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Over the decades of her journalistic career Laura Peterson has gotten used to fake smiling, but these big celebratory events are still too much even for her. She receives another Emmy and after she perfectly delivers her witty speech and leaves the stage it seems that every person in the hall makes it his duty to come up to congratulate and hug and get a photo with her. She loves her Emmys, and the first time she received it (before she was outed and everything went to shit) she was over the moon and spent the entire night celebrating with people she didn’t really know, but now all she wants to do is go home and settle on her couch with a book and a glass of wine. But her producer has asked her to stay for at least an hour for appearance’s sake so she sighs and turns on the ‘smile and wave’ mode. Suddenly she has a feeling that someone is watching her, and that shouldn’t bother her since she’s basically the center of attention tonight, but this is different. She scans the crowd barely paying attention to what yet another colleague is telling her and then her breath catches in her throat as she locks eyes with a pair of clear blue ones that have been haunting her for the past 5 years.
“Excuse me.” She says to the colleague and slowly makes her way towards her, her mind flashing with memories from the first time they met.
*Flashback, 7 years ago*
“Gordon, do I absolutely have to be at this stupid meeting?” The brunette groans stepping into the UBA elevator with her producer and friend.
“Laura, you ask me that every time and the answer is always the same – yes, you have to be there.”
Laura sighs dramatically and they walk into the conference room, greeting everyone and then she sees a new face – a blonde woman (a very beautiful blonde, her mind adds but she ignores it), who looks in her mid-thirties and very very nervous, something the brunette notices just because she’s paying attention.
“Peter, who is that?” She asks the head of PR nodding at the blonde who looks up and blushes as she locks eyes with Laura.
“Oh, this is Bradley Jackson, a new addition to our team, don’t mind her, she’s still learning what’s what here.” Laura sees how Bradley deflates at his dismissive tone and she feels a sudden urge to scold Peter. What?!
“Nice meeting you, Bradley.” She says as softly as she can and the blonde smiles back honestly. So beautiful.
“You too, Miss Peterson.”
“Oh, please, it’s just Laura.” The brunette corrects and the smile on Bradley’s face widens.
Then the meeting begins and Laura wills herself to pay attention to what’s being said instead of the blonde, almost successfully. She’s been through a thousand of these things and it’s always the same – she has to stop coming on so strong in her interviews, some powerful people hold a grudge against her, she has to apologize to yet another politician blah-blah-blah. However, this time she notices that the blonde keeps frowning, obviously not agreeing with the course of action and that intrigues Laura.
“And what do you think, Bradley?” The brunette asks cutting Peter off and Bradley’s head snaps up in surprise.
“Laura, she’s…” Peter starts but she silences him raising her hand.
“I want to know what she thinks. So, Bradley, what do you think we should do?”
“Fight back.” The blonde says with surprising confidence.
“Fight back? How?” Laura leans forward on the table, curious.
“Invite him for another interview, make him think that you are going to apologize publicly and then destroy him completely.”
“Destroy him? With what?”
“Uh…I think a have a lead that will help.”
“You think?” Laura quirks an eyebrow.
“No. I have a lead.”
“What lead?” The brunette pressures and Bradley looks around the room, unsure, and Laura gets it. “All of you, out. I need to talk to Bradley, alone.” She commands ignoring a few grumbles as the room empties out, leaving only the two women. “So, talk to me. What is this lead?” She asks sitting next to the blonde who breathes in deeply, looking flustered and so adorable.
“I can prove the senator’s involvement with the Russians.”
“How?”
“I have a friend who works at this elite club in the Financial District and the senator comes there a lot. And talks a lot. Daniel told me what he was bragging about, and I had some free time, since they don’t really let me do a lot around here, so I dug into this and I have proof. I just need to fact-check one last thing, but I’m 99% sure it’ll also fit in the puzzle.” Bradley unlocks her phone and shuffles closer to Laura to show her what she has found so far.
“Wow, Bradley Jackson.” The brunette says, impressed, when the blonde finishes and looks up, blushing visibly realizing how close their faces are, and Laura files that knowledge away for later. Not that I’m planning on using it, she tries to convince herself. “You surprised me and I’m not an easy woman to surprise.”
“Thank you.” The blonde smiles, the blush spreading further down her neck, obviously not used to such praise, while Laura fights the urge to look down to where the blush disappears into the cleavage of her dress. Get it together, Peterson.
“So, how much time do you think you’ll need to check that last thing?”
“An hour, two tops.”
“Okay, then. Here’s my number…” Laura scribbles it on a piece of paper and slides it over to the blonde. “Call me when you’re done, I’ll be either here distracting those self-entitled assholes,” She motions to the closed door. “Or in a café nearby. If it checks through, we’ll do it your way.”
“Really?”
“Yes.” Laura smiles gently at the awe clearly written on the blonde’s face. “Now, you go get to work, I’ll deal with everybody.” She leads Bradley out and they are immediately bombarded with questions, but Laura simply nudges the blonde towards where she presumes the office is and explains everything to Peter and others. She doesn’t miss the curious look Gordon shoots her way, but dismisses it with a roll of her eyes. Peter tries to object vehemently, saying that Bradley is a newbie, she knows nothing, and Laura’s temper flares up, shutting him up. They are still arguing though when Bradley rushes back in and by the look of sheer excitement on her face Laura knows she was right about the blonde.
