“Okay. Sydney first, I guess,” Joanna said, seemingly disappointed.
“Did you want to look at the others first?”
“No, this is fine.” She leaned back against the sofa.
Greene opened the first of several files that had been attached to the email and read to herself before saying, “The contract is for five years.”
“That’s long,” Joanna replied.
“Longer than most, yeah.” She kept reading. “The pay is generous. Since I’ll be running the young composers’ group as well, they’re throwing in housing, too. Plus, they’ll help with any of the legal paperwork for us to live and work there.”
“Housing?” Joanna leaned forward.
“There are a few places they have for traveling musicians. We’d get one of those, or we could get a stipend to find something else and pay the difference if it’s more than that. The stipend is also very generous.” She saw the number and did some currency calculations in her head based on the last time they’d been there to determine the exchange rate and what it would afford. “Damn, Jo. It’s crazy generous.”
“Yeah?” Joanna rested her chin on Greene’s shoulder to read the document herself. “I don’t know how much houses cost there, though.”
Greene quickly opened her browser and went to get some of that information for herself.
“Okay. Let’s say… a three-bedroom, two and a half baths?”
“Sure.”
“Jo, we could afford that with this stipend and what I’d make there. Plus, you’d be working.”
“That place looks kind of nice,” Jo said, pointing to a picture of a house. “But before we go looking for houses, let’s read the rest of the stuff they sent.”
They went through all the attachments first. Then, Jo calculated what they’d be able to afford with Greene’s salary, the generous stipend, and what she could anticipate making just starting out there as a photographer with no client base. They spent the next hour looking over several real estate sites and maps to get to know the areas where they could live. Jo jumped up to grab them dinner and open a bottle of red wine. They sat close together on the sofa, enjoying their meal and looking at the pictures of houses that they’d moved from Greene’s computer to their large TV so that they could both see. They laughed at the idea of moving to Sydney, at first. But as they finished off the bottle of wine, that laughter had all but died down.
“Near Central Station, Surry Hills, was a working-class area until gentrification in the 80s, which brought in cafés and trendy restaurants. It also has well-known pubs, like Forresters, Dove & Olive, and the Beresford. Lebanese, Vietnamese, and Indian places line Cleveland Street. It’s now known as Sydney’s dining capital,” Jo read from the article she’d found on her phone. “It’s also only about eleven minutes from the Sydney Opera House, depending on traffic. Three and a half kilometers away.”
“Oh, we’d have to get used to that,” Greene replied, wrapping her arm around Joanna’s shoulders and pulling her into her body even more. “Kilometers. What’s the difference again?”
“0.62 miles. So, 2.1 one miles, depending on where we bought. That’s what Google says, anyway.”
“I could technically take a nice walk to work if I wanted.”
“Or get a bike. I assume people bike there, too,” Joanna said.
“I’m sure they do.” Greene kissed her wife’s head, breathing in and loving the scent of her. “What about you? Could you find clients there?”
“I’m sure I could. I assume I’d be doing a lot of beach shoots. The Opera House is right on the water, so I’d be about two miles away from the beach, too. It’s a trendy neighborhood.”
“And that house is nice,” Greene said, pointing to the three-bedroom, three-bathroom house on the big screen.
“It does look nice,” Joanna said.
There was a moment of silence. It was companionable and more than comfortable for Greene. It felt like how it used to feel, when they could share a room and just enjoy being together without needing to say anything at all. Greene almost didn’t want to break the silence for fear they wouldn’t get it back, but she knew she needed to bring it up.
“They want an answer by the end of the week, Jo,” she said softly.
“We can’t decide to move around the world by the end of the week, Make.” Jo moved away from her, which made Greene frown, but her wife only finished her glass of wine and returned to her original position, placing her arm over Greene’s stomach this time, which made Greene smile. “I mean, we’d need to fly out there, see the neighborhood, look at houses, find out if this is something we could even do.”
“What if I told them that?” she asked. “I could tell them we can fly out there without making a commitment.”
