T: have you boarded yet?
I: yeah.
T: so when should I be at the airport?
I: Richard's saying that we don't yet know the exact arrival time. The weather's not too clear either so we don't yet know the departure time either.
T: oh.
I: and don't bother going to the airport. We'll take a cab or something from there.
T: are you sure?
I: of course I'm sure.
I: besides I'm not alone, y'know. Your BigBro has been fulfilling the duties of a caring babysitter.
T: yeah, he's like that.
T: take care of yourself.
I: you too.
***
Irina entered the room, heels clicking against the marble floor and seeing Tim in front of her, a wide smile broke out on her face, "Tim, hi..."
But her voice trailed off into a laugh as he swept her off her feet, twirling her around a little before putting her down, holding her in his arms. Her hands were clasped around his neck while his gently held her close by the waist.
"Welcome home, sweetheart," a wide smile played upon his lips as he brought down his head to rest against hers, blue eyes sparkling in delight.
"Missed me?" Her green eyes flickered in amusement as she kissed the corner of his mouth teasingly, tempting him as she leaned in once again, stopping just a few centimeters away from his lips as if daring him to make the first move.
"You have no idea," he mumbled, and much to her surprise, Tim's hands that had been wrapped around her waist slid down her back as he pushed her up to the wall, slightly rougher than she was accustomed to. She felt as if all the air had been knocked out of her as he crashed his lips down on hers in a heated passionate kiss.
It was quite unlike the gentle fluttery kisses they had shared often and reminded her instead of the kiss they had shared on the rooftop at the New Year's party. There was an odd feeling in her stomach akin to butterflies exploding into a series of fireworks.
She gave him access when his tongue brushed over her lips, her lungs tightening again as a surge of excitement coursed through her veins, a wave of exhilaration settling down at the pit of her stomach.
Irina could taste the sweet coffee in his mouth and her hands trailed down to his shoulders, clutching tightly as he deepened the kiss. She had started to feel weak at the knees, rendered absolutely breathless by that passionate endeavor so she surrendered, arching her head back when he left a hot trail of kisses down her neck, lingering at her collarbone.
"One week, seven days, 168 hours and 604,800 seconds," she breathed when they pulled apart and her voice had a slightly teasing edge to it as she recalled one of their previous texts, "and you've somehow gotten even better at kissing. Who have you been practicing on in my absence, birdboy?"
"I wouldn't dare with anyone else except you."
"You wouldn't dare...? Am I that scary?" She raised an eyebrow skeptically, hands getting entangled in his messy hair.
"You're so fucking perfect that no one else would be able to compete with that," his eyes sparked in amusement as the smile dancing on his lips widened, "in all honesty, I don't want to be with anyone else. But damn I wish to spend every second of my life with you."
"Someone's being expressive today," she knew Tim wouldn't usually say all that to her and though she appreciated the open declaration of affection, she couldn't help but tease him a little, "I like that."
He put on the most adorable expression he could manage on his face, "and someone's having fun making me all flustered."
"God... Why the fuck are you so adorable?" She pinched his nose affectionately, "you know what I missed the most? The cute way you start blushing when you're around me."
"Uh huh," he raised an eyebrow, urging her to go on, "and...?"
She disentangled her fingers from his hair, cupping his face instead, "and this lovely smile." She traced the curve of his lips with her thumb, "and the way your mouth is perfectly sculpted that it's hard not to kiss you right now."
She pressed her lips on his once again, holding on to him as if her life depended on it.
"So damn intoxicating," she spoke in between, mouth so close to his that their lips brushed together delicately.
"Wow, that's a lot of compliments," his smile had turned into a lovestruck grin as she gently pinched his cheek.
"I have a lot more," she replied, "staying apart from you made me realize a lot of things I loved about you."
"Really? Then I suppose we should stay apart every now and then."
"Absolutely not. What the fuck are you talking about? Weren't you the one who was most against the notion of me leaving you?"
"True enough, it was hard just for a week and I don't want to imagine any longer without you."
"Thought so."
He entwined their fingers together, covering up her knuckles gently, "why don't you freshen up before and serenade me with the rest of the compliments later? Take a shower, in the meanwhile I'll fix something to eat."
She kissed him lightly and picked up her handbag that had dropped to the floor earlier, before climbing the stairs to her room. While Tim hauled in the rest of her luggage and made his way to the kitchen.
When Irina came down, the lights of the whole mansion were dimmed and the only factors to guide her through was a dim source of light and delicious aroma wafting from the direction of the garden.
Rather intrigued she followed and would have stepped into the garden but was stopped halfway by Tim. His face was radiant, with a very evident excitement just like how he got whenever he solved his cases well or did something that made his family proud of him.
It was the kind of radiance that shone in his blue eyes but lit up his entire face, making him seem to be the most precious being on earth to her.
"Not too fast, love," he spoke up, "you'll have to close your eyes first."
"What are you up to, princess?" She asked as she closed her eyes and allowed him to lead the way, his arm placed around her waist and her hand held in his.
"Something you'll find out soon."
"You've been planning a surprise of some sort, haven't you?" she suggested.
A low gasp escaped Tim as he laughed shortly after, "how could you tell?"
