Where We Belong: Love Returns

by Melissa Tereze

  “Spain,” I say. “If you don’t want to, that’s fine, but I’d really like you to come someplace with me.”

  “Okay.” Mati nods. “If you’re sure.”

  “I am.” I’m more than sure. “We used to visit Spain a few times a year. We had a place there.”

  “Yeah?” Mati’s eyes brighten. “Do you still have it?”

  “No, but the town is beautiful.” My mind takes me back to the times I shared with mom there. “It’s just…you will love it.”

  “When do we leave?”

  “When do you want to leave?” I ask, my lips just millimeters from Mati’s.

  “The sooner the better.”

  “Okay, so I will make that happen tomorrow.” I press a kiss to her nose. “When you’re at work, I’ll arrange it all.”

  “I’m not working tomorrow…”

  “Oh.”

  “I figured things out with Rebecca at the office and I have the week with you.” My heart settling at those words, I pull Mati in close and sigh. “I would really love to get out of here.”

  “Me too.” I agree. “Let me figure it out before this night is over, okay?”

  “You always did prefer planning.” Mati glances up at me, her steel blue eyes boring into my soul. “And I know you have everything under control.”

  “Huh?”

  “You asked me if I was comfortable being out with you at a bar.”

  “Oh, pay no attention to that.” I run my fingers through Mati’s hair. “You just didn’t seem like yourself and it was all I had to work with.”

  “Well, whatever it was…I know you have this under control.” Mati sits up a little, her sweater hugging her body perfectly. “I’m not worried about what the future holds for us, Liv. I’m not worried about anything with you.”

  “Have you ever wondered what the hell you’re doing?”

  “All the time.” Mati laughs, the sound intoxicating yet comforting. “Why?”

  “That’s how I feel right now,” I admit. “But it’s not a fear. It’s not terrifying like it was when I was back home.”

  “What is it now?”

  “Good.” I nod. “Perfect. I may not have any family or a job or a place to call home, but I have you. I have us. How could that ever be terrifying?”

  “You do have a place to call home.” Mati climbs over me and straddles my legs. “I want you here with me, you know that.”

  “I know but this isn’t my home.” I give my girlfriend a sad smile. “Maybe one day it will be, but the hotel is okay right now.”

  “Not good enough for me.” Mati shakes her head, disagreeing. “Doesn’t this feel right? Us, here alone?”

  “It feels perfect.”

  “So, when we return from Spain, we make this place ours. We get your things and we begin again.”

  “What about Beth?”

  “Beth has a room here.” Mati shrugs. “She is leaving soon and even if she wasn’t, it wouldn’t make any difference to how I feel or what I want. She is never around. When she isn’t working, she is out doing god knows what.”

  “We will figure it out, okay?”

  I don’t want to put any pressure on Mati regarding our living arrangements. I’d love nothing more than to call this place ours but it isn’t as simple as that. I want us to be one unit more than anything in this world but I would never come on in here and change things up. Beth doesn’t deserve that.

  “What are you thinking about?” Mati glances down at me.

  “You.” My hand fists in her sweater and I pull her down against me. “Problem with that?” I smirk against her mouth.

  “N-No.” She swallows hard. “No problem at all.”

  “Good.” I capture Mati’s lips before pulling back. “God, I could spend forever kissing you.”

  “Isn’t that the plan?” She arches her eyebrow.

  “The only plan.”

  Wrapping Mati up in my arms, she relaxes against me and releases a slight but audible sigh. I know things don’t feel how they used to just yet, but they will. They will and it will be as though we had never parted.

  “Thank you for wanting to share Spain with me.”

  “I want to share everything with you, Mati.” Pressing a kiss to the top of my girlfriend’s head, a smile settles on my mouth and silence fills the room.

  Her home is everything I imagined it would be but I’m mad at myself for not building this with her. I’m mad at myself for allowing her to step on that plane alone and unsure of what her future held. I’m mad, but I’m here. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so present in my life as I have today.