“Really?” Joanna lifted up and looked at her with those gorgeous eyes of hers.
“Jo, are we actually considering this? If so, I’ll call my agent right back and tell him we’re booking a flight.” She bit her lower lip. “If not, that’s okay. I’ll–”
“You want this, don’t you?” Jo interjected, sitting up more to face her. “Make, do you want this?”
Greene considered how best to respond. As always, in a relationship, it wasn’t just about what one person wanted. It had to be – at least to some degree – what both people wanted. When it came to moving across the world and starting over completely, both of them had to want this, or it wouldn’t work. And she would never risk her marriage for a career move.
“I hadn’t thought about it until the moment I got the offer,” Greene replied honestly.
“But now?”
“It’s one place for at least five years. There’d be no more tours. I’d be teaching young composers. I’d be playing at one of the best places in the world for music. And there are about a thousand beaches close by, where you and I could relax. We could spend Sunday mornings lounging in bed, or we could go to one of those trendy cafés you mentioned. It’s beautiful there, Jo. Maybe this kind of change is what we need. Maybe we shouldn’t look at a place outside the city or go over the offers I’ve gotten to run around the world playing music, when we’re both exhausted from all that. What if this is what we’re supposed to do?” she asked, swallowing hard as she stared into her wife’s eyes. “If you say no, it’s okay, Jo. It’s a lot. I know that. If it’s a no, that’s–”
Joanna moved quickly, straddling her hips. Greene hadn’t been prepared for that, but she moved her hands around Jo’s waist to hold her in place.
“Do you want this?” Joanna asked as she leaned down; her lips were hovering just over Greene’s.
“I want to fly there with you,” she said, moving into those lips as she did. “And see if this is the best next step for us. I love you so much, Jo. You have no idea how much. I miss–”
“Me too,” Jo interrupted again and kissed her.
Greene’s hand moved under the baggy shirt to get to her wife’s skin. She kissed her long and hard, earning a moan from Joanna as she slid her tongue into the woman’s mouth. They hadn’t been this close in so long. She’d missed it like crazy. She reached for the hem of Jo’s shirt, lifted it, and tossed it aside. Quickly, she took Joanna’s nipple into her mouth, indicating to her wife that she had no intention of stopping what Jo had started.
“I missed you,” Greene said after letting the nipple go with a pop.
“Then, take me to bed, Make,” Jo whispered against her lips a moment later.
◆◆◆
“You’re going to Sydney this weekend?” Emma asked.
“It’s a quick trip,” Joanna returned. “We’ll be back next Wednesday.”
“But why?” Keira questioned, stealing a sip of Emma’s drink.
“You can get your own, you know?” Emma joked, turning to her wife.
“Why would I do that? Yours tastes great.” Keira winked at her.
“Are you playing for only a few nights?” Hillary asked. “You’re usually gone for longer.”
“
It’s two shows,” Macon lied. “Just Sunday and Monday.”
“Why?” Amara asked.
The two women had just returned from their honeymoon, looking totally relaxed and so in love. Joanna smiled as Amara rested her head on Hillary’s shoulder. She specifically smiled at how Hillary shifted Amara’s long auburn braid aside, to make it more comfortable for her new wife.
“They just asked me to do it. They pay for everything, and we haven’t been there in a while,” Macon returned as she gave Joanna’s thigh a long squeeze, asking silently for her help.
“Yeah, it’s quick. We’ll be right back, basically,” Joanna added. “And we’ve only seen a few pictures of this honeymoon you two just went on. What’s that about?”
Macon gave her a short squeeze to the thigh this time, indicating her thanks to Joanna for changing the subject. Hillary passed Amara her phone, knowing Amara would want to show them the pictures she’d taken. Amara’s phone didn’t have the best camera, according to the woman, so most of their pictures were on Hillary’s phone. The six of them sat in their booth and had another round of drinks as they caught up. It made Joanna sad for a moment. She turned to see that Macon was glancing at her with a similar expression. If they did make this move, they would both miss these people a lot.
