Cheradine- Lost and found

Chapter 14

It’s thirty minutes later before Nadine’s mum leaves under duress, and even then only once she’s secured a promise from Nadine to visit the family home tomorrow. Much as the thought of telling her entire immediate family fills her with trepidation, she knows there’s no point in putting it off.

Not long afterwards Cheryl sticks her head around Nadine’s bedroom door. “Is it safe to come out yet?” The unintentional pun isn’t lost on either of them.

“Yeah, she’s gone.”

The Geordie looks around, as if searching for signs of thrown crockery or some other visual indication of a massive argument but the room is exactly how she left it. “I was expectin’ World War 3 but everythin’ went scarily quiet. What did she say?”

Nadine crosses the room to wrap her arms around Cheryl, the sigh that escapes her throat a mixture of relief and contentment. “Oh, she just gave me a wee lecture about shamin' the family by takin’ up with a married woman,” Nadine says as she rests her chin on Cheryl’s shoulder, only half-joking.

Cheryl pulls back, lifting a hand to cup Nadine’s cheek. Her face is deadly serious.  “The first thing I’m gonna do when I step off that plane on Wednesday is phone me lawyer. Ash can have the house, me money, the whole lot. I don’t care.”

“Don’t make any rash decisions, Cheryl.”

The Geordie frowns. “What do you mean?”

“I just...” Nadine bites her lip, wondering how to phrase this without causing offense. “Are you sure this is what you really want? If it’s a rebound thing or a way to get back at-“

“Right. Stop.” Cheryl interrupts, stepping out of Nadine’s embrace. She takes both Nadine’s hands in her own. “If that’s what you think this is then you don’t know me at all, babe.”

“I didn’t mean –“ Nadine pauses, casts her eyes to the ceiling as if to say ‘give me strength’. When her gaze returns to Cheryl’s she sees a fierceness simmering in dark brown eyes. She realises this is going to require a different approach – heart-felt, no holds barred truth. “Cheryl, I’m fallin’ for you.”

She allows a moment to let this sink in, watching the play of emotions over Cheryl’s face. The Geordie never has been one to conceal her feelings and Nadine sees surprise and elation pass over her features in quick succession.

“I need to know this is real,” Nadine continues, laying her heart bare.

The brunette’s eyes soften and she steps closer, placing Nadine’s hands on her waist. “It’s real.”

Their lips are hovering scant inches apart and Nadine wants desperately to close the distance but she holds back. The visceral urge to touch, to claim is almost too much to take but she needs Cheryl to go that extra mile.

“It’s real,” the Geordie repeats, her arms winding around Nadine’s neck, before she kisses Nadine slow and searchingly.

**

Although she’s isn’t bashful – she knows how to act sexy for the camera, how to play up her God-given assets - Nadine likes to think she’s classy. That said, the very unladylike moans currently dropping from her lips are anything but. In her defence she’s sort of powerless to control them because Cheryl’s unrelenting lips are moving down the hollow of her throat.

They’d moved from the living room to Nadine’s bedroom, unwilling to take any chances on any more unexpected visitors interrupting things. How long they’ve been here, kissing on the bed, Nadine isn’t sure. All she knows is that her nerves are jangled, heart beating double-time as Cheryl drops hot, open-mouthed kisses over her collarbone.