by C. Fonseca
Andi moved into the empty chair beside Caitlin, placed her hand on her knee, and gave it a gentle reassuring squeeze.
CHAPTER 38
Caitlin grasped her phone in one hand, swung her legs out of bed, and pulled a T-shirt over her head. She lowered her gaze to the caller ID. “Is that you, Kiera?” she asked quietly.
“Good morning, Caitlin. I mean good evening to you. Why are you whispering? Did I get you at a bad time? What time is it?”
“Er, seven in the evening.” She gently closed the bedroom door behind her and climbed the stairs to the living room. “Hi, Kiera.” She glanced at her reflection in the balcony window and threw herself into an armchair. “Sorry about that. I didn’t want to wake Andi.”
“You were in bed that early?” After a few seconds, Kiera chuckled and said, “Ahh. Say no more.”
“It’s been a huge few days. We’ve only been able to snatch a couple of hours alone here and there,” Caitlin said. “Andi’s asleep.”
“To be sure, Caitlin. I received your text about Andi’s show. I’m so happy it was a success.”
“It was, Kiera. In fact, it was an overwhelming success. I’m immensely proud of her.”
“That is so sweet, girl. I’m sure you are.”
Caitlin stared out at the early evening light, across the dark, blue ocean. “So what has you up so early?”
“You know me. I’m an early riser. Em and I are heading to London. Spending Christmas with her family and a week visiting friends. I just wanted to wish you and Andi the best for the holiday season, and I have some exciting news.”
Caitlin crossed her fingers. “Did you get it?”
“Yes,” Kiera said. “My grant was approved, and I will be attending the conference in Queensland this coming July.”
“That’s fantastic, Kiera.”
“Can you handle a couple of visitors for a week or so?” She laughed. “That way we get to meet your girl and see where you’ll be living for the near future, at least.”
“Yes,” Caitlin said. “Definitely.”
She’d agonised about telling Kiera about her permanent move to Australia. At first, and understandably, her friend was shocked and saddened by the news. They’d talked for hours and finally Kiera had said, “You’ve obviously found your missing link. As they say, sometimes in the waves of change, we find our true direction.” Kiera had promised Caitlin she would visit her in Australia. Caitlin was thrilled she was going to see Kiera in July.
She’d just ended the call and put her phone down when Andi called out to Caitlin and walked towards her, dishevelled and adorable in shorts and a tank top. She blinked at Caitlin in confusion, rubbed her eyes, and smiled.
“I couldn't find you.” Andi arched her back, rolled her head from side to side, and stifled a yawn.
Caitlin beckoned Andi over and pulled her onto her lap. “I was on the phone. I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Everything okay?” Andi wrapped her hands around Caitlin’s neck.
Caitlin nodded, placed her hands lightly on Andi’s shoulders, and stroked the silk of her singlet. “Everything’s perfect.”
“Perfect?” Andi grinned.
“Yeah, perfect.” Caitlin tugged at Andi’s top. “So, did you get enough sleep? Are you rested enough?”
“I am. I love going to sleep with you.”
“Me too. I love going to sleep with you, waking up with you, feeling you close to me,” Caitlin said. Loving Andi made her happy. She was exhilarated and contented at the same time. “I love you, Andi.” She pulled Andi closer. They kissed deeply, and Caitlin was propelled into a rolling wave of emotion.
* * *
“Your parents are cool. I really enjoyed spending time with them. They seemed genuinely interested in my art and asked a lot of questions,” Andi said. “It was crazy having both sets of parents here at the same time.” She paused at the top of the stairs before she followed Caitlin.
“Beyond belief. But it was incredible, wasn’t it?” They reached the entrance of Caitlin’s bedroom, and she stepped aside to let Andi through. “Ma and Da are looking forward to visiting Navigators.” She raised her eyebrows. “I would like to be a fly on the wall for that event. It will do my parents a world of good to spend time on the farm after swanning about at the writer’s festival in Daylesford.”
“Uh-huh.” Andi was distracted by the sensation of Caitlin’s lips on her neck.
“I just don’t seem to be able to get enough of you,” Caitlin whispered and swiftly pulled Andi’s shirt over her head. She placed her hands to the top of Andi’s shorts, pushed them down, and tugged them away. “In my bed, on the couch, in the chair, or the cantilevered shower… I want you everywhere.” Caitlin trailed her fingers down Andi’s neck and shoulder. She stopped, quickly pulled her T-shirt over her head and threw it across the room before lowering her mouth to Andi’s breast.
Andi gasped. “I can feel you in my heart, on my skin, inside me…”
Caitlin exhaled, pushed Andi onto the bed, and they landed on the mattress with a gentle thud. The delicious warmth of Caitlin’s body, pressed against her, was almost too much to bear.
“Let me see how long I can keep you feeling that way.”
Their legs tangled together, and she tightened her grip around Caitlin’s shoulders as her body responded powerfully.
* * *
Caitlin hugged the light sweater close to her body. Just before ten, at Andi’s insistence, they’d strolled down to the beach. A patch of sea mist hung around the slight hollow where the creek meandered gently until it met the sand. There was a chill in the air, and the first stars of the night were just visible in a clear, moonless sky.
