Citrus Blossom

by Sarah Pond

  Just before the office was closing for Christmas, Jasmine and Jason took Laura and Olivia out to dinner, to celebrate another successful year at JJ Publishing. They went back to the restaurant in Covent Garden, where they had taken Olivia when she had first started working there. Sitting at the table with their drinks, Jason said, 'Well, it's been another great year, thank you Laura and Olivia for all of your hard work,' and they raised their glasses.

  Jasmine was thinking of what a year it had been, it had been quite a rollercoaster. After the start of the year, when she had been heartbroken, she would have never believed how happy she could be again. Olivia couldn't believe that she had nearly lost Jasmine, and they looked at each other, and each could feel what the other was thinking. Jason cleared his throat, and Jasmine and Olivia blinked and turned towards the others. 'Sorry, I got a bit lost in thought,' said Jasmine, and Olivia blushed.

  Laura said, 'I think you two are very sweet together!'

  Jasmine smiled, and said, 'Actually, there's something I wanted to tell you both. You obviously know that Olivia and I have been together for quite a while now. Well, Olivia is going to be moving in with me after Christmas.'

  Laura and Jason both congratulated them.

  Olivia and Jasmine arrived at St Erth station, and Ella was waiting for them. They all kissed and hugged one another, and started chatting, catching up on each others' news. When they got back home, Olivia took the bags up to her room. Ella said that she would put the kettle on, and make them some drinks. Whilst they were sitting around the kitchen table, Olivia said, 'Mum, I've got some news for you. As you know, Jasmine and I have been together quite a long time now, and I usually stay with her at the weekends. Well, I'm going to be moving in with her when we get back to London.'

  Ella smiled at her daughter, she could see how happy she was, and Olivia hugged her. She was also thinking that it seemed a bit quick, it wasn't long ago that Olivia had told her that she and Jasmine were together. Of course, she wasn't sure how long they had been together before Olivia had told her about the two of them. 'Well, if you're happy, I'm happy. Where will you be living?'

  Jasmine explained that she had a house in Chelsea. 'You and Steve must come and visit us, I have a guest bedroom. You can come and see the office too, and we can take you to the theatre, it would be great.'

  Ella smiled, 'That would be lovely, thank you.'

  Jasmine said that she would sort out some dates and they would arrange something. Olivia said that she wanted to go and see Becky, and Jasmine suggested that she go on her own, as she thought that Becky would be more comfortable with that. Jasmine said that she would go for a walk, then Ella suggested that she stay there, and then they could chat.

  Olivia set off towards the gallery. When Olivia walked inside, Becky looked up and beamed when she saw her friend. 'Olivia, I'm so pleased to see you,' and she rushed over and hugged her. Becky told Lucy that she was going to pop out to get a drink with Olivia, and would be back soon.They set off, arm in arm towards the cafe. Olivia was thrilled, it felt like old times again.

  Jasmine sat at the table with Ella, looking out of the window. 'It's so beautiful here. Olivia was very lucky growing up in this environment. She has such a lovely family and great friends, I sometimes wonder why she ever wanted to go to London. Of course, she always has this to come back to.'

  Ella looked at Jasmine, and asked, 'Did you grow up in London?'

  Jasmine looked at Ella, she found that she was very easy to talk to. 'Yes. I had a very good upbringing, a good education, trips to the theatre, dinner parties. But it often felt a bit superficial, like I had to be on my best behaviour. I get on well with my Mum. My Dad is fifteen years older than my Mum, and, I don't know, I don't feel I really know him. He didn't take kindly to learning that I was gay. Actually, he was horrible about it, and I don't feel that I can ever be myself around him,' Jasmine sighed, then continued, 'I moved out when I was twenty, into the house where I am now, and I loved it, I felt that I had a lot more freedom. But when I met Olivia, she was the most natural and free person I think I've ever met. I just loved being around her. I obviously don't have to tell you how special she is. She gives me the inspiration to be myself, and I love her more than I've loved anyone else in my life, and sometimes I just can't believe how lucky I am.' Jasmine's eyes welled up with tears, and she looked down, saying, 'Sorry, I didn't mean to say so much, I...' and she looked up to see a tear run down Ella's face.

  Ella put her hand on Jasmine's, 'Olivia is lucky to have met you.'

