you enjoy this chapter! I'm excited for Rindy to meet Therese so hopefully next chap will be up soon. I'm not sure how far i'm gonna go with this, if anyone has any promts they're welcome! You can always find me on tumblr at thereseswan tumblr com xx