Since he had returned from London, four days earlier, Timothy had not yet been able to see Carol because they had been on alternate shifts.
That's why they were both looking toward the weekend, when they would finally be free.
"Dr. Campbell, good morning!" Timothy greeted her, stepping at her side, when he finally managed to cross her in front of the elevator.
"Good morning Dr. Turner. Are you going down?" she formally asked.
"Yes, my night shift is over. I'm going home."
They were keeping their relationship secret at work and the elevator was a good place to find some privacy, assuming it wasn't already occupied. When the doors opened, they were relieved that it was empty. They stepped in and the exact moment the doors closed they exchanged a passionate kiss.
"Hello you!"
"Hello you!"
"I'll see you tomorrow night? I'll take you out to dinner," he offered.
"Why don't you come over instead, my parents are away for the weekend. I'll cook dinner for you!"
"Sounds interesting. Perfect then, I'll bring the dessert" he replied quickly.
As they were about to share another quick kiss, they were interrupted by the bell of the doors opening on the ground floor. Two other doctors entered. Timothy got off the elevator, offering a goodbye to Carol with his gaze.
The following evening he showed up in front of the Campbells' house with a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a bottle in the other.
Carol opened the door, looked at him and asked smiling, "But weren't you supposed to bring dessert?"
"Oh God…you're right!" Timothy sighed, facepalming himself.
He was so nervous about what he planned to do that he unconsciously took wine instead of dessert. "I'll go back and get it here at the end of the street."
"Tim! Where are you going? I was just mocking you. Come in! I don't care about the dessert…but thank you for the flowers, daffodils are my favorite!"
She kindly pulled him in and welcomed him with a quick kiss, closing the door behind her. They looked into each other's eyes and they shared another kiss, a proper one.
"I missed you so much," she whispered.
"I couldn't bear another day without kissing you," he groaned, caressing her natural reddish blonde locks.
"C'mon, take off your jacket and make yourself at ease. It's almost ready, I'll join you in a minute."
He entered the dining room. There was soft background music, Carol set the table impeccably and she had created the perfect atmosphere for a candlelit dinner. Yes, this was the night, he thought. He checked his pocket, where he had the little box containing his mother's ring.
"So…how's your week been?" she asked from the kitchen.
"Frantic as yours I suppose," he answered. Hearing noises coming from the kitchen he asked, "Do you need some help?"
At that moment, she appeared with a tray in her hands: "I made a traditional Scottish beef stew! Hope you'll like it!"
"I do love it!"
They sat at the table and they had dinner talking about their past days.
"How were your parents last weekend?"
"They are fine, the kids keep them busy!" he commented.
"And what about your siblings? How was Angela and May's ballet recital?"
"It was very nice! They were so happy that I managed to be there at last!"
She smiled at him, she loved his way of being so attentive and present in the life of his siblings.
"What about you? Are your parents away for work?"
"No, they are in Dublin visiting a couple of friends. They'll be back on Sunday night," she explained.
As they finished eating, Timothy felt more anxious.
"Did you take your time to play with Julie?"
"I'd say so. She basically kidnapped me," said Timothy, chuckling. "The princesses' phase is over for now, thank God. She's all in the play doctor one. She's definitely a Turner!" he reported.
Carol chortled. "I'd really like to play with her…she must be so cute!"
"Oh…you'll see! I'm not saying it because she's my little sister, but she really is the cutest little girl ever!" he gushed.
"And what about Teddy? He's still committed to his project to become a pilot?"
"Oh…more than ever! He kept me up late to tell me about the Concorde and the future of supersonic aircraft. I don't even know how a 9-year-old can remember all those nerdy notions."
"Maybe it is a family thing…you were the one who read The Lancet at his age. Didn't you?"
"Busted… And he has Scottish stubbornness on his behalf!"
"Scottish stubbornness, huh?" she questioned him, tilting her head.
"Yes! Scottish stubbornness, my dearest. It's a real thing. I have multiple examples around me," he taunted her.
"Oh really? Enlighten me with your theory!"
"My mum, for example. If it wasn't for her Scottish stubbornness, they wouldn't have decided to apply for adoption and Angela wouldn't be around. Same goes for May."
"Valid answer. Your mum is just one example, though."
"Here's next: Julie Elizabeth Turner. The ultimate Scottish stubbornness concentrated in a little 3 years old girl who has run our house since the day she was born."
