Dedication

Reunion

Nicole's POV
I had scheduled therapy sessions before I had even left Australia. I knew that I needed to do some deep work on myself because what I had done was unacceptable. I had justified my actions until I finally saw the consequences and realized it wasn't right. Florian is my partner and I needed to allow him to be that. To be the person I can lean on when there's hard, heartbreaking shit going on, not just hold it in because I think it's easier that way. It's not fair to him.

I sighed looking at myself in the mirror. I'd spent the past few months in therapy twice a week. The first thing we had discussed and dissected was the termination and then went deeper into why I felt like I couldn't tell Florian as soon as it happened. It was a hard process but necessary. The hurt had dulled to a soft ache and it wasn't the first thing I thought about in the morning anymore. Now the first thing on my mind was when Florian would return. He'd been gone for four months now and it was killing me every morning to wake up without him. But I knew he needed his time and space too. But the longer he was gone, the more I thought he would never return. They say distance makes the heart grow fonder but what if time allows the heart to forget all together.

I played with my hair, looking over the new look.

I'd decided to make the change after we had a major breakthrough in therapy this past week and felt like it was time for a change while letting old things go.

I desperately wanted to call Florian and show him but I knew that I had to respect his space no matter how much it killed me. The only good thing was restrictions were slowly lifting and people were venturing outside cautiously. I was able to schedule an in person therapy appointment for this upcoming week so that I could physically sit in front of my therapist, it just felt like it would make it more real.

Three days later

I just returned home from grocery shopping. I hadn't really been stocking up the fridge, relying on delivery services but I decided to replenish the fridge today. Michael, Kay and baby Mario would be coming over for dinner tonight. It had become a weekly tradition we had been rotating with between our house and theirs. They had officially bought a home together as they were both getting tired of navigating Michael's bachelor pad and Kay's apartment couldn't comfortably house a whole family, especially being cooped up together during the pandemic.

I placed the groceries into the fridge, leaving out the ingredients I would begin cooking with in a short while. Michael had requested that we have a seafood boil tonight so I had gotten crab legs, fish, crawfish, shrimp, oysters, some corn, potatoes and more.

A few hours later we all sat in the backyard with the seafood boiling. We were just getting caught up on things going on. Kay and I had gotten on the topic of the 365 Days movie that had dominated Netflix and we were both obsessed with Massimo.

"All I'm saying is that bed scene... wooo honey had my pussy throbbing!" Kay said to which I agreed and we high-fived.

"Massimo is just so dominate and sexy and now all I want is to be taken by a mafia man to Sicily and never return." I joked, taking a sip of my wine.

"I might not be a mafia man but being whisked away to Sicily can be arranged." It's him.

I turned to see him leaning against the patio door. I nearly dropped my wine glass at the sight of him. He stood tall, today he seemed like he was seven feet tall. His hair was cut neatly, his beard shorter than it had been in Australia. He wore grey joggers and a white t-shirt and white air forces.

Michael was the first to greet him, walking over and giving him a hug and welcoming him back.
Kay and I exchanged looks and she took initiative and stood up with baby Mario in hand and greeted Florian. They hugged and she handed the baby to him, "Mario, say hello to Uncle Florian."

"Hey little guy. Look how big you've gotten. Wow. And look at those hands." Florian cooed while he held him and playing with his tiny hands. "Definitely boxing hands, I'll show you how to fight just like I showed your daddy." He joked to which Michael sucked his teeth and kay laughed.

A smile graced my face. For some reason my body was frozen in place. I couldn't move, scared if I did I would wake up from some type of dream. I'd dreamt over and over again about Florian coming home. Sometimes to tell me that he was done with our relationship and sometimes to reconcile. Right now, I wasn't sure what it was.

He made his way over to where I sat on the outdoor couch. He sat down next to me with Mario still in his arms. I inhaled his scent bringing me back to reality. I finally looked up at him, my eyes connecting with his and some of my anxiety calmed. I still saw a glint of that love that we shared coupled with something else I couldn't decipher. He pulled me in, wrapping his arm around my neck and placing his lips on my forehead. They stayed there as I struggled to control my breathing. It seemed his lips had knocked the wind out of me.

He pulled away, leaning his forehead against mine, my eyes closed, just inhaling him and feeling everywhere on my body where his touched mine, his hand still on the back of my neck, our thighs touching.

"I love you." He whispered between the two of us and it felt like all the air had suddenly been forced back into my lungs.

A small smile graced my lips. He's home.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He's baaaaaaccckkkkkkkk

So how do we feel about Nicole's healing process? Do we like her new look? How do you guys feel about Florian coming home? Where do you think they go from here?

I have been LIVING for these comments and trust me I read every single one. I'm so grateful that you guys read my little  story.