Patsy and Delia reunited! Hope you enjoy it!
"Pats?" Delia said, moving toward the woman stepping off the train. Patsy couldn't believe her eyes. "Delia…" The thrill of hearing Delia's voice made her heart jump in her chest but she wasn't expecting to see the Welsh woman so soon and the sight of her was an assault to her senses. Momentarily dumbstruck, she could only manage to take a step forward, unable to speak yet. She took in Delia's dress, which must be new, and admired the polished look of her love. Delia had really put some effort into her appearance, or so it seemed to Patsy, who tried not to stare. Finally, their eyes met and Patsy could see the nerves Delia was trying to hide.
"Patsy? Is it alright that I came to pick you up? I know I didn't tell you before. There was no time. I couldn't have gotten a letter to you in time." Patsy almost grinned at her uncharacteristically insecure question. Almost. Instead, she rushed forward to stand in front of her and set her things down. "Oh Delia, it's wonderful that you met me here! Who knows what time I'd have turned up at your house otherwise? I was not looking forward to asking for directions." Delia smiled, "Really? Good. I'm so glad." For the second time in not two minutes, Delia surprised Patsy by suddenly moving forward and wrapping her arms around her in a hug. Patsy could have sworn she heard Delia sigh, but dismissed the thought as purely wishful thinking. Patsy found herself melting into the touch of her. She had missed her affection and this felt like the first ray of sunshine after a monsoon. Wrapped up in her feelings, she found herself embarrassed when Delia moved to pull away and she held her tight a fraction of a second longer, unable to let go.
Delia gave her a curious look and tilted her head to the side, but said nothing about it. "Can I help you carry your things?" Delia asked, already reaching to grab a suitcase. "Oh Delia, are you sure? I don't want you to overdo it." Delia smiled but waved a finger at Patsy, "Oh Pats, don't you start in on me too. It's all I hear from my mother as it is. You're supposed to be on my side." Patsy smiled back, "I am on your side. Sorry. Clearly you are capable of carrying things. I've just always been protective of you and I guess it's no different now." Delia reached for her hand and squeezed it, "I feel protective of you too." Then, grinning, she continued "But, you can pick up the rest of your bags and help me. I can't carry it all." Patsy laughed out loud, "Alright, fair's fair."
They set off in the direction of Delia's home. Patsy was content to let Delia chatter away as they walked, letting her point out various things along the way. "Oh, that's the best place for a good bite to eat." She said, pointing to a small building along what looked like the road running through the middle of town. "That's the post office. I always walk there to post your letters. It's my favorite excuse to get out of the house!" As they walked further, the landscape opened up more until it was just the occasional house along the way. "Not much longer now," Delia said before pointing out her favorite shade tree along a small river.
Patsy took this time while they were alone to memorize every detail of Delia, while she was distracted, acting as her tour guide. She took in Delia's hair, which was done up like it usually was, and it made her yearn even more to have their relationship back. She didn't know it, but Delia had imitated the style she saw in the photo of her and Patsy; wanting to look like her old self, the way Patsy remembered her. Patsy also noticed Delia's new dress. It was dark blue, knee length, and cinched in around the waist; really showing off Delia's figure. She found her eyes resting on the curve of her waist. She hadn't realized when Delia had stopped talking, but could suddenly feel her staring at her. "Patsy? Have you been listening to a word I've said?" she chuckled, watching Patsy shake off her daydream. "Gosh, sorry. Yes, I am listening though. I was just distracted. Thinking." Patsy said, giving an apologetic half smile. "What are you thinking about?" Delia asked. Patsy stammered, "Well…um," she felt herself blush, "I guess I was just thinking about how different it is from London here." Delia nodded, seeming to accept the answer. "Yes, it is different. I hope it doesn't bore you. Pembrokeshire doesn't have all the excitement of a big city like London." Patsy looked at Delia, trying to make her sense her sincerity, "No, but it's got you; and you could never bore me." Delia's eyes shined brightly back at her as a huge grin overtook her face. Patsy returned the smile and they walked the last few minutes of the journey in contemplative silence.
Patsy had to admit to herself that meeting Delia's parents had been stressful. Her father was a quiet man but seemed appreciative of the gloves she had gifted him. In contrast, Delia's mother was quite the chatterbox; going on and on about how glad she was for Delia to have a friend visit and asking Patsy about every detail of her journey. She had grasped Patsy's hands and smiled at her earnestly when thanking her for the lovely hair comb and Patsy silently thanked her stars that she seemed to be making a good impression on what once upon a time would have been her in-laws, so to speak. Delia had been absolutely over the moon to receive the purple cardigan ("I love the color!") and perfume. "Oh Pats, it smells lovely, thank you!" she said, spraying it on. Though convinced she had made a good impression, Patsy was relieved when Mrs. Busby said, "Oh girls, do go on upstairs and get settled in. I'm sure you're quite tired from the journey, Patsy dear. I'll call you down when supper is ready."