She threaded her arm around Andi’s waist, inhaled tangy salt air, and listened to waves breaking gently onto the shore. A light breeze tickled the back of her neck as she gathered Andi close against her side.
“It’ll be totally dark soon. Why are we here? Was there something wrong with the comfort of my bed?” Caitlin asked.
“It’s a beautiful night for a walk on the beach.” She leaned against Caitlin and whispered in her ear, “Where’s your sense of adventure?” She tossed the torch she’d carried and caught it in midair.
Caitlin had to agree. It was a grand night to be out under the stars. There was a sense of promise in the air. Whenever she looked at Andi, she was overcome with gratitude, desire, and protectiveness. This was what she wanted… Andi in her life. Andi in her future.
“Hey, Caitlin?”
“Hmm?” Caitlin swallowed the sudden lump in her throat.
“You okay? You have a faraway look in your eyes.”
“Just thinking,” she said. “I’m right here, Andi.” Caitlin squeezed her waist. “Does Koda like car travel?”
Andi looked at her with amused interest.
“You’ll want her with you wherever you are, won’t you?” Caitlin asked.
Andi stopped and turned to look at her fully. “What are you saying?”
Caitlin tucked her arms to her sides and curled her bare toes into the sand. “I’d like for us to spend as much time together as possible. I know it will take some negotiating. I don’t mind if we’re at your place, or Kinsale… We’re spoiled for choice.” She rambled. “The apartment in Kew is big enough for us all, and you could have your own studio—”
“Shhh,” Andi whispered. She caressed Caitlin’s face with her fingers and kissed the corner of her mouth. “Yes.”
“Yes?”
Andi kissed her again, this time on her lips. “Yes. Just, yes. You do realise that Koda will run riot searching for mice. Are you sure you’ll cope?”
“There hasn’t been a house cat at the estate since Maggie’s beloved Greyson passed away. The mouse population needs to be relocated.” She kissed the top of Andi’s hair. “And yes, I’ll cope.”
“There is a lot to think about, isn’t there?”
Caitlin stared up at the sky. “There is, but it’s exciting, because we’re planni
ng our future together, wherever it is.”
Andi threw the blanket she’d been carrying onto the rockshelf beside a shallow pool, pulling Caitlin down to sit beside her.
“Why are we here, again?” Caitlin asked and shifted her body into a better position on the hard rock ledge.
Andi grinned. “We’re here because you asked me about Brilliance, and there’s something special about the painting I’d like to share with you.”
“Tell me.”
“I’d rather show you,” Andi said. She turned towards the limestone reef and beyond to the gentle ocean swell. “Just let your eyes adjust to the darkness.”
The wind had completely dropped. They sat close, thighs touching. Caitlin could hear the quickening pulse of her own heartbeat and the rhythm of Andi’s steady breathing with the gentle rise and fall of her chest.
Andi entwined their fingers and placed their hands in her lap. Caitlin watched in awe as the red, pink, and yellow of twilight emerged and then faded within minutes. As the heavens around them darkened, a faint glow appeared on the horizon, and the rock pools glistened. They reflected the remaining light and danced with shadows—interlocking hues of turquoise and indigo.
Hypnotised by the spectacle, Caitlin murmured, “Brilliance.” The vision emerging before them was almost too beautiful. “You captured it perfectly. It’s unbelievable, Andi, the magical way you worked the lapis lazuli. The beautiful precious blue, the luminosity, and the subtle variety of colours, the light and shade in your composition.”
Caitlin turned to look at Andi, whose eyes sparkled with desire in the last slivers of light.
Andi pulled Caitlin into her arms. “You inspired Brilliance. You inspired me to achieve so much more than I ever thought possible.” Her voice was strong and steady. “My life has changed with you in it. With you, there will always be light at the edge of the darkness. You are where the light plays.”
“And I’m supposed to be the poet.” Caitlin sighed. She leaned back and met Andi’s gaze. “You think?”
Andi gently poked her in the ribs.
Her heart filled with love, she grabbed Andi in a playful embrace, and they rolled onto the cool sand and landed in a breathless heap of tangled limbs. Andi began to giggle, and soon they both were convulsed with laughter.
Caitlin crushed her mouth to Andi’s, and their lips fused in a hot, searing, passionate kiss.
###
About C. Fonseca
As a small child, C. Fonseca had imaginary friends. She told these friends stories, and her family set them places at the dinner table. When she grew up, she lost the imaginary friends, but she continued writing stories and poetry.
She was an executive chef for many years until a car accident stopped her in her tracks and forced her to change direction and become a tech geek. She is now known in her community as the “help-desk”.
She lives by the sea with her Kiwi partner of fifteen years and their beloved Burmese cat. She is an expressionist landscape painter and can often be found at a cliff-top platform overlooking the Southern Ocean, daydreaming, plotting, and planning her creative adventures.
CONNECT WITH C. FONSECA:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cfonseca1au
E-Mail: [email protected]
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