“We should get going,” Macon said later. “We still had packing to do.”
That wasn’t true; they’d packed earlier. They had a few things to toss into their bags before they left tomorrow, but Joanna didn’t say anything to the group. She knew Macon hated lying to her friends about the potential move. Maybe her wife just wanted to leave so she wouldn’t have to keep up the charade. They’d decided not to say anything until they knew they were going. If they decided against it, there was no need to bring it up with their friends.
They hugged their friends – who all told them to travel safe and bring them back stuffed kangaroos and vegemite – and took a car home in lieu of BART or walking. Joanna kept looking over at her wife, who was oddly quiet. She took Macon’s hand about halfway through the trip, brought it to her lips, and kissed it.
“Are you okay? Are you nervous? Do you not want to go anymore?”
“I’m good.” Macon gave her a sure smile.
The car dropped them off moments later. Macon took her hand and practically rushed her up the stairs.
“Babe, we’re packed already. Why are we running to get home?” She laughed as Macon unlocked the door.
“Because...” Macon opened the door, ushered Joanna through it, closed it behind them, and promptly pressed Joanna up against it, holding her wrists up by her head on the door and smirking at her. “I had you last night for the first time in way too long. As Hillary and Amara talked about their honeymoon, all I could think about was our honeymoon and everything we did together.”
“Oh,” Joanna said smirking back at her. “You want to…”
“Yes.” Macon’s eyes were that amazing electric green, but they were darker now. “I missed you so much, babe. Last night wasn’t nearly enough for me. It never will be.”
“I’d hope so, because you are stuck with me,” she replied. “And exactly which thing from our honeymoon did you want to do tonight?” Joanna knew which thing Macon wanted perfectly well. “You might just have to show me everything so I remember what felt the best.”
“Everything, huh?” Macon whispered as she leaned into her, pressing Joanna’s body against the door. “Our flight is in about fourteen hours.”
“We can take our time then.”
“But we should prioritize, right?” Macon pressed a thigh between Joanna’s legs, earning a hitch in her breathing. “I seem to remember you liked when you were on top of me, and I was wearing–”
“Yes, that,” Joanna interrupted and kissed her.
◆◆◆
Greene didn’t think; she knew she had the sexiest wife in the world. Joanna was straddling her thighs. Greene’s eyes were flitting between the toy, moving in and out of her wife, and Jo’s breasts, which were bouncing above her. She smirked at the feeling of being able to bring Jo pleasure like this. Her hands were on Jo’s hips as her own hips drove up to meet Joanna’s body moving down. Greene thought she could come any minute just by looking at Jo like this. She thought back to the moment they’d met at Keira’s old place. That was right after Keira and Emma had started dating. Joanna was a straight woman who worked at Emma’s office. They’d clicked instantly, though. Greene had fallen in love with her new best friend but had no hope that Joanna would ever return those feelings. Jo had been the one to press for more when Greene had been too afraid she’d lose that friendship. She’d been so brave to put herself out there; to tell Greene how she felt and then to push Greene to pursue it when she knew Greene felt the same way.
Now, they were married. Greene had made vows to this woman, and Joanna had returned them. They’d traveled the world together, gotten engaged in Florence, and traveled some more. There was something exciting in the air, and only part of it had to do with Greene’s building orgasm at the sound of Joanna’s one above her. This possibility of moving had Greene not only anxious at all the changes that would come if they went through with it, but it made the adrenaline course through her veins. It inspired her, thrilled her, and turned her on like crazy, because it had brought the two of them closer together already.
“God, that felt good,” Joanna said as she collapsed on top of Greene.
“Yes, it did,” she confirmed, pressing her hands into Jo’s back. “Again?” she asked only a second later.
“What about you?” Joanna laughed before she kissed Greene’s neck.
“If you do that again, I’ll come.”
Joanna lifted herself up, stared down at her, and asked, “Oh, yeah?”