Finding herself alone with Delia, in her bedroom, had been a relief. Delia sat on her bed and smiled at Patsy, who was walking around inspecting her things curiously. "I'm absolutely dreadful, aren't I?" asked Patsy, looking at Delia, "Do you mind me looking around?" Delia laughed, "Not at all. There isn't much to see anyway." Patsy disagreed, "I don't know, these pictures of you as a child are pretty adorable," she said holding up a frame. Delia blushed at the compliment, "Thanks, I was quite the tomboy apparently. All scraped knees, rocks in the pockets, and dirty hands." Patsy laughed, "Well some things never change." Delia looked offended, but still grinned, "Oh hush, you." she said, eliciting a chuckle from Patsy.
Patsy was startled from their joking when her eyes fell on the flowers in the windowsill. Delia watched her carefully, wondering what made Patsy's expression change so quickly. "What's wrong?" Delia asked. Patsy shook her head slowly, "Nothing. Nothing's wrong." Patsy turned to face Delia. "These flowers are so pretty." Delia felt pleased with herself at the compliment. "Thank you. I picked them for you. I wanted you to have something beautiful to look at every day." Patsy's heart melted and she thought to herself "I already do, when I'm with you." Out loud, she could only manage a quiet "They're lovely, Delia." Delia jumped up from the bed then and walked over to her chest of drawers. She opened the top two drawers, "I cleared these out for you to put your things in. Do you want help unpacking?" Patsy was touched at the gesture, "Yes, thank you. It will be nice to settle in."
Patsy placed her things on the bed and opened her suitcase while Delia opened another bag to help. Patsy quickly moved to stop her, but it was too late. Delia had already opened the bag containing her underclothes. Delia blushed instantly and Patsy was about to say something when Delia cut in, "So, umm, where would you like these to go?" Patsy felt her voice go up in pitch as she tried to act indifferent to the situation, "Oh, well, I guess you could put them in the top drawer." Delia nodded and moved to place the items where she was instructed to. Patsy pretended to be occupied refolding the clothes in her suitcase while Delia completed her task. Delia meanwhile, found herself carefully placing each garment in the drawer, feeling a curiosity about each item and also feeling somewhat scandalous to be touching Patsy's underwear and bras. She was confused by this, considering that she helped her mother with the washing and never thought twice about handling her garments. She had a sudden realization that she now knew what Patsy was wearing under her clothes and it made her heart pound. She couldn't stop the mental image of Patsy in her underwear from flashing into her mind. She felt immensely embarrassed at herself, even more so when she realized she was done putting the things away and had to face Patsy now.
"All done?" Patsy asked, noticing the awkwardness in Delia, who couldn't quite meet her eyes. Delia nodded, so Patsy began to unpack her suitcase next. She spotted the bottle of whisky and decided to surprise Delia with it then and distract her from what had just transpired. "Deels?" Delia looked up to see Patsy smirking mischievously. "What? Why do you look so impish?" she asked curiously. Patsy was obviously holding something behind her back and she replied, "Well, I might have gotten you another little gift." Delia raised her eyebrows, "Oh really? Why am I scared?" They both laughed and Patsy said with a grin, "Well, remember how you said you haven't had a drink since the accident?" Pulling the bottle from behind her back, she continued, "Well, I brought you some whisky. I thought we might share it and see what you think of it. Once your parents are asleep, of course."
Delia giggled and walked over to grab the bottle from Patsy. She looked it over and her smile grew even bigger, "Thank you so much! You always seem to know exactly what I'll like. I've actually been really curious about whisky since your letter. Of course my parents don't keep any in the house." Patsy nodded, "Well now you have some! Although, I rather think we should finish it off while I'm here for the week. I don't like to think of you drinking alone." Delia agreed, "Deal. We'll have some tonight!" she said, grinning, and stepped on her tiptoes to kiss Patsy's cheek before giving her a hug. "Thank you so much, Pats. For everything. It means more to me than you know." The hug lasted longer and felt tighter than the first one she had gotten that day. When it was over, it was Patsy who had pulled away first, albeit reluctantly. She could only stare at the ground afterward, feeling a heat rise in her body, even though she knew Delia's affection had only been friendly, it couldn't stop her feelings from wanting to boil over. Missing Delia had been so much easier when there was distance between them. It was harder, missing her when she was standing right in front of her, holding her, kissing her cheek, and not remembering what they had shared together. When she did meet Delia's eyes, she saw a pure happiness within them and had to smile. "You're welcome, Deels. I'd do anything to make you happy."
Delia seemed overjoyed by her kind words and said, "And I'd do anything to make you happy too. Now, close your eyes."