Two days later when Laura slays the interview and buries the senator’s career once and for all, she heads backstage, where everyone is waiting for her with congratulations.
“Bradley deserves the credit here.” She says brushing off the praise and winking at the blonde. “By the way, Peter?” She addresses the head of PR. “From now on, I want Bradley to handle all my cases, got it?”
“But…”
“Got it?” She repeats firmly and Peter nods begrudgingly.
*End of flashback*
Laura Peterson is no coward, but now, as she approaches the blonde, she feels her nerves get the better of her.
“Bradley.” She says, the name so familiar and yet so foreign on her tongue.
“Laura.” And there it is, the tentative smile that reaches the blue eyes that never failed to take the brunette’s breath away. It doesn’t fail now.
“You’re here.” That’s all she can say while she studies Bradley’s face. She notices some new wrinkles around the eyes and mouth, her hair is longer and a shade darker, her eyes show some sadness Laura can relate to, but her smile is still the same. The smile that she fell in love with all those years ago.
*Flashback, 7 years ago*
Laura definitely derives some satisfaction from cutting Peter off from handling her PR cases and deciding to deal only with Bradley Jackson. First, she never really liked the guy, he is a tremendous professional, she’ll give him that, and second, she has a feeling he’s one of those homophobic white males that she despises. He never does or says anything to confirm her suspicions, but she’s learnt to trust her gut, so she tries to keep him at arm’s length and trusts Bradley to do right by her.
Somehow, Bradley and Laura move those office meetings to nearby cafes and discuss stuff over coffee or lunch, and then they end up at the brunette’s place. It’s innocent enough, Laura is not feeling well and she asks to reschedule, but Bradley surprises her (again) by showing up at her doorstep with meds and a strategy for handling yet another upcoming PR-shitstorm. A couple of hours later they finally agree on the course of actions and the blonde gets up to leave, but Laura offers to make them dinner, since Bradley went through all the trouble of coming here and taking care of her. It’s not even an offer to think twice about when Laura suggests meeting at her place from then on, since it’s more comfortable and the blonde happily agrees. She starts coming over and more often than not staying for dinner and wine, work forgotten and the two of them talking about everything and nothing, opening up to each other.
And then the kiss happens. Laura is laughing at something Bradley said and the blonde is smiling widely before suddenly she cups her face in her hands and presses her lips to the brunette’s who freezes in shock. The blonde pulls back way too quickly and mumbles a string of apologies, but Laura’s brain barely registers it since all she wants is to feel those soft lips back on hers, so she pulls Bradley into her and kisses her again. She didn’t realize just how much she wanted that until they finally kiss and that’s all she needs, right now at least. The whimper that Bradley lets out when Laura coaxes her mouth open and slides her tongue inside makes her pull her into her lap and deepen the kiss even further until they are both breathless and panting.
“I’ve wanted to do that for so long.” Laura admits burying her face into the blonde’s neck, nuzzling the skin there.
“Me too. Since I first met you.” Bradley whispers, her hands holding onto Laura’s back and shoulders.
“Go out with me?” The brunette asks pulling back to meet her eyes and Bradley nods vigorously, making Laura chuckle and kiss her again. Oh God, those lips will be the death of me. They don’t get too far that night, Laura, ever the sensible one, wants to take it slow, to make sure they both want this. And their first night spent together after the fourth official date is totally worth the wait. They spend hours exploring each other’s bodies, finding out what makes the other lose every ounce of control they try to hold on to, until finally falling asleep in each other’s arms.
After that first night they become almost inseparable outside of work and Gordon does make fun of Laura for being the stereotypical lesbian when they move in together two months later, but the brunette couldn’t care less about the teasing. Laura, though usually careful with her heart (both physically and metaphorically), throws all caution to the wind when Bradley says she loves her one night a few weeks after moving in and tells her she loves her too. And saying those three words out loud feels like the most natural thing to do.
It's not always easy, though. Bradley freaks out with being outed publicly a couple of weeks into their relationship after some fucking paparazzi photographs them entering Laura’s place holding hands and the brunette (for a few hurtful days) thinks that this is it, she lost her. But Bradley surprises her again by showing up, ignoring the paparazzies, apologizing and ready to do whatever it takes to have another chance. That night Laura swears to never give up on Bradley that easily ever again. Since then, there are a few bumps along the road, starting with clothes thrown carelessly across the armchair instead of being hung up in the closet (which Laura hates) to jealousy over some woman Laura was seen with at an event or a restaurant. Even so, they manage to work through it all, Laura helping Bradley learn to talk about what’s going on in her head and Bradley teaching Laura to reveal her softer and vulnerable side.
*End of flashback*
“You’re here.” Laura whispers again.
“I came back a few weeks ago.” Bradley admits and just like that the brunette’s defenses go up.
“And you didn’t let me know because…?”
