Ilet Katie lead as we head inside the cafe, her hand wrapped tightly in mine, dragging me along behind her. These last few days we’ve been in hibernation, rekindling the fire that was lit the first time we met. If it were up to me we’d never leave the bedroom again, but as soon as Katie got the text from Gabby that she was back from her honeymoon, I knew it wasn’t worth fighting her.
Since that night, we’d caught up on what happened while we were apart. I told her about how I had put a bid in on the shop, she talked about how she suspects her cousin is seeing someone here in the city. It had been nice just to talk to her.
While the sex was hotter than ever, I’d missed Katie for more than that. She was my best friend, my confidant, I’d missed just being around her.
As we near the table, I notice that we’re not the only ones running late. Gabby, Sam, and Ellie are the only ones sat waiting for us. They all turn to look as Katie pulls me along behind her. The Cheshire grin on my sister’s face says it all, she’s happy and I’m definitely going to get an earful about this later.
“Hey, guys.” Ellie calls out, and then wastes no time at all, “So, what’s happening here?”
I look to Katie. We haven’t really had the chance to do much talking, not about what’s really happening between us anyway. It’s my proudest moment ever when Katie tackles our friend’s curious stares head-on, a wide smile on her face. “Oh, we’re going out now.”
She’s casual as fuck, her words simple and straight to the point, but they make me so happy. It’s the first time she’s ever admitted to it in front of me.
“Finally got yourself a girlfriend, nice!” My sister winks at me and I burst with laughter.
We sit with them for another twenty minutes before the rest of the group arrive. Of course, they all comment on our new closeness, despite having already known about us anyway. How could they not? We’re more of a large dysfunctional family than friends, there’s not much that you can miss when you’re this close with the people around you.
I stay quiet through most of the afternoon, I listen carefully at their jokes, their stories, their daily updates. I laugh occasionally but only pipe up if my direct input is required. Instead, I spend the afternoon with my eyes glued to Katie. It’s just so nice to see her happy and smiling again.
The time that I spend observing her I notice just how much our break up affected her. She’s lost weight. Obviously not loads but enough for me to notice now that she’s under my gaze. It might take a couple weeks but I’ll have to have that rectified.
She glances at me then, catching my gaze. Her eyes shine bright, her smile happy and wide. Her eyes shut as she leans in. She doesn’t have far to lean, we’re on a bench seat and I’ve pulled her so close that she’s an inch away from being in my lap. I press my lips to hers. It’s a gentle kiss, sweet and loving, but no less passionate than any of the others we’ve shared within the last few days.
“I love you.” The words fall from my mouth unplanned. We’ve never said those words before, not to each other. Our relationship up until this point had always been kept very casual - as to not scare Katie off. Fuck, how have I already managed to fuck this up, that must be a record.
The seconds pass by like hours. I’m stock still, as a back-up plan I’ll just pretend it never happened. I must look crazy. My eyes flicker back and forth across her face, searching for any early indicators. Is she mad? Is she happy? Will she say it back?
My search comes up empty, I have no fucking clue what she’s thinking. Is she in shock? Surely she can’t be shocked. On some level, she must’ve known all this time that I’ve had feelings for her. Cared for her. Fallen madly and deeply in love with her. But the longer her silence wears on, the more I begin to doubt myself, had I not showed her? Is this really all my fault for not making sure she knew, without words, that she was loved?
“I love you too.” A smile breaks her face; her arms are thrown around me and now I have her engulfed. Our lips meet in a hungrier kiss, a battle to show our love for one another. I relax into her mouth as warmth spreads through me, replacing the cold panic from that split-second of doubt. This time we’re doing things right, and I won’t ever let her go again. After what we went through, we survived and now, she’ll be mine for good.
The End