  Ella talked about what Olivia was like when she was a child, and the family holidays that they had together. Ella got out the photo albums, and they sat down together to look at them. Jasmine loved seeing the pictures of Olivia when she was little. Ella talked so lovingly about her family, Jasmine was moved. Again she thought about how different Olivia's family was, compared to her own.

  Ella had been surprised, to say the least, when Olivia had told her about herself and Jasmine. Now she knew though, she thought back to the summer when Jasmine had stayed, and how happy they were together. The memory of them coming home with sand in their hair and giggling like children made her smile. And after the way Jasmine had spoken this morning, she had no doubt of Jasmine's love for Olivia.

  When Olivia returned from seeing Becky, she walked into the lounge to see Jasmine and Ella sitting together on the sofa, chatting. 'You two look very cosy,' she smiled.

  Jasmine said, 'Hi, how was it with Becky?'

  'It was good, we talked a bit about what we had talked about on the phone, and apart from that, it was like old times again. It was so good to see her.'

  Jasmine looked at Olivia, and Ella saw the look between them, how they adored each other. Ella got up to put the kettle on, and Olivia sat down next to Jasmine. They held hands, and Olivia asked, 'Did you go for a walk?'

  'No, I stayed here and chatted with your Mum. She showed me some photos of you when you were little. You were so cute!'

  'Oh no, how embarrassing! Mum!' Ella came back into the lounge with some drinks, and sat down on the armchair.

  That evening, when Jasmine and Olivia were getting ready for bed, Jasmine said, 'I love your mum, I really feel that I can talk to her. I found myself telling her things that I wouldn't usually talk about, other than to you, that is.'

  Olivia smiled at Jasmine, 'Yes, she is the best.'

  'Thank you for inviting me here, there is no where else I'd rather be.'

  Olivia took Jasmine in her arms, and kissed her.

  The next morning, Jasmine awoke, and rubbed her eyes. Olivia was already sitting up in bed, with a big grin on her face, 'Happy Christmas Jasmine,' and leaned down to kiss her.

  Jasmine smiled up at Olivia, 'Happy Christmas to you too.'

  'Look, we've got stockings!' Olivia was really excited.

  Olivia got up to take the stockings from the end of the bed, and passed one of them to Jasmine. Jasmine was thrilled, she felt like a little girl again. They unwrapped the presents inside, and pulled out a satsuma from the end of the stocking. Olivia unpeeled hers, and started to eat it. The smell always took her back to past Christmases, and Jasmine laughed to see her so happy. 'I love you so much,' she said, and kissed Olivia, tasting the citrus juice in her mouth.

  She pulled Olivia towards her, and Olivia eagerly kissed her back, and ran her hands under Jasmine's top, kneading her breasts. Then she felt Olivia's hand slide down the waistband of her pyjamas, and she whispered, 'We can't do this here...'

  Olivia cut her words short when she slid her fingers into Jasmine, and breathily said, 'Yes we can.'

  Jasmine arched her back and sighed, and gave into the feelings coursing through her body, oh yes, that felt so good.

  Olivia went downstairs, pulling Jasmine by the hand. She led Jasmine over to stand by the Christmas tree, put her arms around her waist, and kissed her. Jasmine kissed her back, then they heard footsteps on the stairs, and pulled back. Ella and Steve walked into the lounge, and they all w
ished each other a happy Christmas. They ate breakfast around the table, then Olivia and Jasmine went off to get showered and dressed. When they were back downstairs, there was a knock at the door, and Ben and Tina had arrived. There were hugs and kisses all around, and Olivia said, 'You remember Jasmine.'

  Ben and Tina said, 'Of course, happy Christmas,' and they hugged her.

  Once that they had all got settled, they began to open their presents. Ella unwrapped a beautiful silk scarf, in various shades of pink. 'Oh Jasmine, thank you, it's so beautiful.'

  Jasmine was thrilled that Ella liked it, and Olivia smiled as she watched Jasmine. Jasmine unwrapped her present from Olivia. It was a painting of the beach at St Ives, which Olivia had had painted from one of the photographs that she had taken back in the summer, when Jasmine had first come to Cornwall. 'I love it, thank you so much. It reminds me of our week here in the summer,' and she looked lovingly at Olivia.