  Maybe I needed to tell Mati about my mom’s heart condition. You know, say the words out loud to finalize it. Her death. The life I shared with her. I guess I’ve had a lot of pent-up emotion since mom died but now that I’m here and now that everything is out in the open, I feel as though I don’t have to hide any of it anymore. I feel like if I’m having a minor meltdown, I can be honest about it.

  Mati is my support system. She is everything good about this world. If I cannot be honest about how I’m feeling with her, what hope do I have of moving forward and past this phase of my life? If I cannot find it inside of me to be who I know I am, I should just throw in the towel now.

  “You really believe that I can put you back together?” Mati’s voice low, her eyes find mine.

  “I do.”

  “And you’re okay with that?” She asks, her voice holding a little uncertainty.

  “I don’t need anybody else in my life, Mati. You are more than enough…”

  “Seriously?” Her forehead creases.

  “Yeah, seriously.” I give her a slight nod. “I’ve had my fair share of relationships in the past, I won’t lie, but not one person has ever compared to you. You just…I don’t know. I feel set for life lying here with you.”

  Tears begin to fall down Mati’s soft cheeks and it breaks my heart. Wiping them away, I face her a little better and she drops her gaze between us.

  “Hey, don’t be sad.”

  “I’m not.” She cries. “This morning I felt like my heart was going to be ripped out of my chest. I thought you would see that I was to blame, and now you’re here saying all these things and making me feel the total opposite. I just…it’s a lot to take in sometimes.”

  “But are you happy?” I cup Mati’s face.

  “More than you could ever begin to imagine.” She smiles, her eyes fixed on mine.

  “I love you.” I smile into a kiss but her tears return, tenfold. “Mati, please?”

  “Sorry.” She whimpers. “I’m having some kind of emotional breakdown tonight.”

  “That’s okay.”

  “You wanna take an early night?”

  “You know…that sounds perfect.” I agree. “Maybe we could book flights from the bedroom?”

  “Yeah, that should really happen.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Mati

  I needed last night with Olivia. Just holding each other. Being one. Loving each other. I don’t know at what point I fell asleep but I’ve woken feeling refreshed and peaceful. I’m also pretty sure I haven’t moved from this position all night. I’ll admit, I did freak out a little yesterday but that’s just who I am. If something worries me, I allow it to play on my mind.

  Thankfully, Olivia didn’t see it from my perspective. That’s another thing I love about her. She doesn’t look at what was where I’m concerned. She focuses on what we have right now. In this moment. The present. Maybe I’ll freak out in the future, and maybe she will…but having her here is something I know I want, no matter what the future holds.

  Of course, things will go wrong at times. Of course, we will worry and we will fight…but at the end of the day, we will come together, love each other, and hold one another like the world is about to end.

  Tomorrow morning, we are headed to Spain, and I’ve got to say, I’m a little excited. I know the situation isn’t ideal but I like the idea of her sharin
g a place with me that was so close to her heart. So close to her relationship with her mom.

  She was a huge part of Olivia’s life and I know how close they were. I know because their relationship often mirrored the one I share with my mom. We would both do anything for the women that brought us into this world and that will never change. I guess my close bond with my mom is the reason she forgave me for my behavior after Scott’s death. I’m not sure anyone else would’ve given me the opportunity to redeem myself.

  Feeling a set of eyes on me, I glance to my right and smile as Olivia stares intently. I don’t know how long she has been awake for but she’s clearly returning to her usual routine of watching me. Not in a creepy kind of way, but I did like to tease her about it.

  “How long have you been awake?” I ask.

  “Long enough to know that you’re thinking.” She shifts a little. “You okay?”

  “I am,” I answer honestly. “I’ve got you beside me…what more could I want?”

  “That’s sweet but if you’re not okay, you can tell me.” Olivia props herself up on her elbow and rests her head in the palm of her hand. Her gorgeous dark hair framing her face, I simply stare. “We don’t have to do Spain if you don’t want to.”

  “Oh, I want to.” I nod.

