Hibiscus

by Sarah Pond

  There was a gentle round of applause. Lea couldn't believe her eyes, as Rachel walked slowly down the stairs. She was wearing a stunning off the shoulder grey satin dress that looked as if it had been poured onto her, fitting closely over her bust and hips, and melting into a smooth waterfall at her feet. Her golden brown hair was tied back, displaying her long neck. She looked gorgeous, and Lea couldn't help but stare. Although a part of Lea felt rooted to the spot, another part of her wanted to leave. As she turned, Sue touched her arm gently, saying, 'I think you should stay.'

  Rachel was feeling so nervous, she wasn't sure whether she would be able to get through everything that she wanted to say. She had hardly eaten a thing all day, wondering how Lea was going to react to seeing her. Oh god, had this whole thing been a mistake. Okay, calm down. Taking a deep breath, Rachel thanked everyone for coming, and the artists who had contributed their work. 'For those of you who don't know me, my business partner Tom and I have a gallery in London. Amongst my friends and colleagues, I have a reputation for being a bit of a workaholic,' at this point, she daren't look at Lea, 'and Tom made me take my first holiday in years. So, the summer before last, I came here, and met and fell in love with the most wonderful person that I could ever hope to meet. I don't usually mix business with my personal life, but I hope you will indulge me on this occasion, as it's intrinsic to the gallery, and my being here.' Now Rachel looked at Lea, and held her gaze until Lea looked down. Rachel continued, her heart thumping, 'This gallery has been a labour of love for me. It has come about because of the greatest love in my life. Ironically, it also cost me the love of my life. I would like to welcome you to The Mermaid Gallery.' Lea looked up suddenly, shocked. Rachel continued, 'Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an important question to ask someone. I'll hand you back over to Janine.' Now Rachel looked right at Lea, into those shining blue eyes. She slowly walked towards her. 'Lea, can we talk?'

  Lea looked at Rachel's earnest expression, and nodded. Rachel took Lea's hand, which sent sparks of excitement through Lea's body, and led her outside.

  Lea still couldn't believe that Rachel was here. 'That was quite a speech.'

  'I was really nervous about saying all that in front of everyone. But I needed you to know how serious I am about this. About you. I miss you desperately, and I want you back. I love you so much.'

  Lea looked into Rachel's eyes, 'The Mermaid Gallery?' Lea couldn't help but smile.

  'It's for you. I bought this gallery to be with you. I want to live here, with you. If you'll have me?'

  Lea said, 'I've been so miserable without you. And you're really doing this?'

  'It's already done. It's only your decision now.'

  'And if I say no?' Rachel's face dropped, and immediately Lea regretted her words.

  'I'd be well and truly screwed! I sold my flat to do this. I've been staying with Tom.'

  Lea gasped, she couldn't believe it. 'My answer is yes. I have to say, you're getting pretty awesome at the whole grand gesture thing!'

  'Well, you missed my first one! I'm also hoping that I'm not going to have to do something like this again. I'm sorry for the way I handled everything. I was trying so hard to do things differently, and I still messed it up.'

  'Why didn't you tell me what you were planning? Why did you let me go, I was horrible to you.'

  Rachel sighed. 'Actually, you were right about so much. I started to think that I was being crazy, that I couldn't change. I was fed up of hurting you, I just wanted you to be happy. So I thought it was best, for your sake, to let you go. Did I mention that sometimes it takes me forever to learn from my mistakes?'

  Lea looked at Rachel, a look that was oh so familiar to her, 'Oh, Rach, I do love you. You look gorgeous, by the way.'

  Rachel gazed back at Lea, 'Thank you. Now, shall we go back inside?'

  Lea said, 'Just one more thing,' and pulled Rachel towards her, kissing her passionately.

  Rachel reciprocated eagerly, and for a moment they forgot where they were. When they pulled apart, they were both breathing heavily. Straightening themselves up, they walked back into the gallery. Janine called Rachel over to meet some people, and Lea headed over to Sue, who was smiling at her, and looked expectantly, 'So?'

  'Sue, did you know something about this? Lea narrowed her eyes.

  'I may have done.'

