Author's notes: Thought I'd write a chapter with the two of them just being together. Hope it's not too dull...
Have to confess, I'm not sure what to do with the two of them next...Suggestions welcome!
Weekend in Manchester
The 14.20 train from Chester rolls smoothly into Victoria Station, Manchester. After gliding to a complete standstill, the doors open outwards and the passengers descend the stairs and onto the platform edge.
One of the first to disembark is a slim, auburn-haired girl, dressed snugly in cosy winter leggings, knee-length boots, all topped off with a toasty-looking fitted parka with a fur-lined hood.
Tilly looks around to get her bearings, then follows her fellow passengers towards the station exit. She spies Jen on the other side of the ticket barriers and returns her wave eagerly. Her stomach experiences that familiar surge of excitement as she takes in the sight of Jen who is dressed equally warmly, sporting her bright pink scarf which sets off her glossy, black hair prettily.
As Tilly makes her way through the barrier, Jen moves forward to meet her, grinning and holding out her arms. Tilly hugs her hard. She can feel the warmth of her through her coat and smell her perfume and clings on, wishing she could capture the moment and keep it with her always. They kiss, briefly, both of them a little shy with each other and inhibited by the constant stream of passengers traversing the very public station forecourt. "Come on!" says Jen enthusiastically. "I'm going to take you to the Lowry...there's a great street art exhibition that you'll love." Jen steers Tilly out of the station putting both arms through hers.
The exhibition is everything Jen promised it would be. Tilly is thrilled by the large, colourful images and Jen explains the political significance of some of the more thought-provoking pieces. "This is amazing!" says Tilly. "I knew you'd like it." Replies Jen, pleased. As they wander round the exhibition, Jen can hardly keep her eyes from her younger companion, charmed by her appreciation of the subject she, herself so dearly loves. Tilly notices the attention and smiles shyly back at Jen.
When they have seen enough, they stroll along the quayside, earnestly discussing their favourite pieces and taking in the picturesque waterways of Salford quays. Suddenly, the skies darken and the heavens open, drenching the two of them almost instantly, making them laugh at the shock of it. Jen grabs Tilly's hand. "My flat's not too far, let's run for it!"
Jen opens the door to her studio flat and they both enter still dripping from the pouring tumult. They stand on the door mat just inside and stare at one another giggling at their appearances. Rivers of water cascade down their outer clothing, their hair is matted against their faces and their cheeks are rosy from the cold.
Jen reaches out and unzips Tilly's parka, she grabs the lapels and pulls Tilly toward her, kissing her soundly. "Let's get you out of these wet things, shall we?" she says teasingly. Tilly grins and nods her acquiescence, pushing a stray piece of wet hair out of her eyes. Jen pushes off Tilly's parka and lets it drop to the floor. She removes her own, now sodden, scarf and coat swiftly and then bends down to unzip Tilly's boots and takes them off for her. She kicks off her own boots before descending on Tilly again, pushing her wet hair from her face, her lips hungrily traversing Tilly's face and neck, sucking up the moisture as she goes.
Tilly shivers slightly. "Are you cold?" worries Jen. "Come on, I'll put the fire on." She draws Tilly over to the sofa and switches on the gas fire. It casts a pleasant orange glow over the tiny flat. She then disappears into the small bathroom in the corner, re-emerging with two fluffy, blue towels, one of which she hands to Tilly, the other she uses to remove the worst of the moisture from her hair. Tilly does the same.
"Wait there, I've got some champagne! That'll warm us up on the inside!" says Jen. She heads to the fridge, which is now well-stocked and pulls out a bottle, waving it triumphantly at Tilly who is watching intently, curled up on the sofa. Jen opens a cupboard and collects two wine glasses then returns to Tilly who helpfully takes them from her. Jen tears off the wrapping and confidently pops the cork, filling both glasses. "Here's to us!" toasts Jen holding up her glass to Tilly. Tilly gently clinks her glass against Jen's and replies "To us." They both take a sip and Tilly follows up the toast by leaning in and kissing Jen's lips once more. They both stop to look at one another, then Jen takes both their glasses and rests them on the coffee table. She takes Tilly's face in her hands and kisses her urgently. Tilly puts her arms around Jen's neck and, with her body, pushes her back on the sofa, lips never losing contact.
Jen pulls back from the embrace, her thumb stroking Tilly's cheek. "You know, there's a bed just over there." She whispers indicating the double bed just behind the couch. "Plenty of time for that..." teases Tilly. "Besides, I like it here by the fire". She closes in on Jen's lips then and gets to work renewing their intimacy, exploring with tongues, hands, fingers and lips. Their remaining clothes are quickly discarded and their naked bodies fuse into a single entity like a living, breathing work of art, sculpted from fire and shadow.
Some time later...
At some point, the coffee table has been dragged to one side and the two women are lying together, naked limbs tangled up in each other and in the throw from the sofa, surrounded by a pile of cushions. The rain has gentled now and it drums on the velux windows overhead providing the backbeat to their love making. Jen is lying on her side and has her head balanced on one hand, resting on her elbow. She trails the other hand lazily down Tilly's torso. Tilly is on her back, her body washed by the orange tints from the fire.
Jen leans down and kisses Tilly slowly. "I could kiss you all night..." she says softly. "Hmm." agrees Tilly liking the sound of that.
"You must be starving though!" Jen suddenly declares.
"Maybe a bit..." admits Tilly, reluctant to move from her current position.