  Olivia opened Jasmine's gift to her. It was a small box, and Olivia opened it to see an exquisite platinum ring, made up of three entwined strands, two of which were shiny, and the third had a matt finish. 'Oh, it's beautiful. Thank you so much,' and Olivia hugged Jasmine. She placed the ring on the ring finger of her right hand, and held her arm out to admire it.

  Whilst Steve and Ella cooked the lunch, they told the others to go off to catch up with each other. Olivia told Ben and Tina that she was going to move in with Jasmine once they got back to London, and Ben loved seeing how happy his sister was. Then she asked them how the wedding arrangements were coming along. They told them that it would be quite a small wedding, and that they had set the date for next May. They were going to get married in the local church, and would have a marquee in the garden at Tina's parents' home. 'Will you be my bridesmaid, Olivia?' asked Tina.

  'Yes, I would love to!' Olivia hugged Tina.

  They said that Jasmine was obviously invited, and she said that she would love to be there. Lunch was a real feast, with the traditional turkey, stuffing, and all the trimmings. There were mounds of vegetables and roast potatoes. They all chatted excitedly whilst eating, and toasted Steve and Ella for the meal. After such a big lunch, no one had room for the Christmas pudding, so they decided to eat it later. They thought that it would be good to go for a walk and get some fresh air, and also walk off the lunch. It was a lovely bright day, and very cold, so they wrapped up with scarves and gloves. Ella wore her new pink silk scarf. When they were starting to head back home, Olivia called Jasmine over to the beach, telling the others that they would catch up with them. Olivia looked into Jasmine's eyes, 'I just wanted to thank you again for my present, I love it.'

  Jasmine looked back at Olivia, that look that seemed to touch her soul, and said softly, 'I think that two of the strands are you and me, and that the third one is the love that connects us. I was wondering whether you might like to wear it on your left hand.'

  Olivia looked at Jasmine, 'What are you saying?'

  Jasmine moved closer, whispering, 'I'm saying that I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.'

  Olivia looked up, into Jasmine's eyes. Jasmine smiled, and took Olivia's right hand, sliding the ring off, and then slid it onto the ring finger of her left hand. Olivia kissed Jasmine, and the two of them became entwined in one another, kissing deeply and passionately, and at that moment there was no one else in the world but them.

  When Olivia and Jasmine returned to the cottage, Ben and Tina were setting up a game of Monopoly. Olivia hung up their coats, and Ella noticed them whispering and giggling together. Everyone sat down to play. They had a great time, and Olivia and Ben became really competitive, which Tina and Jasmine thought was really funny. Tina also later commented to Ben that she had noticed that Olivia was now wearing the ring from Jasmine on her left hand. As the game was taking a long time, they decided to have a break for Christmas pudding, and to watch the Dr Who special on television. Later that evening, after Ben and Tina had left, Steve and Ella said goodnight, leaving Olivia and Jasmine snuggled up on the sofa together. Jasmine squeezed Olivia's hand, 'I've had such a wonderful day, thank you.'

  Olivia looked at her, 'It's been brilliant spending Christmas with you.'

  'I can't wait for you to move in with me,' Jasmine kissed Olivia, then they cuddled up together contentedly.

  A couple of days later, Olivia and Jasmine went to Becky's to meet up with her, Dan and Liam. Jasmine was a bit nervous, and Olivia told her that she would be fine. When they arrived, Becky hugged Olivia and Jasmine, and they went to greet the others. Liam was already sitting down with Dan. Liam got up to give Olivia a hug, and Jasmine noticed the way that he still looked at Olivia. Poor guy, she thought, I know just how that feels. When they had all said their hellos, they sat down with a drink each. They talked about their Christmases, and the presents that they had received. Becky noticed the ring on Olivia's left hand, 'It's beautiful, was it a Christmas present?'

  Olivia looked at Jasmine, then at Becky. She nodded, 'It's my gift from Jasmine.'

  Becky exchanged a look with Dan, then smiled at Olivia, 'So, what else did you have?'

  A while later, Jasmine was returning from the bathroom, and as she walked past the kitchen, she caught a bit of the whispered conversation between Becky and Dan. Becky looked concerned, '... are they engaged now? The ring is on her wedding finger, it just seems so quick.'

  Dan said, 'Look, I don't know, but they seem really happy together.'