  'Spill it.'

  'Rachel wanted to be sure, well, as sure as she could be, that you would want this. So I just nudged her in the right direction.'

  Lea laughed, and hugged Sue. 'I can hardly believe it, Rachel will be living and working here. I'm ecstatic.'

  Sue was thrilled to see Lea looking so happy. She really deserved this, thought Sue, and she knew that Rachel and Lea were meant for each other.

  Lisa walked up to Lea, who hugged her, saying, 'Hi, where were you hiding?'

  Lisa said, 'I couldn't risk blowing Rachel's cover, so I stayed in the office until she had spoken to you.'

  Lea said, 'Well, she certainly went all out, that's for sure!'

  'She's been having kittens over this. She kept saying what if you didn't want this, whereas we were all sure that it was exactly what you wanted. You had kept saying how much you loved having Rachel live with you.'

  'I'm still getting my head around it. I can hardly believe she just sold up like that. From the beginning, I always thought we'd end up together, I just couldn't see how it was going to happen. Then, after that awful argument, I thought I really had blown it.'

  Lisa looked serious for a moment, 'You will look after Rachel, won't you? This is a hell of a big step for her.'

  'Hey, you know how crazy I am about her. Since we've been apart, I've felt like a part of me was missing. Until tonight, that is. I couldn't have dreamt of anything better or more romantic.' Lea's eyes misted up, and Lisa smiled at her.

  After the launch, everyone had now left, except for Lisa, Rachel and Lea. Rachel collected her things together. 'Where are you staying, Lisa?' asked Lea.

  'Rachel booked Sue's cottage, and she said I can stay there. I'll be going back to London tomorrow, though. Rachel wanted me to see the gallery, and be here for the opening.'

  'I still can't believe that I didn't bump into you.'

  'That did take a bit of planning. Also, that's where Sue was brilliant. She kept us updated with your whereabouts so you wouldn't see us!'

  'What about when I came into the gallery to talk to Janine?'

  Lisa said, 'I was upstairs, and Rachel was liaising from London.'

  Lea looked at Rachel, 'Well, as there's only the one bedroom at the cottage, I guess you can stay with me tonight!'

  Lisa laughed, knowing full well that wild horses wouldn't have kept those two apart. After Rachel had collected her things, they said goodnight to Lisa, and walked along to Lea's cottage. Closing the front door, Rachel said, 'You know, I don't actually have anywhere to live at the moment. Tom said I could stay with him as long as I needed in London, but here I just have the gallery.'

  'You vagabond! I guess that's rather stretching your comfort zones. I kind of assumed you were going to move in with me.'

  'Well, I didn't want to make any assumptions. At the gallery, there's a room next to the office, which I was thinking about using as a temporary bedsit. Of course, if I don't need it for that, you could have the space as your own studio or workshop.'

  Lea's face lit up, 'Really?'

  Rachel nodded, then kissed Lea. Lea said, 'I'm still getting my head around you selling up and moving down here. I keep thinking I'm going to wake up, and realise I was dreaming.'

  As they talked, they made their way upstairs. Rachel said, 'This is all very real! I will have visits back to the London gallery, and you can come with me if you want to.'

  Lea helped get Rachel out of her dress. She unzipped the back, gently sliding it off of Rachel's shoulders, and kissed her neck. As Lea slid the dress down Rachel's legs, she stepped out of it, and Lea hung it up in the wardrobe. Rachel said, 'Well, I don't know about y
ou, but I'm shattered. I've been a bag of nerves these last few days. I feel like I could sleep for a day!'

  Whilst Lea was undressing, she said, 'Before we sleep, there was something else I had in mind!'

  Rachel laughed, 'I can't imagine what!'

  'Um, let me show you,' and she walked seductively towards Rachel. Then she started singing, 'Let's dance...' and began her disco dance moves.

