This is the eleventh of twelve chapters. To really understand it, you should read the previous chapters before reading this one. Once again, I want to thank my editor Terry for his valuable help! I hope you enjoy the story.
Despite the light traffic, Bridget felt impatient as she weaved her way down the street. Even when only one car was in front of her, she changed lanes so that she could get by it. She hadn't seen Sian in close to two weeks. Her trip to Hawaii was nine days long, leaving on a Friday after work and getting home late a couple of days ago on Sunday. Between getting unpacked and catching up at work, she hadn't been able to get over to see her in the meantime.
On top of that, Bridget had felt bound to Don's request to not contact Sian while she was gone. For the first two days, it had been exceptionally hard for her. Bridget was used to multiple contacts a day with Sian, whether it was in person, on the phone or just texts. Going cold turkey had been very hard. At times she just wanted to share something that happened with one of the two most important people in her life. But it was to make the other important person happy that Bridget restrained herself. More than once, she started to say how Sian might like this before she cut it off and turned what she was going to say into something else. She slipped up a couple of times, but she thought Don appreciated her effort.
After a couple of days, it got easier. Bridget found that she could just immerse herself in the surroundings and being with Don. She had fun as they explored the Big Island. There was so much to see and do. It was clear that Don enjoyed having all of Bridget's attention to himself. Whether it was trips into the forests or walks along the beach, Don did what he could to pack the week full of romantic activities.
The best part was that they didn't argue once during the trip. Don's view was that they had done a lot to patch things up and help rebuild their relationship. Not only was the time harmonious, he was happy that they had ended up making love a lot. Bridget seemed receptive to his advances and almost every time he hinted at it, she had responded.
While Bridget was glad that they hadn't argued, she wasn't as certain that things had dramatically improved. In her mind, she had given in a lot to avoid any conflicts. Even when she didn't really want to do something, she didn't let Don know. As the week wore on, she found the constant pace of the next romantic activity to start to be draining. And while she enjoyed making love with Don, it started to feel more like he was trying to put his claim on her rather than it being a true expression of their feelings.
It wasn't like always like that. There were certain times when it seemed spontaneous and she was in the right mood to respond. Those times were the special ones that stuck in her mind. The problem was that Don couldn't seem to tell the difference between those times and when it was more forced. Nor did it seem like he cared. He gave the impression of being just as satisfied either way. What seemed most important was that they had connected physically, not whether they connected emotionally. That was the most disappointing part of it all for Bridget.
The closest that they came to arguing was when Don brought up fantasies. It was the first time he had mentioned them in a while. He started to suggest that perhaps they could go to a nudist beach he had heard of and maybe get amorous there. It felt like he was opening up a wound that was still raw to Bridget. She shut him down. For a moment, she thought he was going to get pissed but then the anger seemed to just wash away. He apologized and told her how much he was just enjoying being with her. That night she almost told him no when he started to stroke her back, but it felt like she would be punishing him. It would have put a sour note on their last couple of days.
As she waited for the light to turn, Bridget thought back on those last couple of days, especially after Don's suggestion. It hadn't been so clear when she was in Hawaii but now she could see that she stopped really enjoying herself at that point. She must have hidden it fairly well because Don hadn't said a thing. But increasingly she could see that she was getting impatient to get home. Mostly it was missing Sian, but some of it was how Don was acting. He never seemed to recognize that she was doing everything she could to make him happy, even when sometimes it wasn't what she wanted. Bridget didn't mind doing the things so much as his not appreciating it.
It was so different from Sian, thought Bridget.
Turning onto Sian's street, Bridget had to fight to avoid speeding. It wasn't going to make a difference and getting a ticket would just delay the reunion. They had talked a couple of times since she was back and of course texted, but Sian seemed a little distant. It was as if she wasn't as anxious as Bridget to get together. When Bridget apologized for not being able to get together yesterday, Sian had just said it was fine. Bridget had been profoundly disappointed that she was too busy unpacking to be able to meet her. Sian's reaction made her a little nervous.
Even when they had gotten together that last time before her trip, Sian had seemed a little distant. It wasn't like her. They hadn't even spent as long together as Bridget expected. After dinner, they had hung out for an hour or so but then Sian started to feel tired. Because of an all employee meeting the next morning, she was going to have to get up earlier than usual and she wanted to get to bed before it got too late. Even though Sian had responded passionately when Bridget initiated making out with her before getting ready to leave, the whole night had left Bridget unsettled. Both at the beginning and the end of her vacation, Bridget kept thinking back to that night which just made her want to see Sian even more.
Pulling up in front of Sian's apartment, Bridget parked and checked the mirror. She wanted to look perfect for Sian. The time in the sun had given her skin a healthy copper color, despite her persistent application of sunscreen. It had also lightened her hair just a little. Bridget smiled nervously, hoping that Sian would like it. Reaching back, she picked up the gift she brought back for Sian. Bridget had put a lot of thought into finding something perfect for Sian.
As she got out, Bridget felt the cold and wet air hit her. It was quite a switch from being in the constant warmth of Hawaii. She sprinted her way to the building, wanting to get inside before she got too wet. Waiting for the elevator, she checked her hair one last time. It was barely damp, she thankfully noticed. Once again she felt impatience as the elevator stopped a couple of times on its way down. She waited for the people to get out of it, but was glad when no one else got into the elevator. It went up to Sian's floor without any further delays. She could feel her heart beat faster as she exited the elevator and walked down to Sian's apartment. Taking a deep breath to try and calm down, Bridget knocked.
It only took a few seconds before she heard the bolt being undone and it opened. As soon as she saw Sian, Bridget stepped in and gave her a long hug. It felt so good to feel Sian's arms going around her and hugging her tight in return. Even before the door was shut, Bridget was giving her girlfriend the first kiss.
"Oh God, I missed you Sian. You can't know how much I missed you," Bridget said. Her voice was full of excitement and happiness.
Keep an arm around Bridget, Sian returned the smile. "I think I have a little idea," she said. Her voice wasn't quite as enthusiastic although her smile was warm. They slowly walked over to the kitchen where Sian had an open bottle of wine. It looked like she might have already had one glass. She poured one for Bridget and then refilled her glass.
"To your having had a wonderful vacation," Sian said as she touched her glass to Bridget's.
With a smile on her face, Bridget touched Sian's glass a second time. "To being home with you," she said in that same happy tone. They both sipped at their wine for a moment. As if she couldn't help herself, Bridget put her glass down and gave Sian another long hug.
"I love you, my darling Sian," Bridget said as she looked at Sian. Her eyes reflected her happiness.