Carol laughed. Her infectious laugh, which he loved so much.
"I'll accept it as a second valid example," she stated.
"Let's see. We already mentioned my brother, so I have three cases to confirm my thesis."
"Not enough. Go on Dr. Turner," she defied him.
"Last, but not least…I've another case of Scottish stubbornness, right here in front of me. You keep on following your dream to become a doctor despite your father wanting you to be a lawyer and your mother pushing you to follow in her footsteps."
"Very well, …you almost convinced me. But you underestimated this last case."
"Did I?"
"Yes, definitely you did. You're missing a very important detail."
"Please, share! I'm curious."
"Said girl was also very determined to wait for a certain boy to realize that what was between them was something more than friendship. It took years, but as far as she can see…it's worth the wait," she admitted, with a sweet but also seductive tone of voice.
"What…wait…are you saying that you…?"
"Surprise, surprise! I didn't know what else I should do to get you to realize it. Luckily it was cold enough that night to pretend I was freezing," she giggled.
"Weren't you freezing?"
"Not that much…I'm Scottish. But still…it worked." She blinked at him.
"So we concur that my theory is valid."
"Yes…it is," she admitted.
This little secret had just flipped his script. For good. He was more confident now and he gathered up his courage to propose.
"Dinner was very good…and you're beautiful!" He complimented her.
"Thank you! You're welcome!" she said, blushing.
"I guess now it was time for the dessert I didn't bring," he wondered.
She giggled. "Yes…I think so. But you know I'm not a big fan of dessert, so don't worry!"
"I will make this up!" he assured her.
Meanwhile, in the background, they recognized the notes of Elton John's last single, Your Song.
"Oh wait…I love this song," Carol stated, as she went to raise the volume. "It makes me think of you," she admitted shyly.
Timothy stood up and reached his hand towards her "So just dance with me!"
They began to sway, holding each other, in the center of the room. Carol held her head on his shoulder, while he put his hand on her back. She brushed his nape, while he kissed her softly behind her ear and on the line of her neck.
"I feel this could become our song…" she whispered in his ear.
Timothy beamed.
"I'm sure it will. You couldn't choose a better song for this moment" He peered at her dazzling hazel eyes.
"Which moment?" she demanded, confused, squinting her eyes.
"This moment…" he said.
Suddenly, she saw Timothy pulling a little away from her. He took something out of his pocket and knelt before her.
With a stronger voice than he had hoped, he asked: "Carol, will you marry me?" He handed her the small box with a beautiful ring inside.
Carol was speechless, her mouth wide open as she felt her eyes filled with tears, overwhelmed by a flood of emotions. She started trembling and could only nod and let Timothy slip the ring on her finger.
Then he hugged her, while they both smiled and wept at the same time.
"Say something," he pleaded, while he kept pecking her lips.
"Yes…yes, my love. I want to marry you!" she said.
They kept swinging slowly, enjoying the moment while more songs ran in the background.
He contemplated her amazing eyes, losing himself in them. She was smiling now, that megawatt smile amazed him all the time. He couldn't resist any more and he kissed her again, sliding his hands on her hips. She responded without hesitating, folding her hands behind his neck. He deepened their kiss and she opened her mouth, letting his tongue meet with hers. They kissed almost desperately until they were breathless.
She then came close to his ear and whispered "Make love to me".
She held his hand and dragged him towards her bedroom.
When they were in the silence of Carol's room, they resumed their kissing. Timothy let his hands slide under her blouse, gently touching her bare back and she shivered, for real this time. She got goosebumps and her breath started to shorten. With her hands slightly shaking, she started unbuttoning his shirt.
With a sure move, he took off her blouse and dropped it on the ground. And once Carol reached the last button, she did the same, brushing her hands on Timothy's chest.
His hands meanwhile were unclasping her bra, muttering something and then cursing something else. She smiled again and giggled.
"Having some troubles here?" she murmured, while getting rid of her lingerie.
They were now both bare naked and she was the most wonderful vision he had ever dreamed of. He felt his trousers even more tighten. They kissed again and again, their hands gently touching each other, sliding all over their arms and their backs. Timothy broke the kiss to stare again at her eyes, while letting his hand gently brush her nipples. She gasped and then moaned when he tenderly cupped her perfect breasts. He then held her close, their bodies finally touching from head to toes.