  “Yeah? You’re sure?” I know Olivia is trying to read my mood but I have nothing to give her. Nothing but complete love.

  God, she’s incredibly beautiful.

  “I’m sure.” I breathe out. “Sure about everything that concerns you.” My eyes travel down to her jawline and my fingertips follow my line of sight. “Everything.”

  Fixing my stare on her chest, I find the most beautiful cleavage on show, and it’s on show for me. Nobody else. My fingertips ghosting across her collarbone, Olivia leans a little lower and her lips are painfully close to my own.

  Smirking, our lips barely touch but my body ignites. Something about this woman sets my entire being on fire and it’s a feeling I never want to lose. It is a connection I never want to fade.

  “Olivia…” I whimper. “God…”

  Pulling my girlfriend down on top of me, I capture her lips and slip my tongue into her mouth. Fighting for dominance, Olivia lays her body on top of me and holds my hands in place above my head.

  Teeth nipping and tongues dueling, she takes my bottom lip between her teeth and my breath catches. My body is desperately craving something more. Slipping her leg between my own, her thigh connects with my soaked, lace-covered sex and it takes everything I have within me not to flip us and take her right now.

  Our kiss may be heated and needy but our bodies want pure love. Our bodies want that uncertainty. That uncertainty of not knowing when it will be touched. When it will be worshiped. Releasing my hands, our kiss separates as I curl my fingers beneath the hem of her tank top, lifting it up and over her body.

  Our lips meeting once again, Olivia’s entire presence is taking over me. I can't think. I can't breathe. I can't speak. I want everything and nothing all at once. She is a drug. A powerful drug. Sitting up, Olivia slips my panties from my aching center and throws them to the floor.

  Removing her own, Olivia straddles me and runs her hands around my back, pulling me up into a sitting position. Slowly removing my own tank top, her hand rests around the back of my neck and she pulls me into another searing kiss. My lungs burn but I don’t let up. I need to feel her lips. Her breathe. Her everything. I need all of her.

  Never taking her eyes off me, her soft fingertips trail down my chest and between my breasts. Placing her hand on my heart, Olivia pulls back from our kiss and gives me a genuine smile.

  “Your heart is beating so fast…”

  “You do that to me,” I whisper against her lips. “Every time.”

  “I can never get enough of you.”

  Those soft full lips gently sucking on the skin of my neck, Olivia’s tongue works wonders on my body as it travels down and reaches my shoulder. Nipping and sucking, a low moan rumbles deep in my throat, encouraging my girlfriend to continue.

  Moving back up my neck, Olivia latches onto that sweet spot that drives me absolutely insane and fresh arousal spills from my center. The scent of vanilla shampoo attacking my senses, I breathe in all that is Olivia Miller. She’s got me. My heart. My body. My life. She can take everything from me.

  “I want to touch you,” Olivia whispers against my ear as her fingertips graze my painfully hard nipple. “God, I want to touch you like never before…”

  Pulling her against me, my back connects with the mattress and her upper body is flush with my own. Her legs still straddling my hips, I find myself arching up into her touch, desperate for some friction.

  “Touch me, Olivia.” Her lips capturing my own, she grinds down against me and our centers connect. It’s a feeling like no other in the world, and honestly, I’ve never felt so emotionally connected to another person before. “Beautiful.” I breathe out.

  “You have no idea.” She smiles.

  Her tongue running down my neck, Olivia trails it down my chest and circles my nipple. My breath catching in my throat, she palms the other and her teeth graze against it.

  “I just want to love you, Mati.”

  My girlfriend’s words sending my head into a spin, I wrap my leg around her waist and force her center against my own. Her wetness catching me a little off guard, I bite down on my bottom lip and throw my head deeper into the pillow beneath me.

  “I want you to always feel this way.” Olivia rests her head in the crook of my neck and I spread my legs a little wider. She is all I can feel. Completely.

