A sea of time passed between them as they stood there, laying eyes on one another for the first time in seven years… both trying to comprehend the magnitude of this very moment.

Katey had momentarily lost her voice, her heart seemed to have stopped beating, her breaths had become shallow, her skin tingled all over and she felt her eyes begin to water. Had it not been for the fact that she had, for the moment, lost her voice, she was sure she would have screamed till her lungs burst.

Was this really happening? Was this really Javier standing before her?

For a moment she anticipated the familiar beating drums and string of an invisible guitar…just like in her dream….but no, there was just a pure silence between them, and it was almost magical.

The moment was very dream-like. Except that, in Katey's dreams, she dreamt of the young Javier…. The Javier she had left behind in Cuba back in 1958. The Javier standing in front of her at this very moment had most definitely changed in those seven years.

He had grown an untidy, but somewhat handsome beard. It made him look much older, much more masculine. And even though he wore a long-sleeved shirt, Katey could tell he had filled out a bit - his chest was noticeably bigger, and she guessed his arms were as well. His eyes were still gloriously dark, but with a glint of something more… wisdom perhaps?

He was still undeniably beautiful, but he had changed. Katey had expected this, of course, but still, as she looked at him now, she realized that a small part of her had thought to meet again with the young Cuban boy she first saw dancing provocatively on the streets all those years ago.

She wondered, as she continued to stare at Javier, if he still had that cheeky, lop-sided grin….

Just then, half of his face began to smile, and Katey's heart jumped.

"Katey?" he breathed.

Katey felt a single tear escape as she let out a half-sigh, half-giggle. But she couldn't manage to string together any words still, so she simply smiled back as wide as she could, and nodded.

"Katey!" Javier repeated, smiling even broader now.

She let out another breathy-laugh as Javier stepped out from behind the bar and slowly walked towards her, his jaw a little dropped as he did so.

He came and stood so close to her, just staring into her face, not daring to reach out and touch her.

Katey looked into his face, her smile gone now, replaced by tears of joy.

"Katey" he whispered again. And this time, she couldn't restrain herself from encasing him in her arms. She didn't say anything; she just wrapped her arms tight around him and cried gently into his shoulder. After the moment of shock passed, Javier gently swathed her with his arms and they stood like that for a perfect few minutes until finally, Katey took hold of herself and pulled away, swiping at her watery eyes and thumbing away the tears, laughing at herself as she did so.

"I-I-cant believe it's you!" Javier stammered, looking intently into her face.

She looked up and let out another care-free laugh as she felt a new bout of tears form behind her blue eyes; "it's me alright…" she whispered.

"I had hoped that you would come…but I never believed…. I mean, I had hoped so much…but here you are…." Javier stopped himself for a moment, cupping Katey's face in his hands and staring boldly into her teary eyes; "I have missed you so much" he whispered.

The fresh tears began to fall as he uttered these words, but before Katey could think of something to say, Javier leaned in and softly kissed her lips…..and it felt right, it felt beautiful, and familiar and….Katey thought…it felt like home.

Katey closed her eyes and absorbed the moment. Javier's lips on hers…a wave of glorious nostalgia swept over her, and even though tears continued to silently fall, her heart filled with joy and hope as their kissed deepened.

Finally, Javier pulled away, still holding Katey's face in his hands, he looked about to cry aswell. But instead he smiled wider still, let his hands fall to his sides, stepped back and yelled out; "Agradezca a dios! Mi reina ha vuelto!", then he stepped forward to Katey again, took her by surprise by wrapping his arms around her waist, lifting her off the floor and spinning round and round until she cried out.

They swayed for a moment when he placed her two feet back on the ground, and then Javier brought a hand to lightly caress Katey's wet cheek, "You are home…" he whispered before kissing her again….

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