“Yes,” Greene confirmed, running her hands up Joanna’s abdomen and covering her breasts as Joanna’s hips moved forward and back. “Like that.”
“Just like this?” Jo asked.
“Yes.” Greene closed her eyes at the well-placed pressure.
“You don’t want me to take this thing off you and climb down your body?” Joanna asked as she rocked slowly. “It’s been too long since I’ve had my mouth on you, Make.”
“Damn, Jo,” Greene let out, moving Joanna’s hips back and forth a little faster.
Joanna stopped moving. She lifted herself up and off Greene, causing Greene to groan at the loss of pressure against her clit, and pulled down the dark green shorts – she’d bought just for her wife because they matched her eyes – with the toy Greene had picked out for her. She let them fall to the floor and looked down at Greene, who spread her legs for her.
Joanna’s teeth sank into Greene’s top lip, and she moved on all fours before she sank down, placed her hands behind Greene’s legs, and pulled her wife against her mouth. She kissed the inside of her thighs first.
“I missed you, too, you know?” she said, kissing Greene again in the same spot.
“Don’t stop until I come?” Greene checked, needing Jo’s lips on her so badly.
“Always, Make.”
◆◆◆
“I can tell one thing I don’t like about Australia,” Joanna said as she flopped onto the bed in their hotel room.
“What’s that?” Macon asked her, rolling their two bags into the corner.
“The long flight to get here,” Joanna replied, staring up at the ceiling. “God, I feel like I’m a whole year older.”
“You’re about a day older, and still just as hot as you were yesterday,” Macon said as she climbed on top of her, placing her hands on either side of Joanna’s head.
“You seem happier.” Joanna wrapped her arms around Macon’s waist.
“I’m exhausted from the flight, but I’m glad we’re doing this. I guess I just got the feeling that if we didn’t at least check it out, we’d end up regretting it later.”
“That’s kind of how I felt,” she agreed. “Now, I’m tired, but I’m also starving. Should we change out of our no
w disgusting plane clothes and find one of those amazing restaurants we read about?”
“Sounds like a good idea to me,” Macon replied, kissing her before climbing off entirely and giving Joanna her hands so she could help pull her up off the bed. “Hey, Jo?” she asked when Joanna stood in front of her.
“Make?”
“There’s no one else I’d want to do this with. You know that, right?”
“I do, babe.” She kissed her wife. “Now, let’s go see what this place has to offer, so we can decide if it’s worth packing up our entire life to come here for at least the next five years.”
They made their way to an Indian restaurant, enjoyed a nice meal together, and then walked up and down the main street of the neighborhood. They held hands as they walked, deciding that that should be part of their test of the town. If they couldn’t be themselves here, they couldn’t live here. Macon even pulled on her hand a little and stopped walking so that she could give Joanna a quick kiss. They both looked around after and noticed no one was paying any attention to them, despite the fact that the street was packed with pedestrians. They found a small, independent movie theater and decided to catch a film. They ordered popcorn and candy at the tiny concession stand. Macon wrapped her arm around her when they sat in the theatre and shared their snacks.
When the movie ended, they made their way back to the hotel; exhausted, but still excited about what they’d seen so far of their possible new home. They took a long shower together. Joanna’s exhaustion disappeared the moment she saw Macon pull off her shirt and remove her bra. Macon’s eyebrow lifted when she caught Joanna’s eyes on her still perfect body. When Macon unbuckled her belt and slowly unzipped her jeans, Joanna knew they weren’t getting out of that shower without touching each other.
Later that night, Joanna held Macon in her arms. She pressed a kiss to Macon’s shoulder; not wanting to wake her wife, but also not being able to stop herself from offering Macon the caresses to her soft skin. For the first time in a very long time, they’d gone to sleep naked, with Joanna wrapped around her wife. It was perfect. It was just what they needed to find themselves as a couple again. She never, ever wanted to lose this special part of who they were together. No matter what life held for them, Joanna knew Macon was the one she wanted to go through it with.
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