“Was that Jay?” Faye placed her satchel on the dining table, opening the flap and rummaging around inside.
“It was. He says he can’t wait to introduce us to Marcus, his new boyfriend.”
Faye’s eyes lit up. “He met someone?”
“He did.” Nobody had ever seemed so interested in not only Talia but her best friend too. Faye always asked how Jay was, when he was visiting, and if they could arrange a trip to London. Faye just…cared. “So we should definitely make it a plan when you have some time. We could go midweek.”
“I’d love that.” Faye stepped forward, fisting her hand in Talia’s Ramones T-shirt. She pulled her in, kissing her with a fervour Talia was becoming far too used to. “I missed you.”
“You’re here now. And I can’t wait to spend some time with you before I have to leave for work.” Talia didn’t work at the bistro anymore. When she wasn’t at Vision, she wanted to be home with Faye. It didn’t matter if Faye was busy working; just the click of the keyboard or the scratch of her pen on paper was enough to keep Talia grounded. Her tips at Vision meant she brought home plenty, and their time together was much more fulfilling when neither had to dress if they didn’t want to. Pyjama days had become their thing three months into their relationship. “I love coming home when you’re keeping the bed warm.”
“I love being in our bed when you creep in and wrap your arms around me.” Faye reached into her satchel, removing a package wrapped in tissue paper. “This…is for you.”
Talia’s heart sunk. She must have forgotten something. “Was it an occasion that I missed?”
“No. No occasion. Just a gift from me. I wanted you to be the first.”
Talia gently ripped the paper, her eyes widening when she caught a glimpse of the front cover of Faye’s latest book. “Oh, wow. This is mine?”
“All yours.”
“Babe, that’s amazing. Thank you.” Talia leaned in, her fingers holding Faye’s chin as she guided her into a lingering kiss. “It’s not out yet…”
“No, but my publisher had a copy ready for me. And I wanted you to have it.”
Talia sniffled as she opened the front of the book, careful not to crack the spine. She wasn’t ready to read it yet, she needed a couple of days to herself for that to be a possibility, so she needed to keep it in pristine condition. She turned the first page, her heart melting when she saw the dedication.
For Talia. My heart…
“Faye.” Talia lifted her head, shaking it as a tear fell. “This means the world to me.”
“Andyoumean the world to me.”
* * *
“Jay, are you ready?”Faye knocked on the spare bedroom door, the strong scent of aftershave almost knocking her off her feet. “We should really get going…”
“Coming now.” Jay flung the bedroom door open, fixing the collar on his black shirt. “How do I look?”
“Better than me. Let’s go.”
Jay stopped Faye, gripping her wrist. “What’s the rush?”
“I don’t want to miss a second of the show. I haven’t been to Vision since the fallout with Paul, but he said it was okay for me to be there tonight. I want Talia to know that I support her.”
“She’s going to shit her pants when she sees us there. I can’t believe you managed to lie your way out of it.”
Faye hated lying, but she’d wanted to surprise Talia. She’d called Paul a few weeks ago, enquiring about some tickets for her, Jay, and whoever else Faye could find to take the spare ticket. Thankfully, Marcus had agreed to come with Jay. “I know she was disappointed, I can always tell by her eyes, but that’s how amazing Talia is. I told her I had a work thing, and she left it at that. We support one another, and now I really need to get there before she wonders why one of the VIP booths is empty.”
“Shit, yes. Let’s go.” Jay hammered on the bathroom door. “Babe, we need to go!”
Marcus left the bathroom, kissing Jay on the cheek as he wrapped one arm around his waist.
“You two look really good together,” Faye said, cocking her head. “And now that our apartment smells like the perfume section at Duty Free,let’s go.”
With her keys in one hand, her mobile phone in the other, and her clutch bag shoved under her arm, Faye gave herself the once over in a nearby mirror. She looked hot, and she had no issues with admitting that to herself. Since she’d met Talia, her self-esteem had gone through the roof. She didn’t compare her body to her girlfriend’s anymore; she simply appreciated what they both had to offer. Really, Talia was a revelation.
“Hey, Faye.” Jay closed the apartment door, hand-in-hand with Marcus as she rushed towards the stairwell. When she turned back, Jay had the biggest smile on his face. “Thank you.”