  “O-Oh god.” My moans guttural, she thrusts her hips and my world explodes. Those stars people believe they see? I’m seeing them. Our arousal mixing, the sound of nothing but pure love fills the air around us and I know that I cannot hold on for much longer.

  Meeting her every thrust, my chest heaves as she breathes hard against the skin of my neck. I don’t know the last time I felt this way, and if I’m being totally honest, I’m not sure I ever have, but my girlfriend is doing unimaginable things to my body and I never want it to end.

  “Mati, I’m so close.” Olivia whimpers. Legs tangled, she braces herself above me on her hands and our eyes lock. “God, I need you.” She writhes above me and her hips pick up their pace.

  “I’m with you.” My breathing labored, that burning sensation builds in the pit of my stomach and my orgasm begins to build deep within me. “Oh, shit.” I pull her down against me. My nails breaking her skin, Olivia’s movements slow and she moans against my neck. “Y-Yes.” I pant as my orgasm rips through my body.

  Her own following, Olivia takes my earlobe between her teeth and releases the sexiest moan I’ve ever heard.

  Nothing. Silence. No words are needed.

  Her body still writhing against mine, Olivia places her arm behind the back of my neck. My fingers finding her hair, I gently scratch her scalp and she groans, appreciative of the sensations I’m creating.

  “T-That was intense.”

  “Mm.” I give her a slight nod, my body totally spent.

  “And beautiful.” She smiles against my skin.

  That was intense. The connection. The sensation. Everything. Her stomach muscles still tensing against my own, I know my girlfriend’s body is still coming down from it’s high. Silence filling the room once more, I close my eyes and take in Olivia’s energy. It’s all I need right now to know that we are more than okay.

  ***

  “Hey, do you have five minutes?”

  Glancing over my shoulder, Beth is leaning against the doorframe and I’m sitting in the kitchen, checking over our documents for the trip we’re about to take.

  “Sure.” Nodding, I motion for her to join me. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, just that you’ve been a little busy lately.”

  “I have.” I smile. “Getting back into things with Olivia, you know?”

  “Yeah, so I’m leaving.” Beth clears her
throat. “You guys need your own space and I’ve found something I really like…and want.”

  “O-Oh.” I furrow my brow. “You don’t have to leave, Beth.”

  “No, I do.” She holds up her hand. “I know you’re not pushing me out and I know that you’re perfectly fine with me being here but I found my place, Mati.”

  “It’s good, huh?”

  “It’s perfect.” Beth sighs, a smile curling on her lips. “It’s everything we ever discussed.”

  “Then I’m happy for you.” I climb down from my stool and pull my soon to be ex-roommate into a hug. “You’ll keep in touch, right?”

  “Of course.” She laughs. “I’m just moving across the city. It’s not far but it’s ideal for work.”

  “Okay.” I nod, satisfied that I’m not pushing my roommate and friend out of her home. Yes, it’s my place, but I wouldn’t ever do that to her. Beth was the friend I needed when I arrived in London and I will always be thankful for that. Anything she needs, she’s got me.

  “You going someplace?” She focuses on the luggage in the hallway.

  “Yeah, we’re taking a few days away.”

  “Anywhere nice?”

  “Spain.” My heart pounds at the prospect of some uninterrupted time with Olivia. “Just a weekend kinda thing.”

  “Could be good for you both.”

  “Yeah, that’s the hope.” I stack the documentation in front of me. “Recharge, you know?”

  “Well, I have to get out of here. My boss is being the ultimate dick today.”

  “You should really look for something else.”

  “Pays the bills, Mati.” Shrugging, Beth heads for the front door and glances back. “I’ll stay here until you get back, okay? Keep the place safe.”

  “I appreciate that.” Giving Beth a thankful smile, she throws me a wink and pulls the door open, stepping out onto the street.

  Leaning back against the counter, I hear footsteps approaching from the top of the staircase. Olivia has been making some last minute calls back home, but I’m not sure what the nature of those calls involved.

  “Done.” She takes the stairs two at a time and appears in front of me. “I’m all yours now.”