  Rachel was laughing hysterically, then they fell on the bed together. Rachel leaned over Lea, and began kissing her. She slowly removed the rest of Lea's clothes, and ran her fingers gently all over Lea's body, following her touch with kisses. Lea's skin felt electric, and responded to each touch of Rachel's, feeling each sensation deliciously. By the time that she felt Rachel's tongue in her sex, her body was so highly charged, that her orgasms exploded like fireworks. 'Ah, Rach, oh fuck, that's amazing.' Her body continued to spasm with the aftershocks of orgasm. It took her some time to recover before she began to caress Rachel. It was a couple of hours before they settled down to sleep.

  In the morning, Rachel opened her eyes to see Lea at looking her. 'Hello. Did you sleep well?'

  Rachel stretched and yawned. 'I certainly did, thank you. After our activities, I was well and truly worn out!'

  'Well, you know, Bowie can have that effect on a person!'

  Rachel laughed, and kissed Lea. 'I just need to pop along to see Lisa before she goes back to London. Then I'm going to check in at the gallery. Do you want to come with me?'

  'I might pop in later. I've got a couple of things to do. I still can't believe that you're living here now, this is so exciting. I think this evening, I'll cook us a celebration dinner. Unless you'd rather eat out tonight?'

  Rachel said, 'I think an evening in with you will be perfect, thank you.' Rachel was thoughtful for a moment, then said, 'Lea, are you sure this is okay?'

  Lea looked at her, smiling, 'Well, I have cooked you dinner before!'

  Rachel raised an eyebrow. 'I'm not talking about dinner.'

  'What do you mean?'

  'Well, I don't have to move in straight away. It's suddenly occurred to me how big this is. I didn't exactly give you any warning, or time to think about it.'

  Lea kissed Rachel, 'Rach, this is perfect. It's what I dreamed of, and thought would never happen. And the way you did it, that was so romantic. You don't do things by halves, do you?'

  'I couldn't bear that I nearly lost you again. I had to let you know that I was serious about doing things differently.'

  'It's perfect, believe me,' and Lea planted a kiss on Rachel's nose.

  After breakfast, Rachel went along the road to see Lisa. 'I'm packed and ready to go, now. It's beautiful here, I can see why you wanted to come back. I still can't believe that you're not going to be in London, though. I'm really going to miss you.'

  'I'll miss you, too. I will visit often, and we'll chat on the phone.'

  'I'm losing my gym buddy, too.'

  'How about going with Gary?' At the mention of Gary's name, Lisa beamed, her cheeks going pink. 'You are such the smitten kitten, Lisa!'

  'And how about you, are you happy?' Before Lisa had asked the question, the answer was written all over Rachel's face. 'A silly question, I guess!'

  'I'm thrilled, and also relieved. It's been exhausting, and now I can relax and enjoy being with Lea. A part of me can't quite believe that I've done it. This really is a fresh start in so many ways.'

  They hugged each other warmly, and it was time for Lisa to head back to London.

  Rachel made her way to the gallery, and spent the morning going through things with Janine. They had been very pleased with the launch, and now it was back to business. First of all, they needed to hold interviews for a new assistant. Although Rachel would be based at the Mermaid Gallery, she was going to be liaising with London, so would spend quite a lot of time in the office, and some time travelling to London. Also, having an assistant meant that she would be able to take more time off. She hadn't upped and moved her life down here to do things the way she had done in London. There were five people to see, the first two that afternoon. The applicants seemed very nice and capable, and Rachel said that they would let them know, once they had completed all of the remaining interviews. At the end of the day, Rachel packed up her bag, and took some more of her belongings with her. She had stored some of them in the office as a temporary measure. It felt strange to her that going home was now a walk up the hill. Home was Lea and the cottage. The thought of it, of Lea, gave her a kick of excitement. 'Bye Janine, thanks for today. See you tomorrow.'

  'Have a lovely evening.'

  'Thanks, you too.'

  'Hi honey, I'm home!'

  Lea came to greet Rachel. 'You're rather overloaded. I could have come to help you bring your things back.'

  'That's okay, I can manage.' Rachel dropped her bags down, and went to kiss Lea. 'How was your day?'

  'Good, and all the better for knowing you're coming back here every day. I still keep having to pinch myself to believe it!'

  'Well, I've got some more good news. You know you said we should go away, well do you fancy going to Naples? Tom's friend has a place there, and said we can stay any time we like. We can visit Pompeii and Herculaneum, the Amalfi Coast. What do you think?'

