Mariam was not surprised to discover that Andrea had returned to their shared apartment before her. Life as an entrepreneur and small business owner meant that her hours were far less consistent than those of the beautiful redhead, and the black leather boots neatly placed into the front hall closet were enough to betray the other woman’s presence. Hanging up her favourite brown leather bomber jacket, the Persian beauty made for the living room, and was rewarded with the sight of her lover curled up on their favourite leather couch, blue eyes staring out the window to look upon a snow-covered city. Quick brown eyes indulged in the opportunity to examine the redhead in profile, drink in every detail; the bright red hair hanging loosely past her shoulder blades, the upturned nose and pouty scarlet lips set into a high-boned face, the way her trademark white silk blouse highlighted her perfect breasts, the shape of her hips framed by her pleated black leather skirt, the long legs tucked beneath her. Andrea was a subject fit to be immortalized in oils, her beauty only enhanced by her kind, affable nature, and not for the first time, Mariam marvelled at her luck is having such a magnificent woman in her life. “Evening, babe,” she greeted, frowning when Andrea did not respond and reaching out to touch her shoulder. “Andrea? Are you all right?”
At the gentle touch, Andrea all but jumped out of her skin, blue eyes darting about in surprise before finally settling on the Persian beauty. “God, I’m so sorry!” said Mariam, settling in on the couch and throwing her arms around her. “Didn’t mean to scare you like that, babe, are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m fine,” Andrea reassured her, stifling a giggle. “It’s my fault, I was just… woolgathering.”
“I can imagine. How are you holding up?”
“I’m… I’m doing better,” the redhead said truthfully, the melancholy that had plagued her for the past week beginning to fade. Learning that Great-Aunt Leslie had passed away had been the worst sort of surprise, for as long as Andrea could remember, the old woman had always been a part of her life, driven and sharp-tongued and utterly self-confident, a tiny creature with a will of steel that had only become stronger with age. “Thank you. It means a lot to me that you came to the funeral, so… thank you.”
Mariam gave a self-effacing shrug. “I’ve been in your shoes before, babe. After my parents died, I would have fallen apart without someone to help me through it, so giving you a shoulder to cry on was the very least I could do. Speaking of which, everything good with your family? I imagine me being there took them by surprise.”
“Well, it’s certainly not how I wanted you to meet, but I think they were impressed you were there for me.” Smiling, Andrea turned and planted a kiss on Mariam’s cheek. “Thank you for that. I know we’re not exactly at the ‘meet the parents’ stage in our relationship, but...”
“It’s fine,” insisted the Persian beauty. “I just wanted to make sure I wasn’t making things tense between you all.”
“Why, because you’re a woman?” Andrea dismissed the concern with a wave of her hand. “Me being bi has never been a secret, and they accepted me the moment I came out.” The briefest flash of regret passed over Mariam’s dusky features, there and gone again in an instant, and Andrea tried to contain her shock. “I’m guessing that wasn’t the case for you?”
“Yeah, you could say that,” answered Mariam, clearly uncomfortable at the thought of revisiting it. “Anyways, you want to order some takeout? At risk of sounding lazy, I don’t feel much like cooking tonight.”
“Actually… there was something I wanted to talk to you about,” confessed the redhead, turning so she faced her lover, hands clasped together. “Had a bit of a surprise today.”
“I damn well hope it’s a good one this time.”
“Sort of.” Dark eyebrows raised quizzically at the evasion. “Remember how I told you she had a townhouse on Queen Street?” Andrea hastily elaborated. “Well, I talked to the estate lawyers this morning, and apparently, she left it to me in her will.”
“Andrea, that’s great news!” exclaimed Mariam, genuinely excited. “Is that what you were thinking about when I came in?”
“Yeah. Don’t get me wrong, I know how much you love this apartment, and I’m happy being here with you as well. But…” The courage that had carried Andrea so steadfastly through life and inspired her to propose any number of kinky experiences suddenly faltered, and only when Mariam cupped her cheek and lifted her head so their eyes met did she finally voice the question plaguing her all day. “Would you like to move in there with me? Once everything’s all prepared, I mean? If not, that’s fine, I can sell it off and—mmmppgggh!”
Any further babbling from the redhead was silenced as Mariam’s lips crashed against hers in a passionate kiss, the room echoing with their moans of pleasure. “You silly girl,” Mariam teased once the kiss finally broke. “We’ve been living here together for months now, sharing the same life, the same bed. How would life in a townhouse be any different?”
“It’s just that it’s always a big change moving to a new home, and it’s probably further from the bakery than you’d like, and--”
With a grunt, Mariam pinned the beautiful redhead beneath her, hands firmly clenching her wrists above her head. “And I love you, Andrea. You are everything I’ve ever wanted, and whether we live here or in the townhouse or in a ditch on the side of the road, all that matters is that we’re together. Okay?”
A small sob escaped Andrea’s throat, blue eyes welling up with tears. “I love you too, Mariam. I just… know it’s only been five months, but I can’t imagine my life without you in it anymore, and I was afraid of what would happen if you said no, and--”
“You don’t need to worry, babe. Whatever disagreements we might have, we’ll work through them, all right?” promised Mariam. “For now, though, you just lie back and relax, my lovely pet.” Dusky hands shifted, and Andrea gasped as the top buttons of her blouse became undone, fabric parting to offer a glimpse of pale flesh and a black silk bra. “Because I want to give you a surprise of my own now…”