Cheradine- Lost and found

Epilogue

Six weeks later

Even before she’s set foot on the doorstep Nadine hears the thumping baseline of the stereo, currently pumping out the familiar beat of Rihanna’s Disturbia, distorted as it is by the barrier of bricks and mortar.

A quiet night in with the girls, Cheryl had said on the phone when they’d discussed inviting a few select people over to celebrate the decree absolute being granted, just a few drinks and nibbles.

So Nadine’s understandably a bit nonplussed to open the door to find Charlie and Justin chatting in the hallway.

“Hi, how are you?” she says distractedly, accepting a kiss on the cheek from the pair of them.

“Can I give you a hand with that?” Justin offers, nodding towards the suitcase Nadine’s dragging behind her.

“No, you’re alright,” she responds, dumping the case beside the foot of the stairs and removing the sunglasses perched on top of her head. “Is Cheryl around?”

“In the kitchen, I think,” Justin says.

With a smile she steps past them and wanders into the kitchen to find the Geordie pouring shots. She lingers unnoticed in the doorway for a minute, soaking up the sight of the other woman. It’s only been a week since they were last together but it felt like a lifetime and just being in the same room as Cheryl now makes the tedious monotony of those seven days whittle away to nothing.

It these moments that makes the distance seem insignificant and lets her know that the journey is worth it.

Before Nadine has a chance to make her presence known she hears an unmistakeable Scouse screech of “Naaaaaaaadz!” and then she’s engulfed in a hug that almost knocks the air out of her lungs and has her teetering perilously for a moment in her heels.

Cheryl looks up at the commotion, a dazzling smile immediately lighting up her face as she crosses the room.

Nadine manages to disentangle herself from a less than sober Nicola and puts her arms around the Geordie, pulling her into an embrace that lasts probably a minute longer than it should between friends. Not that Nicola notices in her current state.

“I’ve missed you,” Nadine whispers against the shell of Cheryl’s ear.

“Me too.”

They let go reluctantly and the look on Cheryl’s face, full of unspoken longing and love, almost takes Nadine’s breath away. She glances at the redhead but Nicola’s still completely oblivious to what’s going on in front of her. “So who else is here?” Nadine asks, aware of the thickness of her voice.

“Kimba, Hillary. Sarah and Tommy are expected sometime before midnight,” Cheryl says and they all roll their eyes at the mention of the blonde’s legendary inability to be on time for anything.

Okay, so it isn’t quite the wild party she’d feared might be raging in her living room but Nadine’s still thrown by partners and boyfriends being here. She’d actually been looking forward to catching up with everyone’s news in a low-key manner.

“I better pop in and say hello then.”

“Wait, I wanna show you somethin’ first. Nic, can you take the drinks through? I’ll just be a minute.”

Not that she has any choice in the matter because the Geordie grabs Nadine by the hand and pulls her past the boys in the hallway, up the stairs and into their bedroom. As soon as the door shuts, Cheryl backs her up against it.

“I just wanted to give you a proper welcome,” Cheryl says, her voice dropping to a lower, more seductive register, “while I have the chance.”