"Well, I'm going to cook you something fabulous. You're very lucky that I'm such a brilliant chef. You're in for a real treat!"
"And modest too..." comments Tilly, pulling a face.
Jen laughs and moves to extricate herself from the tangle, but Tilly holds her down, demanding, and receiving, three more kisses before finally releasing her. Jen puts on a tee shirt and some underwear, including thick woolly socks and heads to the kitchen area, humming happily to herself. Tilly lies back on the cushions and watches her as she empties various ingredients from the fridge, getting to work chopping, peeling and washing. Tilly decides she needs more attention and stands up, drawing the throw up and around herself and meanders over to the kitchen area where she wraps herself around Jen from behind, her lips gently caressing Jen's neck and shoulders. The preparation of the meal is definitely slowed down by Tilly's 'helping'. Both women are unable to keep their hands off each other for more than a few moments, behaving like two puppies, nipping, licking, nudging and gently pawing each other affectionately.
At last, Jen has finished the preparation of her casserole and places it in the oven. She pours them some more champagne whilst Tilly reassembles the couch. They then snuggle up together in front of the fire, Jen feeding them both small morsels of french bread and cheese to keep them going whilst they wait for the meal to cook.
"So, what did you miss about me most?" asks Tilly mischievously.
"Hmm..." considers Jen. "I missed your luscious lips..." she says and as she does so, she addresses those same lips with her own.
"What else?" asks Tilly.
"I missed everything about you." says Jen, seriously.
Tilly is moved. "I missed you too." she adds. "You're so beautiful Jen. Whilst we were apart, I used to think that you must have met someone else...Otherwise you'd have come back for me..." admits Tilly, her brow creasing at the memory of the recent heartache.
"Oh...Tilly..." says Jen, glimpsing, once again, the pain that her sudden departure and prolonged absence had caused. Tilly is curled up in the crook of Jen's right arm and Jen leans down to kiss her again reassuringly. "Well, my head of department did make a pass at me..." she announces suddenly. Tilly looks up sharply. "Don't worry..." continues Jen. "He's definitely not my type!" she declares.
They eat their meal at the little round table by the kitchen area. Jen lights a candle and they hold hands and link legs whilst they eat, catching up on their lives and sharing stories of their childhoods, reconnecting on every level. When they have eaten their full, Tilly leads Jen over to the bed where they create new and more intimate memories together.
The next morning, Jen is the first to waken as a weak, winter sun peers through the windows. She looks across at her sleeping companion who is laid out star-shaped on her stomach, leaving Jen only a narrow corridor to balance on. Jen smiles fondly down at her and nuzzles her neck. Tilly makes an appreciative murmur but is clearly not ready to rouse herself from sleep, so Jen decides to make some coffee and crawls out of the bed, throwing on some clothes to protect her from the morning chill.
Tilly comes to with the delicious smell of fresh coffee permeating the small flat. She sits up and rubs the sleep from her eyes, searching unsuccessfully for Jen. "Jen?" she calls. Since it's a studio flat, the only place that Jen could possibly be is the small bathroom in the far corner, but the door is open and Tilly assumes from the lack of response that Jen has gone out. Her hypothesis is confirmed as she hears the key in the door. Feeling suddenly vulnerable, she draws the covers up around her.
Jen enters and smiles when she sees Tilly is awake. She is carrying a bag which she deposits on the coffee table, collecting the wine glasses from the night before and placing them in the sink. She takes off her coat and hangs it up before approaching Tilly, laying down next to her and kissing her gently. "Morning sleepy!" she says brightly.
"Morning!" replies Tilly hoarsely, her vocal chords not yet warmed up.
"I've got some lovely pain au chocolat from the little bakery at the end of the road if you like" says Jen, running her fingers through Tilly's hair. "Or... you could come back to bed..." teases Tilly gently forcing Jen down on top of her. "You're insatiable!" murmurs Jen, happy to comply.
The rest of the Sunday is spent like this, the two lovers decadently indulging in each other, pausing only to eat or drink or share thoughts and secrets. At one point, Jen suggests they go out, but it is only half-hearted and neither wants to leave the cosy nest they are inhabiting where they can delight in each other without being observed or judged by outsiders.
"It's so nice being here..." sighs Tilly, as they cuddle together once more on Jen's sofa. "It's a far cry from your 'snogmobile'" she adds laughing.
"Where's your sense of romance?" responds Jen raising her eyebrows.
"I do have to go soon though." says Tilly, regretfully.
"Oh..." says Jen. Suddenly she feels like the time they have spent together has gone too fast and wishes she could make time stand still for a while longer.
"I'd better get dressed." Says Tilly. "Maybe I should take a shower?" She enquires flirtatiously.
"OK... I'll help.." laughs Jen and they head to the bathroom together, rapidly discarding what little clothing they have left.
Jen drives Tilly to the station where they make their final farewells.
"It's been such a lovely weekend. I'll miss you.." says Tilly forlornly.
"Me too." replies Jen.
They cling to each other, before Tilly says. "Oh God, my train... I really have to go now!" opening the passenger door. Turning back briefly "I love you" she adds, then swiftly makes her way out of the car.
Jen only has time to nod and smile. Tilly sprints towards the station entrance but stops suddenly to turn back and wave, her face a picture of youthful happiness. Jen returns the salutation brightly, but then sighs, already missing the intensity of their shared weekend together.