Chapter 3 - The Surprise
Caitlin had never seen Charlotte so angry. She had arrived home to find her lover pacing back and forth with a glass of Scotch in one hand and the bottle in the other!
"That fucking bitch!" said Charlotte to herself as she hadn't heard Caitlin enter the room. "That fucking bitch!" repeated Charlotte unable to control the anger and animosity she felt at this moment for Alison Newell.
"Hey, calm down, you'll give yourself a stroke!" responded Caitlin, concerned for her lover's welfare. "Charlotte, Terri phoned me and told me the saga. You won the battle. Don't let her upset you like this – it's what she would want. Put it behind you and move on with your life, our life, Charlotte."
"I can't help it Caitlin, she has been bugging me for years now and when finally I manage to get one up on her, instead of feeling happy, I feel so angry" responded Charlotte, who by now was beginning to tremble and the tears poured down her cheeks.
"Shh, it's fine, everything's going to be fine." said Caitlin who had taken Charlotte in her arms and was rocking back and forth with her, hoping to ease the pain that was beginning to consume Charlotte. It was at this moment that Caitlin knew there was only one course of action. How she was going to go about it she wasn't quite sure, but not having Charlotte in her life was something she couldn't comprehend and she made up her mind to give Charlotte the biggest surprise of her life.
"Charlotte, how would you like to go on vacation at the end of the month? Two weeks, just the two of us. You could do with a break and I was thinking of maybe heading to Byron Bay, booking into a luxurious hotel and treating ourselves to all the comforts. What do you say?" asked Caitlin, hoping that she could persuade Charlotte to drop everything and take the break that was needed. She may have to enlist Terri's help in convincing Charlotte that it was the right thing to do and anyway Terri would be thrilled with the reason for the break.
"Do you know something, Caitlin, that sounds like the best idea I have heard in a long time. If I stay around here much longer, I am liable to do something stupid. Count me in." came Charlotte's reply.
"Come on, time to eat. Let's go to that restaurant you love so much." said Caitlin.
"Great idea, just wait till I fix my eyes" responded Charlotte, who by this stage had begun to forget Alison Newell, and was looking forward to spending the evening with the woman who she was madly in love with. "How could I have been so stupid as to nearly wreck everything between us?" said Charlotte to herself, "From now on, any decision will be a joint one. I can't risk losing the woman of my dreams, not now, not ever."
Charlotte and Caitlin returned from the restaurant and were so exhausted by the day's events that they went straight to bed and held each other tightly for the whole night.
Next morning, Caitlin woke early and decided to get up, leaving Charlotte sound asleep. Looking down on the fragile figure lying in bed, Caitlin vowed never to let anyone take her away from her. She was do deeply in love with Charlotte that the thought of her hurting like yesterday was enough to make Caitlin vow to keep Charlotte safe and help her to overcome whatever demons lay inside her head.
It was time for Caitlin to put her plan in motion. Picking up the phone, she dialed Terri's number. "Terri Sullivan" came the reply.
"Hi Terri, it's Caitlin. I need your help. I'm sorry to disturb you on a Saturday morning, but could we meet for coffee, just the two of us? Say around 11 o'clock. Great, see you in Roly's." Caitlin put down the receiver and went back into the bedroom where she found that Charlotte was still asleep. "Dear God, look after her, she is exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster of yesterday." Putting a note on her pillow, Caitlin left the apartment and headed for the mall to buy the most important gift of her life.
Charlotte woke, about an hour after Caitlin had left, and noticing the note on the pillow she sat bolt upright and with dread opened the note. Good morning, sweetheart. You certainly slept well. I have had to pop out for a couple of hours but make sure you are ready about 4 o'clock when I will pick you up and take you on a surprise journey. That'll make you think for the rest of the day! You won't be able to work it out. Enjoy the freedom to skulk around the apartment but be ready by 4 o'clock. All my love, Caitlin. Charlotte was taken aback by the note, but was glad that it hadn't been anything more serious. With Charlotte having a very curious, if not nosey, nature, it was going to be virtually impossible for her to get through the day without coming up with all sorts of reasons for this 'surprise journey'.
Arriving at the mall, Caitlin parked closed to the shops and with her nerves stretched to the limit, she headed off in the direction of the jewelers.
"Good morning, madam. How can I be of service?" asked the attendant.
"I would like to buy an engagement ring, please." replied Caitlin.
"Certainly, madam. Have you and your fiancée anything in mind or has he let you loose on the rings?" asked the shop attendant.
"The ring is for my girlfriend!" replied Caitlin.
"Ah, I'm sorry madam, I didn't mean to pry. What about this tray here? What sort of ring would your girlfriend go for?"
"Well, I think she would like a ring that wasn't too traditional, but said everything to the world! Do you know what I mean?" asked Caitlin
"I do. How about this one?" said the assistant pointing to the most beautiful ring Caitlin had seen in her short life. "It's traditional with the diamond but the five pointed star shape is unusual with sapphires surrounding the diamond in the middle."
"I'll take it" replied Caitlin, producing a ring of Charlotte's to check on the size. They matched perfectly which was all the more special in that it would enable Caitlin to give the ring to Charlotte that afternoon. First she needed to go and meet Terri, and explain the plan she had in mind. It was Caitlin's intention to give Charlotte the best wedding she could and surprise her into the bargain.