  Jasmine cleared her throat, and Becky jumped, turned around and smiled. Jasmine could see that her cheeks were very red. 'Hi Jasmine, would you like another drink?'

  'Yes please. You have a lovely home, thank you for inviting me. I love being in Cornwall, it's so relaxing compared to London.'

  Dan asked whether she would move away from London sometime. Jasmine thought for a moment, 'I don't know, London has always been my home. I've never really considered it before.'

  They took the drinks through to the lounge. Jasmine wanted to mention to Olivia what she had heard, but before she had an opportunity to say anything, Olivia said, 'I've got something I wanted to tell you all. I'm moving in with Jasmine when we get back to London. When I'm settled in, I'll give you the address.'

  They all congratulated them, but Jasmine could see that Becky didn't look too happy about it.

  When they were walking back home, Jasmine told Olivia about the conversation she had accidentally overheard, 'I wanted to say something to you, I thought it might be best to delay telling them about you moving in with me.'

  Olivia replied, 'I've spoken to Becky about us, and I said I spend my weekends at your place anyway. I just want it out in the open now.'

  When they arrived back at Olivia's, Ella and Steve were preparing tea. Ella asked whether they had a good time catching up with the others. Olivia said yes, and that she had told them about her moving in with Jasmine. Ella asked, 'Was Becky okay with you about it?'

  Olivia replied, 'She seemed to be, but Jasmine heard her talking to Dan, and she thinks that were rushing into it. Of course, we were together for a few months before we had a break,' Olivia looked awkwardly at Jasmine, then continued, 'Since we got back together, it's been another eight months.'

  Ella looked at Olivia, 'Did you break up for long?'

  'It felt like too long. It was a big mistake. I got scared and confused, and I had this crazy idea that I needed to be on my own to get my head around what had happened. That was at the time when Liam came to London. The good thing is, that I knew for sure what I did want, but I thought that I had lost Jasmine in the process.'

  Olivia looked at Jasmine, and Jasmine smiled back at her. 'Anyway, we've actually known each other for a year and a half now, and it's what we both want.'

  Steve and Ella smiled at the two of them, and they sat down to eat together.

  It was time for Olivia and Jasmine to head back to London. Ella dropped them back at the station to catch their train. Ella hugged Jasmine, saying 'Look after my girl.'

&nb
sp; Jasmine replied, 'I will. Thank you so much for having me to stay, I've had the most wonderful time.'

  Then Ella hugged Olivia, 'I love you. Call me when you're home safely.'

  'I love you too, Mum. Thank you for everything.'

  They boarded the train, and waved out of the window as the train pulled out of St Erth station. Olivia sat down next to Jasmine, and held her hand. 'My Mum loves you,' she grinned.

  'I love your Mum! I feel like I've got a second home here.'

  Olivia kissed Jasmine briefly on the lips, and sat back against the seat, still holding her hand. 'Tomorrow, we can start moving your things in properly. We can take the car, it'll be easier. I've already emptied out some wardrobe space and drawers for you.'

  Over the long train journey, they excitedly discussed moving in together.

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  Back in London, Olivia was hanging her clothes up in the wardrobe in Jasmine's bedroom. Jasmine came in to see if she needed any help. Olivia said no thank you, she was just finishing now. Jasmine sat on the bed, watching Olivia putting away the last of her things. 'Wow, we're really doing this!' said Olivia.

  Jasmine smiled, she couldn't be happier, 'Yes, and I get to wake up with you every day. I can't think of anything more perfect.'

  Olivia walked over to Jasmine, and kissed her. 'I've got something for you. Close your eyes.'

  Jasmine closed her eyes, smiling, wondering what Olivia was going to do. Jasmine felt Olivia take her left hand, and slide something onto her ring finger. 'You can open your eyes now.'

  Jasmine looked down at her hand, to see a platinum ring with two bands, and a pale pink stone in the middle.

  Olivia said, 'I bought this ring in Cornwall to celebrate getting my job in London, and now I want you to have it.'

  'I love it, thank you,' Jasmine kissed Olivia, pulling her down onto the bed.

  Olivia laughed, and Jasmine rolled over so that she was on top of Olivia. 'I love you so much. Now, I think we should celebrate you moving in, and I have something in mind.'