Retreat then Restore...Revisiting the Past

She went away, and now she's back...but how does she explain the fact that she wasn't dead, and didn't kill herself?

Just a word of warning to all...My exams start in May and there's going to be a lot of pressure on me workwise until the end of June. So posts may be sparse.

I am posting like a well oiled machine these past few days, there's inspiration in the air.

'But can we survive it?' asked Ric.

'We always do,' replied Diane. 'I'm going to be straight with you. I don't know if we should be together, my heart can decide but my head refuses to. I think that we should try. But I don't want to rush things. Because that's where our relationships have their downfall.'

'I understand,' replied Ric truthfully. 'Shall we start with dinner? I'll make us a special meal, wine, candles, flowers, once Cassie's in bed.'

'Sounds good,' she replied with a smile, leaning over to him and planting a small, chaste kiss on his cheek.

Before this morning, Ric had intended to ask Diane out for a meal at a restaurant, but after the incident with her panicking about Cassie, he knew that she trusted no one with her daughter. He didn't blame her, trusting people had got her nowhere, but he sincerely hoped that she would come around when she knew that she wouldn't be put in that same situation again.

But it would take time, and he understood that. He was just thankful that she agreed to this date.

He had ran home to get a clean shirt and trousers, and had gone shopping to get the ingredients for the meal he was planning on making them. He was going to make them Diane's favourite Ghanaian dish, Kentumere, which was fish and spinach in tomatoes, and jollof rice, which was a simple rice dish flavoured with ham, peppers, cabbage and green beans.

For dessert, he was planning on making them Bananas Ghana, which was simply roasted bananas with cinnamon and sugar.

Ric wanted to bring back the memories of their time in Ghana, the good times that they enjoyed together, before these tragedies occurred.

As he cooked, Diane came into the kitchen, and looked over the pot.

'Ahh,' she said, inhaling deeply. 'Kentumere, jollof rice and Bananas Ghana?'

'You know your Ghanaian smells,' he replied with a smile.

'You can never forget true Ghanaian food once you have tasted it,' said Diane. 'I practically lived on these dishes when we were out there.'

'These are the best ones, I have to admit,' said Ric.

'As much as I would love to stand here and smell this gorgeous food, I have to go and get ready,' she said with a smile and a final sniff.

'You don't have to get ready Diane, it's just the two of us,' said Ric.

'I know,' she admitted. 'But I want to feel beautiful.'

'You are beautiful anyway,' replied Ric. 'But go ahead. Dinner will be ready in 20 minutes.'

'Okay,' she replied, getting up and leaving the room.

She returned 15 minutes later, smelling of a gentle citrus perfume, and wearing a deep blue silk blouse and grey trousers.

'You look beautiful,' he said, kissing her cheek and leading her into the dining room, where the table was set beautifully, a nice bottle of wine awaiting them, and tonnes of candles lit.

'It's beautiful in here,' she remarked, not believing that her grotty little flat could become this. She sat down and placed a napkin over her lap, her taste buds tingling in anticipation to eat Ghanaian cuisine once again.

Disappearing from the room, Ric reappeared a few minutes later with 2 plates of Kentumere and jollof rice. Placing it on the table, he took 2 glasses, and poured a generous amount of wine into each for them, and handed one glass to Diane.

Taking a sip, she placed the glass back down onto the table and began to eat, groaning softly as the first mouthful entered her mouth. She carried on eating it, as fast as she could without getting indigestion, but fast enough that it was finished pretty quickly.

'Oh God, this is too good,' she said. 'So much better than I remember it.'

'Well, you've only eaten Kumi and Abra's Kentumere and jollof rice,' said Ric. 'Mine is so much better.'

'I have no doubt about that,' said Diane softly.

'You know that Abra took a fancy to you?' asked Ric.

Laughing Diane said sarcastically, 'I actually had no idea. Honestly, it was quite embarrassing. But I only had eyes for you.'

'And I for you,' replied Ric honestly. 'Diane, listen to me. I know how I feel about you 100%, and I know that, even though our relationship has had problems and we've both made mistakes, I want to be with you more than I want to live, to eat, to breathe, to sleep. I am in love with you so deeply and so truly that I would give my life to spare yours. Please tell me that you feel the same way Diane.'

Looking down at her plate, she replied, 'I do. I love you. I know that I do. My head has cleared, and it's telling me that this is the right thing. I want to be with you more than anything, if you'll still have me.'

Standing up and kneeling down beside her, Ric looked up at her and said, 'Don't be silly Diane. Of course I want you.'

Leaning up to her, he captured her lips in a passionate kiss, letting her know how much he had missed her, and how much he was looking forward to their life together.

'Ric,' she said quietly into his ear. 'Make love to me.'

Picking her up, he took her to the bedroom and showed her truly how much he'd missed being in her arms.

Sorry for the lack of smut, I am actually hopeless at writing it. So will have to leave it to your imaginations.