The Surrogate

Testing

Friday December 23rd. Germany.

Seb waits, a little impatiently, in the arrivals hall of Frankfurt's airport, scanning every face that appears from behind the glass doors as people walk out either carrying bags or rucksacks or pushing trolleys laden with luggage. He checks his watch and hopes he doesn't get a parking fine, this close to Christmas the whole airport is busker than usual with people arriving home or jetting away for the festive break and it was hell trying to find somewhere to park but luckily he's managed to park in a timed bay, about 10 minutes walk away. Problem is, he knows he's now overstayed the time permitted.

A smile briefly passes his lips as he thinks about the warning his mother had given him last night, not to be late getting here because parking would be a nightmare and he should leave himself time to get here and get parked. Of course, Seb being Seb, he was running a bit late when he left, having dropped Emilia off at his parent's home before getting here.

Once he's collected Holly, the plan is to briefly stop back at his parents to collect his daughter and then head straight back to his place so Holly can unpack, spend the day with Emilia and get settled in.

Finally he sees her. His heart skips a beat as their eyes meet from a distance, it's only been a few days but he's really missed her. It's kind of felt like a test, he's had a small doubt that she'd not come back for no other reason than the time she left, when she was ill. But she's here, pushing a trolley that's stacked with two large cases and a holdall, a smile on her face that shows she's pleased to see him.

A big smile lights up his handsome face as she gets closer and he can't resist hugging her when she stops in front of him, relieved that she's come back as she'd promised.

"How are you? Good flight?" he asks, stepping back to hold her at arms length. Her blue eyes are sparkling as she looks back at him, a soft, adoring smile that makes his heart flutter while her hands feel warm in his own.

"Yeah, I'm good, glad to be here," she replies, feeling a mixture of happiness and nerves because she's anxious at the prospect of spending Christmas with his family. It will feel like a different experience to last year for sure. "I've missed you and Emilia," she admits," I can't wait to see her."

He graciously takes control of the luggage trolley and they begin to walk, "we've missed you too, everything went ok though?"

"Yeah, I'll still have to pop back a few times, I think, but the balls been set rolling," she's referring to the decision she's made to move out of her apartment and terminate her rental contract. It's a big step to take and one that shows how serious she is about making things work with Seb.

It's a decision they came to together, he wants her living with him and Emilia and it's proof that she's committed to both himself and the baby. But equally it means he's put pressure on himself to give their relationship another chance, if it doesn't work out then she's going to find herself with nowhere to live, though she was the one who suggested moving out of her apartment.

He waits until they've got outside before he speaks again, "and how did your appointment go?" His tone is more serious now, her session with her therapist has been playing on his mind and he hasn't asked about it until now as he wanted to give her space while she was in the UK.

"Really good," she replies, sounding positively upbeat.

As they wait to cross a road, he glances at her to see smiling happily, it's another relief.

"I don't need to go again, unless I feel I have to. She's an amazing woman so I'll stay on her books and I know I can call her whenever I need to."

"That's really good to hear, I'm happy for you. And how's Immy?"