"Was it a long flight?" Marissa asked as she negotiated her car out of the airport parking lot.
"Too long." said Bianca. "But I had most of the day to relax beforehand which was nice. How are the kids, how is AJ?"
"He's much better. He's staying at his Grandpa's one more night… Oh, there is one thing. I need to stop by the house before I drop you off, if that's okay."
"That's fine." said Bianca as she reached across to rest her hand on Marissa's knee, "There's no rush. It's just nice to be home."
…
Bianca had just endured the worst flight of her life, her torment all due to one man; Derek Beckett.
Bianca had changed her late first class tickets to an earlier business class flight in order to get back home to Pine Valley before midnight. That way she would hopefully have a chance to see her girls before they went to bed.
Derek had the seat beside her. He was dressed in an expensive suit with a large gold watch on his wrist and more than a few gold teeth in his smarmy smile. Bianca felt a twinge of horror when the first words out of his mouth were;
"Hey, babe!"
It was going to be a long flight.
Bianca tried to keep her nose in a book and ignore him, but the guy kept talking, mostly about himself… and then he started on the chat up lines.
"Babe, I'm surprised you need to take a plane, clearly an angel like you has her own wings."
The line was so painful Bianca actually winced.
"Look, I'm spoken for."
"Hey what happens on the plane, stays on the plane." He said cockily.
"I am really not interested."
"You're just playing hard to get."
"No I'm gay!"
The guy laughed.
"You'd be surprised how many women tell me that." he said
"Not really." muttered Bianca.
"…But I always wear them down eventually. Hey I'm a great guy when you get to know me."
"I'm sure you are." said Bianca rolling her eyes.
"So do you have family in Pine Valley?" he asked.
"Well there is my girlfriend." said Bianca.
"Oh yes, 'girlfriend'" he said still laughing, Bianca could almost hear the inverted comas he put around the word.
"Yes, my beautiful girlfriend." said Bianca more assuredly. "Also my two girls."
"You have children?" he said, his smarmy grin growing wider. "That means you must have liked men at some point!"
"It really doesn't." said Bianca flatly.
"Kids love me you know." said Derek confidently sitting back in his seat. "I've got a god-son he adores me, we are really close."
"That's nice, how old is he?" asked Bianca.
Derek froze for a moment.
"Er... His name's Alex." he said quickly.
Bianca, bit back a grin, this man was an idiot.
…
After many more painful hours in Derek's company, the plane finally landed at Pine Valley airport. Bianca thought she would be finally rid of him, but no, Derek followed her to the luggage carousel and offered to take her bags. Bianca tried in vain to find a member of staff to help her but Derek was insistent.
He followed her to the exit gate still chatting her up; he clearly thought things were going well.
But Bianca soon found it very easy to ignore him. There waiting for her by the arrivals gate was the most beautiful sight in the world.
…
It felt to Marissa like she had been waiting a hundred years before Bianca's flight started unloading. She stood at the arrivals gate staring at an empty door willing Bianca to appear but there was no sign of anyone.
There was a brief hint of movement as a member of staff came forward to pin back the doors and then nothing. Marissa looked at her watch, what was taking so long? Then Marissa heard the familiar clop and step of crutches and Bianca was there, striding towards her, the first person to appear. There was a middle-aged man following close behind her with a luggage trolley. But Marissa only had eyes for one thing.
"Bianca." Marissa cried, hurrying forward to engulf her girlfriend in a hug. "God, I missed you."
"I missed you too." Bianca sighed, using one arm to pull her close.
Marissa pulled back just far enough to catch Bianca's smile, before her girlfriend pulled her closer for a kiss. Marissa kissed her back, enjoying the taste and softness of the mouth that she had missed so much. She could have stayed like this for an eternity, but an awkward cough drew them out of their own private paradise.
The man with the trolley was still standing there, his face was now a beetroot red and he was staring at them wide-eyed.
"Oh, sorry Derek, this is my girlfriend Marissa." said Bianca with a broad grin.
The guy suddenly looked like he wanted to be anyplace but there.
"Your luggage?" he squeaked, taking Bianca's case off his trolley and putting it on the floor beside them.
With that the man fled.
"Thank you." Bianca called after him. He didn't look back.
"I suppose I better get you home." said Marissa picking up the suitcase.
The luggage in one hand, Marissa wrapped her other arm around Bianca's waist as they left the airport.
…
"Bianca, I didn't know you could be that was mean." said Marissa as they stepped outside.
"What?"
"You were teasing that man!"
"Trust me, he deserved it!" said Bianca with a sigh, "Although, I hated having to share that welcome. After the flight I've had, I just want you all to myself."
Marissa chuckled, dropping the suitcase to pull Bianca close.
"Well then, welcome home."
She leaned in and recaptured Bianca's lips for a warm, gentle kiss.
"Mmmm." sighed Bianca. "That's better."
…
Gravel crunched under tires as Marissa turned off Crescent and Park onto the drive of their house.
She parked just in front of the colonnaded porch.
"Do you want to come in and see what I've done with the pool house?" Marissa asked as she undid her seatbelt.
"Well If you are only going to be a few minutes, it will take me that long to get round there." said Bianca.
"Come on." said Marissa. "Don't you want to stretch your legs after that long flight? Come and see… for me."
Bianca narrowed her eyes at Marissa. For the first time she noticed a tension her girlfriends' shoulders and an eager light in her eyes. What was she up to?
"Okay." said Bianca carefully, unfastening her own seat belt. "Show me the house."
They walked slowly round the side of the east wing; Bianca couldn't help but notice the excited skip in Marissa's step.
"What do you think?" asked Marissa, slipping her arm around Bianca's waist when the pool house came in sight.
Bianca gave a gasp. The veranda was draped in fairy-lights, candles floated in the pool and small table laid for a late candlelit supper was waiting for them.
"What's all this?" Bianca whispered, surprise and delight in her voice.
Marissa smiled at Bianca, her eyes darkening slightly.
"This is your real welcome home."
Bianca blinked, stunned at the depth of desire in Marissa's eyes. With a look of adoration, she pulled Marissa closer and began kissing her lips once more, delicately and tantalizingly slow. Marissa moaned at the irresistible sensation.
"I trust you've told Kendal to keep a wide birth." said Bianca with a sigh.
"No one is expecting us until morning. It's just you and me and the starlight." breathed Marissa, pulling Bianca back into the kiss…
…
HAPPY EASTER!