MEDICINE ──── GEORGE RUSSELL.

VII.

chapter seven. you knew what you wanted and boy you got her. 

Althea sits on the counter in the closest bathroom, her fingers caressing George's hair. "You know, from down here, you look really pretty." she says finally. 

"You're still shaking." he points out and she pressed her lips together, her face gaining a slight rosy hue. 

"Well..." she bites her bottom lip. "This is definitely not what I planned for when you told me to take an earlier flight."

"I didn't tell you too, I recommended it." he corrects, his lips pressed to the inner part of her thighs, biting gently on the skin. "I didn't say you had to."

"If I had known you were going to drag me into a bathroom and..." she trails off. "And..." there's a small silence as she decides what she's going to say. "And write the cursive alphabet with your tongue on my body, I might've left the minute you suggested it." 

He laughs and glances up at her, rising just a bit, so he's a little bit more than at eye level with her as he moves to stand next to her, wrapping his arms around her. "Is that what I did?" he teases, earning an eyeroll in response. 

"I missed you." she says finally as her face rests in the crook of his neck and shoulder. "You know, Monaco gets quite lonely when I don't see you. Even the cats miss you."

"Jo and Mochi." he says, his eyes gleaming. "I thought they didn't like me, they kept biting me."

Althea shrugs, "nonetheless, they miss you." 

He pushes the stray hairs off her forehead and presses a kiss to the top of her head. "I promise to go see the cats after this race."

She seems satisfied with his answer and glances at him, and then at her phone. "I told Augustine and Willa I'd meet them at the airport." 

"We are technically still in the airport." he says. 

"They didn't expect to see the both of us." she points out matter-of-factly. "They don't know that we're...." she trails off.