"Anyone can tell by the way you get excited."
His arms had encircled her from the back, his head resting lightly on her shoulder, "alright, open your eyes."
She did so and was greeted by a beautiful sight. A table was set for two in a little decorated spot right amid the trees. Fairy lights were hanging from the branches, illuminating the spot in a dim but ethereal golden light.
"So..." He had a smile dancing on his face, eager to know of her reply, "what do you think?"
She tilted her head a bit in that rare dreamy expression that he so adored, eyes locking with his as she smiled in return, "it's breathtakingly romantic. Even better than the movies."
"I'm glad you appreciate it. Seems like I've been rewarded for all the effort," his lips brushed softly against her cheek and she brought her hand up, resting delicately on the side of his face.
"Seems like I'm the luckiest girlfriend alive right now," she whispered, fingers lingering over his pale skin, gently caressing it underneath.
Tim opened up a chair for her and still rather mesmerized, she took her seat. He placed a plate in front of her, filling her glass with the drink before taking his seat across from her as well.
An assortment of dishes, including chicken fillet and saucy spaghetti, was laid out on the table. He handed her the dishes first and let her fill the plate.
"How do you even come up with these ideas, Timmy?"
"Just a perk of being a hopeless romantic," he replied as he took the dish from her, "but not that hopeless since you're back with me at last."
"And did you arrange all this by yourself?"
"Of course, sweetheart. When you told me not to come at the airport, I had left from home already. So I decided to utilize my time elsewhere."
The food was delicious and she felt so loved up at that moment that she had started to get quite emotional. They had both finished eating and he was refilling her glass when she got up from her seat and walked over to him. He stopped immediately, taken by surprise as she bent down, cupping his face and kissing him.
He pulled her on top of him and when she broke the kiss, his surprise turned to concern upon seeing her watery green eyes. "Hey... What's wrong, love?"
Her fingers lingered over his neck delicately, trailing down as her hands rested on his chest, "nothing..."
He held her face in his hands, thumbs gently soothing the slightly darkened skin under her eyes, brushing away the tears that escaped as he spoke in a soft voice, his own blue eyes flickering in concern, "you know you can tell me anything, right?"
"The thing is... All this is too perfect, too good and... And... I fear this is a dream from which I'll wake up."
An understanding look took over his features as he ran his fingers through her hair soothingly, "you're not dreaming, Ren. And hey, don't cry. I've never seen you like this before and trust me it's a little overwhelming."
She rested her head on his shoulder, finding comfort as his scent settled around her and he held her close. "I love you, Tim," she mumbled, softening into his loving embrace.
"I love you too, Irina," he replied, hands gently rubbing her back in the very familiar gesture which had always made her feel safe.
She was back with Tim at last and any other thought couldn't have made her happier. But she had gotten a little carried away with just how good he was to her.
Irina wasn't used to people caring for her and being that thoughtful about making her happy so when Tim did all that, he stirred up emotion in those parts of her heart that had never been touched before.
And just like he had said so himself, it could easily get a little overwhelming. Even for an independent and considerably tough person like Irina.
While the feeling of being loved and cherished was truly delightful, it also came with an uncertain fear of losing it. More so because she knew now that she had gotten too accustomed to Tim lighting up her dull life that she wouldn't be able to go on without his delightful presence right beside her every single day.
Irina had trained her focus on the rhythmic sound of his heartbeat, listening closely to it until her own body synchronized along with it, her breathing regulating closer to his and she overall became much calmer than before as well.
"Can we not stay like this forever?" She mumbled in a low voice but he heard her since she was so close to him.
"I would love to but you're already tired from the flight and should rest right now."
"I'm not tired. I was hoping we could talk a little longer. I missed talking to you like this, face to face."
"Me too," he scooped her up in his arms and carried her inside and all the way up to her bedroom, her head still nestled in the crook of his neck, eyes closed as the exhaustion began to settle in. "See, you're so tired you can't even keep your eyes open."
She mumbled something in reply but Tim didn't quite hear it since it was just a faint whisper right before her voice trailed off, fading into silence.
A faint smile crept up on his face and very gently he placed her down on the bed tucking in the blanket. Her hand reached out, closing on to his wrist as she pulled him down on the bed along with her, "stay."
"I'm not going anywhere," he replied, placing a delicate kiss on her temple, "but I've got to clean up a few things. And it won't take me long to return."
A soft groan escaped her lips as she refused to let him go, curling up close to him, "not now, Tim."
"Ren... We were having dinner in the garden and if I don't clean it up, a lot of other living creatures like insects and stuff will invite themselves in to the party."
"Let them throw a date night down there and enjoy themselves just like we did."
His chest rumbled gently as he laughed, "seriously, Irina?"
"Damn seriously," her voice had dropped low to an almost inaudible range.
Her arm was draped around him as she snuggled closer, burying herself in his comforting warmth.
"Ren..."
But as he looked down at her, she had gone to sleep already, eyes closed as a rather pristine expression had spread on her features.
Knowing that it would be cruelty to pull away right then, he reckoned to stay with her until her sleep deepened and decided to go down only when he would be certain that he wasn't going to disturb her peaceful slumber.
***