Girls and Red lipstick

a new home

"I have to tell you something" Toni said excitedly as she walked into Cheryl's office and sat down opposite her. "Oh hi honey...yeah i'm great how are you?" Cheryl said sarcastically not appreciating Toni's welcome. "sorry" she said quickly leaving over the desk and quickly kissing her. "...but i really do have to tell you something" she continued bouncing her leg up and down in excitement. Cheryl moved away from her computer and turned to face her. "What is it?" she asked intrigued. "Someone wants to buy my whole collection. You know the paintings i did in college-" she said excitedly. "Oh my goodness babe!" she said as she stood up and walked over to hug her. "i know. Some guy came in the gallery this morning and said he loved it and then he just called with an offer" she said as she smiled from ear to ear. "i'm so fucking happy" she said smiling as she hugged Cheryl.

It has always been Toni's dream to own a gallery (which she did) and be recognised for her artwork. She actually felt proud of herself for the first time in forever. Cheryl grabbed her hands and intertwined their fingers. "i'm so proud of you" she whispered before kissing her. "thank you" she whispered back with a smile. Toni looked at her. "what-you look like you want to say something?" Cheryl asked. "yeah...so obviously this is gonna be a lot of money and i've been thinking a lot lately even before today about us and what i want right now" she started. Cheryl looked at her wondering where she was going with it. "i know we've only been together for a few weeks but this feels so right and i wanna be with you forever. I wanna move out of the city, not too far obviously because i work here but i want a cute house with a backyard with a swing set and neighbours who have kids that Leo can play with. I want a home and i want that with you" she continued. Cheryl's heart beat faster. "What are you saying?" she asked with a little smile. "...do you want to move in with me?" she asked nervously. Cheryl laughed at her nervousness. "i'd love to" she whispered and kissed her.

!!!

Cheryl walked into the kitchen to see Toni sitting at the table. Her hair was in a ponytail, she has a long oversized hoodie on, and some fluffy socks. Her laptop was in front of her and she had a huge mug of tea beside her. Toni looked up as Cheryl walked in and smiled at her. "you didn't have to wait up you know?" Cheryl said as she kissed her on the cheek and wrapped her arms around her. "i wanted to" Toni said as she stood up and hugged her. "what you doing?" Cheryl asked looking at her computer screen. "i was looking at houses in the suburbs" Toni replied and they both smiled at each other. "Let's look together" Cheryl said as she picked up Toni's computer and walked over to the living room. They sat looking at different houses for hours. It was exciting and scary but they were both so happy.

It got to about 1 o'clock in the morning and the girls decided to go to bed. Toni lay under the covers watching Cheryl as she got ready for bed. She stood at the bathroom door brushing her teeth and looking at Toni. As she lay staring at her with a sparkle in her eyes, Cheryl crowned at her. She walked back into the bathroom spat into the sink and wiped her mouth. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she said with a smile as she stood at the bottom of the bed. "Because i love you" Toni replied without hesitation. Cheryl froze. Her stomach immediately filled with butterflies and she couldn't help but smile. She crawled onto the bad and lay beside her girlfriend. "i love you too" she whispered and then she kissed her. Toni held Cheryl's face softly as she kissed her. Cheryl felt so safe when she was with her and she had never felt the same way with anyone else. A warmth filled her heart and she thought about how happy she was. She was in love with the most amazing girl ever, and she had been since the day she first saw her.

!!!

"okay buddy, go check your bedroom one last time before we leave. Make sure you haven't left anything" Cheryl said to Leo as he ran off into his bedroom. The removal guys loaded the last few boxes into the van and Cheryl and Toni stood in the middle of the empty apartment. Toni wrapped her arms around Cheryl's shoulders. "i can't wait to live with you baby" she whispered as she softly kissed her neck. "me too" she replied with a smile. They were so excited to move on to the next step of their relationship. "Haven't left anything" Leo said as he ran back into the room. "Great" Toni said as she bent down to hug him. "Are you excited to see our new house?" Cheryl said smiling as she grabbed one of his hands and Toni grabbed the other. He nodded enthusiastically and smiled from ear to ear. "Let's go then yeah?" Toni said and they all walked out of the house. Toni locked the front door and handed the keys to the realtor. They all jumped in the car and drove out of the city with the moving van behind them.

It was about a twenty minute drive from the city, which was close. They finally arrived and Leo jumped out of the car and ran onto the huge front garden. The house had a long driveway and huge yard for Leo to play in. The street was big and had lots of room and their were children playing on their bikes in the street. Toni and Cheryl stood at the bottom of their driveway and looked at their new home. "i can't believe this is ours" Toni said as she grabbed Cheryl's hand and intertwined their fingers. "me too" she replied looking at her with a smile.

!!!

"Goodnight honey. I love you" Toni said as she kissed Leo on the forehead. He raced up the stairs and Cheryl followed behind him. She was gonna tuck him in whilst Toni made tea. They walked into his new bedroom with was pretty empty and he jumped onto his bed. She pulled back the covers and he climbed in. She gave him his teddy bear and sat on the side of his bed and gently played with his hair. His eyes were heavy and she softly stroked his face. He was almost asleep. "Goodnight" she whispered and kissed him on the cheek. She stood up and began to walk away. "Goodnight Mom" he replied as he closed his eyes. Cheryl stopped in her tracks and turned around to look at him peacefully lying with his eyes closed. Her eyes filled with tears and she felt all fuzzy inside. He'd never called her that before.

She raced down the stairs and into the kitchen. When she saw Toni she stopped still as looked at her with a smile as one single tear fell from her eye. "babe, what's wrong?" Toni asked concerned as she put the kettle down and walked over to her. "Toni he just called me Mom" she said with a smile. Toni smiled at her. "oh babe" she said as she hugged her. "You are his mom" she continued. "why does it feel so good to be called that?" she whispered as she wiped her face. "I've never told you this but, i love how much you love him. From day one you've always cared for him and that means so much to me. I mean you so could have ran away when you find out about him like everybody else does, but you didn't. You stayed and you loved him like he was your child. And that makes me love you even more" Toni said as she smiled at her. Cheryl smiled back at her.

They both sat down on the couch in their new home. They were both so happy. Nothing could ruin what they had, and to them, that was the most important thing in the world.