Terri was waiting for Caitlin when she arrived at Roly's and had ordered two Flat White coffees. "Hey, Caitlin, what's all the secrecy?"
"Well, Terri, I hope you're ready for this?" said Caitlin. "I am going to ask Charlotte to marry me this afternoon!"
"Oh my God" replied Terri, "That's great. How can I help?"
"Well, I need you to get everyone who knows Charlotte to Byron Bay at the end of the month. We are going to stay in The Conrad, and I have booked the function room, I know it is not very exciting, for the wedding reception. We are going to be married in the open at the harbour and I wanted all Charlotte's special friends to be there. I know it is going to be difficult to keep this secret from her but after I propose I am going to keep it a secret that we will actually be getting married on our vacation. Do you think you can help?" pleaded Caitlin.
"I certainly think so" replied Terri "This is great Caitlin, I am so happy for both of you. When you came into Charlotte's life, she was at a point where she believed that she would be on her own, and when she met you, I could see how deeply in love with you she was. You have made her happy and for that I am grateful. I know she will be overwhelmed by this and love you so much more."
Caitlin opened her bag and produced the box which held the engagement ring. Lifting it out she handed the box to Terri and waited for her response. "It's beautiful. Perfect for Charlotte Beaumont, not too traditional but spelling out the love between you. She will be so emotional, Caitlin. I hope you bring a box of tissues with you!"
"Thanks Terri. I hoped you would agree with me. Now, I suppose I had better get on with planning the proposal for this afternoon. I was planning on taking Charlotte to the coast, to that special cove she likes so much. I hope it will be quiet and I can put romance into the proposal. I don't know exactly what I'm going to say, but I just hope she doesn't turn me down!"
"She won't. I know that for a fact. She has found her soul mate and wants to be with you. It was the worst two weeks of her life when she moved out. I saw it in her face every day, Caitlin. She wouldn't survive without you. She has never been more in love with anyone since I've known her, even Vincent." said Terri of Charlotte's previous disastrous relationships. Although Vincent and Charlotte remained close friends, no one had captured Charlotte's heart like the vibrant Caitlin and Terri knew that this was going to make Charlotte the happiest woman on the planet.
Charlotte had found it difficult to concentrate since reading the note from Caitlin. Numerous cups of coffee and even the paper hadn't put her mind at ease. It was not like Charlotte to have left the paper unread by lunchtime but something at the back of her mind was making it difficult to concentrate. She had gone for a 3 mile run but that hadn't blown the cobwebs away and now as it was approaching 4 o'clock she was beginning to panic. What if Caitlin was breaking up with her? It would be impossible to continue in All Saints without the woman she loved. What was going to happen? Just at that moment she heard the key in the door and rushed out to meet Caitlin.
"Darling, I've been so confused since I read your note this morning. Is anything wrong?" asked Charlotte.
"On the contrary. Everything is just perfect. Come on, are you ready to go?" replied an extremely nervous Caitlin. "We'll be at our destination in about an hour"
"Where are we going?" enquired Charlotte. "Please tell me!"
"No, you will have to wait until we get there, but I guarantee you will know before that!"
About 20 minutes into the journey, Charlotte yelled "I've got it. We're going to Bluff Cove but I didn't bring any gear with me. Why didn't you say something?" asked a bewildered Charlotte.
"Charlotte, believe me, you won't need any gear. I have a surprise for you and hopefully it will just be the two of us on the beach." replied Caitlin.
Caitlin pulled the car into the parking lot and was pleased to see that there were only 2 other cars. She wanted this to be perfect and wasn't sure what she was going to say to Charlotte but she wanted it to be the special day she had planned.
Charlotte and Caitlin got out of the car and walked down to the beach. It was a beautiful sunny day, with a warm breeze and very little activity on the beach. Just how Caitlin wanted it to be. Hand in hand they walked down onto the beach and strolled for a while a long the shore. Pulling Caitlin close to her, Charlotte kissed her passionately on the lips and they stayed in that embrace for quite some time. "I love you" said Charlotte.
It was now or never, the mood was right and Caitlin was hoping she could get the words out, before her nerves got the better of her.
Bending down on one knee, Caitlin took the box out of her pocket, opened it and began "Charlotte, over the last four years you have been the world to me. We have been through tough times but still managed to face those hurdles with hope, love and compassion. No words can express how much I love you, so, Charlotte Beaumont would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"
Charlotte was dumbstruck. Never had she expected this. She looked at the ring and thought it was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. "Yes, I will" replied Charlotte. At that moment Caitlin removed the ring from the box and placed it on the third finger of Charlotte's left hand. Standing up she pulled the most amazing woman towards her and planted a kiss on her lips. Charlotte pulled away from Caitlin, saying "I want you now, and if we don't go and find a hotel, I am going to take you right here and now otherwise I am going to explode."
"Hold that thought" said Caitlin, who was feeling sensations in her body, only Charlotte could provoke. "Come on, there is a hotel just up ahead" Running in the direction of the hotel Caitlin and Charlotte could hardly contain themselves. Once in the hotel, they quickly got a room and before they had even got in through the door, pieces of clothing were being dropped on the floor. It was the most passionate lovemaking that Charlotte and Caitlin had experienced in a long time and one of the biggest surprises Charlotte had experienced, little realizing that there was going to be at least one more surprise in store.
Chapter 4 coming soon.