She could feel his bulge throbbing against her lower abdomen and she felt the urge of kissing him again, just to let him know how much she wanted him. And she did.
Just to be more clear, she started to unfasten his trousers.
He moaned, but he was not long doing the same. As he let his hand sneak into her panties she startled and breathed hard. She was already wet, he noticed when he suddenly felt her hands sliding in his trousers and cupping his manhood. They both groaned, interrupting their kiss.
"Are you sure you want to go on?" he desperately purred.
"Yes, as I'm absolutely sure I want to spend my life loving you," she begged.
He took her in his arms and laid her gently on the bed, he kissed her nose, her mouth, her chin and he went down, kissing her torso, her stomach. Until he reached her blue jeans and just took them off. Then he did the same with his and settled next to her. She kissed his mouth, pulling him over her. Their undergarments were all that remained to divide them. They started moving, brushing against each other, but it was already something almost unbearable for Timothy. He set himself on her side and helped her remove her panties. Then she helped him do the same.
"I love you Tim." she said softly.
"Are you still ok with this?'" As the gentleman he was, he really wanted to be sure before going on.
She nodded, smiling at him.
"OK then…let me wear this condom," he stated.
When he was done, he gently rolled over her, kissing her tenderly.
"Carol, this is your first time?" he gently asked, placing a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"Yes…and…did you ever…?" she barely managed to ask.
"No, never…I'm glad we're in this together!"
He smiled to reassure her and she smiled back.
HIs mouth covered hers and they kissed again and again until they were ready.
Timothy stared at her eyes and softly said "I won't hurt you…but stop me if I should. OK?"
"OK," she murmured.
Timothy gently entered into her, slowly, leaving her body the time to adjust.
She gasped and Timothy stopped immediately "Are you ok?"
"Yes…It's just…wonderful…"
"Yes…it is"
He slid until the end and they both moaned.
They started moving together, trying to find the right pace, breathing harder and harder.
Nor Timothy, nor Carol were aware of what they were actually doing…they just let their bodies move instinctively as they both felt a new sensation overwhelmed their minds that at each stroke was more intense. She moaned louder and louder, he groaned in a crescendo together with the rhythm of their hips. Then suddenly an explosion, their heart pounding, their breath fast and hard. Managing to regain control, they shared another tender kiss. Still out of breath, Timothy lay down at her side, covered with sweat.
They joined their hands, interlacing their fingers, lovingly smiled at one another and lost themselves in each other's eyes. Tears streaming down their faces.
"Tim…are you crying?" she asked, amazed.
"So are you!" he retorted, brushing her cheek with his finger.
"'Cause it's been mind-blowing."
"I know…even if I'm not sure it should be exactly like this," he confessed, giggling.
"Why are you saying so?"
"I don't know…maybe it was a little out of control" he said, discreetly disposing of the condom.
"We'll get better…we just need some practice," she reassured him, brushing his bare back.
"And we have the rest of our lives to do it," he added, lying down at her side again.
"I feel exhausted now," she said.
"I should go home…" he observed.
"You're not going anywhere…I want to sleep in your arms tonight. Please…"
He smiled at her. "How could I say no?" he asked, kissing her lips.
"In fact, you don't have to."
"Should we put some clothes on?" he quizzed.
"And to do what? To take them off again in the morning?" she chortled.
"You're right. So…shall we have some sleep?" he suggested.
Carol nodded and then added whispering "Goodnight my handsome future husband"
"Goodnight my beautiful wife-to-be"
YOUR SONG - Elton John (1972)
It's a little bit funny this feeling inside
I'm not one of those who can easily hide
I don't have much money but boy if I did
I'd buy a big house where we both could live
If I was a sculptor, but then again, no
Or a man who makes potions in a traveling show
I know it's not much but it's the best I can do
My gift is my song and this one's for you
And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world
I sat on the roof and kicked off the moss
Well a few of the verses well they've got me quite cross
But the sun's been quite kind while I wrote this song
It's for people like you that keep it turned on
So excuse me forgetting but these things I do
You see I've forgotten if they're green or they're blue
Anyway the thing is what I really mean
Yours are the sweetest eyes I've ever seen
And you can tell everybody this is your song
It may be quite simple but now that it's done
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world
I hope you don't mind
I hope you don't mind that I put down in words
How wonderful life is while you're in the world