Love Me Before The Last Petal Falls

Settling In

Tarja sat in her bedroom unpacking her luggage. The room Tuomas had left for her was simple and beautiful. The walls were a warm grey shade, with white baseboards. The floor was a dark wood with a soft white carpet that tickled her toes. Beautiful oil paintings of the Finnish snowy, landscapes, covered the walls. A huge window looked out into the pine forest behind the house, and the full moon shone through the window, lighting up the room. Tuomas had surprised his guests by preparing a separate room for Naomi, which blew the little girl's mind away. Naomi's room was decorated especially for her. The walls were a soft pink, and the furniture and decorations had a similar appearance that suited the aesthetic. Naomi's eyes widened when she stepped into her room and ran around it in awe. She lunged herself onto the queen sized bed which was covered in a floral duvet, and hugged the big white teddy bear that sat on top of it.

"This is crazy Tuo, it's just as nice as the one she had at home," said Tarja solemnly, reminded of what she left behind. Realizing leaving her husband may have been a mistake, the woman's eyes filed with tears. Tuomas put his hand on her shoulder. 

"Tari it's not your fault, leaving after what he did to you, "He spat as he spoke the last words, "You deserve so much better than someone who would take you for granted." Tarja wiped some tears from her eyes, hoping her daughter wouldn't see her cry. 

"But is this the best thing for Naomi? She ought to have a father around, and a stable family life," she sniffled. Tuomas hugged her quickly.

"You do the best you can."

Now in her room, Tarja couldn't believe how sweet her Tuo was. He had done so much and provided so much so that she had trouble keeping a smile off her face. Through their years of friendship, there were rarely any cases which brought disappointment. He was the man women dreamed of marrying (or fucking) and the man whom everyone aspired to befriend. She felt like the luckiest girl on the planet to have him supporting her always. From the get-go he knew Marcelo wouldn't treat her right, but sadly love blinded her. Doesn't it always. 

Tarja plopped onto her bed, and took a moment to relax from unpacking. The grey ceiling stared back at her, along with a very modern looking light fixture that was made up of shiny pieces of metal. Light reflected off each piece and shone in many directions. The atmosphere in her room was so calming and soothing, she closed her eyes in a moment of relaxation, and before she knew it she had drifted off to sleep.

Some time later, she awoke to a warm, gentle hand grazing her forehead. She jolted awake to find non other than Tuomas sitting on her bed staring back at her. 

"Shit, sorry I didn't mean to wake you Tari," he said. Pulling herself up she sat crossed legged on the bed, and smiled.

"It's alright Tuo, I didn't mean to fall asleep anyways."

"I'm still sorry, you should never disturb such a peaceful sleep. You're beautiful when you sleep, just like all those years ago, on the tour bus. You'd fall asleep on my lap, remember? It was nice to see you finally able to relax after all the stress we went through," a gentle smiled played across his lips as old times were recalled. Tarja couldn't help but reminisce the early tour days, where the world seemed so full of wonder and possibility, when their success was just beginning.

"Ya those were good times. Right at at the beginning, our first proper tour. It was exhilarating. All the new venues and suddenly all these fans appeared. Everyone loved us," she said with a sigh, "but I guess the good things cant stay good forever." Tuomas shook his head gently.

"Things went so wrong for us."

"We fell apart," Tarja said, "I should've known better. Marcelo was a terrible idea to begin with. We would have been fine without him, we would probably be better off if he was never hired." Tuomas took her fragile hand into his and said,

"All that matters is you're okay now. We are all doing our best to move past the mess we've all made so we can be happy," gripping her hand tighter he continued, "frankly I'm a bit happy about everything that has happened in the last week, because it's brought us back together. What Marcelo did to you was despicable, but it did lead you here, didn't it? We can be a part of each others lives again, for however long you want. You know you're welcome here for as long as you please. Johanna and I are happy to have you and Naomi in our home. You're my best friend, Tari. I need you in my life." Tarja squeezed his hand back, loving the man in front of her with all her heart. A tear rolled down her cheek as she thanked him, and he pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Where would I be without my Tuo?" she smiled.