  Lea was so excited, and hugged Rachel, jumping up and down. 'I'd love to! When would we go?'

  'Let's look at some dates. We need to hire a new assistant for the gallery and get them settled in, but apart from that, we can go when you like.'

  'How did today go?'

  'Good. Both the applicants were good. Once we've done the other interviews tomorrow, we can make a decision.'

  'I'm still not sure how you arranged all of this, without me finding out.'

  'Well, that's where I needed Sue's help. Also, with Janine managing, I could keep out of the way. I had to stay in London most of the time to sell my flat and organise the gallery with Tom and Lisa.'

  Lea asked, 'What have you done with your furniture. Did you put it into storage?'

  'No, I sold it all. Complete fresh start.'

  'Well, that was very bold. I like knowing how much faith you have in our future together.'

  Rachel gave Lea a look that melted her insides. 'I didn't know it at the time, but after our trip to the Cove, I think my future was decided. It just took the rest of me some time to catch up with my destiny.'

  Lea couldn't speak, and where her lips couldn't form any words, she could convey what she felt when they connected with Rachel's. The kiss was long and slow, and they held one another close. Eventually they drew apart to draw breath. Rachel was the first to speak, 'Wow.'

  'Mmm, as much as I could kiss you all evening, I'd better check on dinner.'

  'Unless you need any help, I'll go and put my things away.'

  'I'm all under control. Well, in the kitchen I am! I've made some space in the cupboards for you.'

  Dinner was wonderful. After eating, Rachel and Lea moved to the sofa. 'Thank you so much for dinner, it was gorgeous.'

  'You're very welcome. I'm glad you enjoyed it. So, you're officially living here now. How does it feel?'

  'A bit unreal, to be honest. It's weird to think I won't be going back to London in a few days. Even when I moved in for a few weeks after your accident, it wasn't permanent. I knew I still had my flat in London. I have got a few things at Tom's, which I'll bring back after my next visit.'

  Lea hugged Rachel, 'I'm so happy, I've been smiling all day today!'

  The rest of the interviews were finished, and Janine and Rachel were going over their notes, and the applications. They had narrowed their choice down to two applicants. Rachel said, 'I would be happy with either one. Ultimately, Janine, you'll probably spend more time working with them. Once they've settled in, I won't need to be here so much.'

  After some more discussion, they decided that they would offer the job to Tina.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Tina was thrilled when she was offered the
job. Although she had been nervous at the interview, both Janine and Rachel had been very kind and welcoming. She thought that Rachel was a very down to earth and hands on boss, and didn't realise that she would be having a lot of her training with Rachel directly. Tina liked Janine, too, and knew that they would get on well. Working with Rachel was great, she was so passionate and caring, and the enthusiasm rubbed off on Tina. She was very patient and relaxed with Tina, sometimes to the point where she would forget that Rachel was her boss.

  At the end of the first couple of weeks, Rachel asked whether Tina was happy so far. 'Yes, thank you for explaining everything so well. Have you ever done any teaching?'

  Rachel cocked her head to one side, 'No, why do you ask?'

  'You're very good at it.'

  'Well, thank you. That's good to know.' Rachel smiled, and Tina felt herself blush.

  It was when Rachel smiled at her, and the way that it sent a fizzle of excitement up her spine, that Tina realised her feelings towards Rachel weren't entirely professional.

  After those first two weeks of training, Rachel didn't come into the gallery every day. Tina knew that she was still involved with her gallery in London. Sometimes Rachel would work from the office at the Mermaid Gallery, and at other times she would work from home. One Wednesday, when Tina arrived at work and greeted Janine, she asked, 'No Rachel again today?'

  'No, she's working from home again.'

  Tina couldn't help feeling a pang of disappointment. 'I would have thought it would be easier to use the office.'

  'Well, that's the advantage of having your own business, you can do what you like!'

  'Does Rachel live near here?'

  'Yes, in the village, I think.'

  Tina asked, 'Does she live on her own?'

  Janine thought that Tina seemed to be asking a lot of questions. 'I don't know.'