Love Me Before The Last Petal Falls

Welcome Home

The two old friends had decided to catch up over a cup of coffee (and hot chocolate for Naomi of course), before heading to Tuomas's house. They headed to a cafe near the airport that seemed empty enough, not wanting to attract too much attention. For a while Tarja forgot about her troubles with Marcelo, as she sipped a steaming mug of tea, and listened to Tuomas' stories. Naomi also seemed very interested, though the little girl barely spoke a word of Finnish. Tarja couldn't believe how much she had missed Tuomas. Seeing him again brought back a wave of emotions which she had held back for the longest time. The fact that they had spent nearly a year not talking to each other, and ten years not being able to physically spend time together, made her feel a nagging guilt. But the past was the past, and now sitting in the chair she observed him as his eyes lit up, telling her about the time he worked with Don Rosa, and watched him draw the cover for The Life and Times of Scrooge. This excitement she hadn't seen in years.  As she got lot in her thoughts, curious fans started to become aware of the fact that Tarja and Tuomas sat, reunited. They snapped pictures on their phones, and Tarja knew it was only a matter of time before they would surface across the Internet. Tuomas noticed the stares and gave her an uneasy look.
"I think it may be time to head home," he said, lifting himself from the chair.
"I agree," motioning at her daughter, she said in Spanish, "come on Naomi, it's time to go now."

The Finns headed to the car and spent the ride engaging in small talk, both consumed in their own thoughts. Tarja questioned her decision to leave Marcelo, and come back to Finland.Was she doing the right thing for her family? And why had it been her first instinct to ask Tuomas to stay with him? She had her brother in the same city for goodness sake. For some reason, she had been pulled towards asking him, and when he said he wouldn't have it any other way, there was no question. Of course, her staying at his house was only temporary. As soon as she found her own apartment she would leave, Tarja didn't want to get in the way of his married life of course. Tuomas had been pleasantly surprised when Tarja called him first. Even though they had been close for the past years, he didn't their relationship was closer than the one with her brother. Tuo, had of course asked Johanna first if it would be okay to have Tarja and Naomi stay with them for a while, and his wife happily agreed. Now in the car, both silently questioned their decision. Tuomas had had feelings for Tarja. And she had had feelings for him. Sadly, neither of them had ever come to realize the mutual lust. Now that they were together once more, both questioned whether or not there was a possibility of returning feelings. Wiping the thought from her mind, Tarja turned around to look at Naomi, who gazed out the window and watched the snow gently fall.One big question on Tarja's mind was whether or not she did the right thing for her daughter. She had ripped her from her life and brought her to a foreign place, that wasn't fair for a child. But seeing the way she seemed to enjoy her time in the frozen country, and her immediate attachment to Tuomas made her slightly more content. Perhaps things would turn out alright.

Tuomas pulled into the driveway of his home, and Tarja nearly gasped, while Naomi actually did. Since getting married, Tuomas built a house for him and his wife, and he had told Tarja about it, but she had never expected such grandeur! The house was fairly simple in design, and had a slightly rustic feeling. On the other hand, IT WAS HUGE! Tuomas must have had to spend a lot of money to create such a magnificent home.

"Like it?" he asked.

"Tuo this is insane. It's so much bigger than I had imagined it," replied Tarja as she stepped out of the car.

"Well, I wanted the best I could give for Jo. She's such an amazing person, Tari, you'll see in a moment. She deserves the world, so I give her what I can. I even got her a pony, maybe Naomi could ride it if she wants to," he said with a gentle smile. Tarja was nearly speechless.

"Wow, Tuo, you're incredible," she breathed.
"I try my best,"  he replied shyly.

Tarja stared in astonishment at her best friends home, as he unlocked the heavy, wooden door, and it creaked open. 

"Welcome to my humble abode."

*Hey guys! Sorry it took so long to update, and sorry this chapter is pretty short. I've had so much going on recently and it doesn't look like things will slow down anytime soon, but I'll try my best to update every two weeks.Thank you all for the support <3 *