Hunger in my Heart

Chapter 24

Cheryl fidgeted nervously and looked at the time on her phone again, Kimberley was supposed to arrive any minute now and for the first time that she could ever remember she wasn't sure how she should act with her friend. She'd arrived home from LA two days ago and after spending the first day catching up on her sleep she had been looking forward to finally seeing Kimberley again yesterday, but then had to cancel because she was called into the studio to lay down some more vocals. Cheryl hadn't been in a great mood at the studio yesterday, spending the day frustrated and impatient, as a result everyone was a little testy by the end of the day, but at least the album should be done. Now, she had nothing on her diary at all until X Factor Judge's Houses in ten days. Cheryl had every intention of devoting those ten days to Kimberley and hopefully convincing her that they could be, no should be, a whole lot more than friends. Now if she could just figure out how to go about that she thought ruefully.

Somehow in all the wishful thinking and fantasies she had indulged in over the last couple of years, she had never actually considered how exactly she would date Kimberley, let alone seduce her, let alone convince her to spend the rest of her life with her. Cheryl suddenly felt like maybe she was in a little over her head, she had no clue how to go about this. None. Maybe she should just kiss her and see what happened. No, that probably wasn't a good idea, Kimberley was cautious and deliberate she'd probably want to talk about things, or think about things, or something. Cheryl grimaced, maybe she should just kiss her. No, this really was too important to rush or somehow mess things up because she really, really wanted Kimberley. That could wait, she sternly reminded herself, what was important was making sure Kimberley knew how much she loved her and wanted to be with her. But she had to admit to herself that now that she had permission it was going to be very difficult to keep her hands off Kimberley. Very.

Kimberley leaned against the door frame to the media room and watched as Cheryl paced while apparently mumbling to herself and gesticulating with her hands every so often. She appeared to be deep in thought and agitated about something. Kimberley smiled to herself, it was good to finally lay eyes on Cheryl after just more than a month apart. Some part of Kimberley had felt in limbo while Cheryl had been away, like she needed her to return before she could really move on with her life. Probably because she did, Kimberley noted wryly. Not that she had the first clue how they were going to go about this, it's not like there would be a hell of a lot of point in dating, they knew each other very well. They were already confidantes, they were already best friends, they were already partners in many aspects of their lives. Now was the time to see how they would mesh as actual partners and as lovers. She knew that this could be a complete disaster, it could completely change everything or even ruin everything, she knew that. But, she had decided that this, whatever it was that she and Cheryl had, it was worth the risk because she also knew that it could be spectacular, everything either of them ever wanted or needed. So, she may still be experiencing moments of panic she figured, but it wasn't going to stop her. Not now.

Returning her focus to Cheryl, she saw that she had stopped her pacing and was staring out the windows over the terrace. She watched as Cheryl ran her hands through her hair in agitation and then clenched her fist nervously. Kimberley knew the signs, she had seen it often enough before countless performances, Cheryl was nervous. That made Kimberley smile as well because on the way over here, she had to consciously remind herself to not speed or grip the steering wheel too hard and had wiped her sweaty palms off on her pants at least twice. At least she wasn't the only one.

"Hey," Kimberley said quietly.

Turning quickly Cheryl took a moment to settle her rattled nerves and her now pounding heart as she took in Kimberley's pose, leaning casually against the door frame with her arms crossed and smiling at her. God, she looked beautiful she thought, Kimberley was dressed simply in a pair of loose khakis and a white t-shirt with her hair flowing down around her shoulders but she was smiling at Cheryl warmly and her eyes were lit with happiness. Cheryl felt such a surge of love and affection at the mere sight of her that she was momentarily overwhelmed. They stayed like that for a moment both staring at each other and smiling. After a few moments Kimberley realized that Cheryl seemed frozen in place, so she started towards her. Someone had to take action here she reasoned.