“I…I wasn’t sure you’d want to see me after all this time.”
“And yet you came to this ceremony, knowing that I’ll be receiving an award.” Laura says almost accusingly.
“I didn’t know I’d be here till last minute. They called me this morning, confirming that Peter is retiring, and they offered me his job. Here, in New York.” The blonde says unsurely.
“What about London?”
“They have another boss now, I’m back for good, I want to be here.”
“I…” Laura starts but someone interrupts her with congratulations, and she smiles absent-mindedly, her eyes never leaving Bradley’s in a silent plea. Don’t leave. The person must sense that the brunette is not very talkative and leaves the two women alone again. “Do you want to get out of here?” Laura asks after a long pause and the blonde nods, following the journalist to the exit. They don’t talk as they head out and Laura leads them towards a restaurant nearby, both caught up in their thoughts.
*Flashback, 5,5 years ago*
Laura is making dinner when she hears the front door open, and she quickly washes her hands to go to the hall to greet her girlfriend. A bit over a year into their relationship and she still feels giddily happy to see Bradley even though they haven’t seen each other only since morning.
“Hi, my love.” She says and kisses the blonde, sighing contentedly at the familiar scent of her perfume and something uniquely Bradley. “I hope you’re hungry, I’m making honey garlic salmon.”
“You know I’m always hungry.” Laura nods, chuckling, and with one more kiss goes back to the kitchen.
Halfway through dinner Laura notices that something is off about the younger woman – she’s more quiet that usual and she looks distracted, but the brunette knows better than to push, so she waits until they settle on the couch, the brunette’s arms holding Bradley close and providing her with the comfort and safety she needs to open up.
“Honey, what’s on your mind?” Laura asks and kisses the blonde’s temple tenderly.
“I…” Bradley sighs with a frown. “I got offered a promotion.”
“Wow, really? That’s great news, isn’t it?” The brunette frowns.
“I’m not so sure.” The blonde turns to face Laura. “UBA is opening a new international broadcasting branch and they want me to be the head of PR there. In London.” Laura’s blood runs cold.
“For…for how long?”
“For at least two years.” Bradley searches Laura’s eyes, but the brunette can’t look at her, afraid she’ll break down. “They want an answer by the end of the week. Laura…what do I do?”
“Bradley, that’s not up to me. What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. Come with me to London?” She knows it’s impossible, considering Laura’s work, but asks anyway.
“Oh, honey.” Laura presses her forehead against Bradley’s. “You have to go.” She says after a long pause and her heart shatters.
“But…”
“Bradley, let’s be realistic about this – you’ve already reached the top of the career ladder here and for as long as Peter is working, you’re not getting a promotion. And London…it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for you.”
“I can’t leave you, Laura, I can’t.” The blonde says with tears in her eyes. “I love you so much, I have never loved anyone like this and I know it in my heart I never will.”
“I know, honey, I know. I love you too, more than anything in the world.” Laura kisses her and it’s wet and salty from the tears running down both their cheeks. “But I also know that you will end up despising me if you say ‘no’ because of me. Not right now, but in time.” Bradley wants to object but decides against it, she knows the brunette is right, and more tears spill.
“You’re the love of my life, Laura.” The blonde whispers into Laura’s neck, her entire body shaking with sobs, and the brunette has been hurt a lot of times over her 47 years, but she swears she had never felt a more acute pain than this. She has to let her go, she just has to, even though it breaks her heart into a billion tiny pieces.
“And you are mine.” She murmurs holding her woman as tightly as she can, not even trying to stop her own tears from flowing freely while a voice in her head reminds her of the small velvet box with a ring stashed away in her bedside drawer.
*End of flashback*
The restaurant is half-empty when they walk in and the waitress shows them to a booth in the corner. They quickly order drinks and some appetizers, neither really feeling like eating too much. Laura even feels like she’s about to throw up, her insides clenching in unpleasant knots because of the nerves.
“You look even more gorgeous than I remember.” Bradley suddenly says after taking the first sip of her whiskey. “Did you steal the One Ring from Frodo or something?” Laura chuckles at that, remembering how the blonde forced her to watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy, appalled that the brunette had never seen this masterpiece.
“So…how have you been?” That’s not what Laura wants to ask, not really. What are you doing here? Are you single? Did you miss me the way I missed you? Do you still love me?
“I’m okay, I guess. Happy to be back, that’s for sure.” She shrugs. “I mean Great Britain is beautiful, and I met some good people there, I’ll miss them, but…my heart is here.” Bradley looks into Laura’s eyes, and the brunette reads between the lines. ‘Here’ means ‘her’ and not ‘the US’, but she can’t allow herself to hope, not yet, not after months, years of waiting for the blonde to come back home to her.
“Those ‘people’…anyone worth mentioning?”
“No.” Bradley answers honestly. “Just some friends I’ve made over the years.”
“Oh.” Laura feels a few nervous knots in her stomach loosen up. She’s not sure she’d be ready to hear that the blonde is seeing someone, missing that someone. She thinks back on the last time she saw Bradley.
*Flashback, 5 years ago*
They try to make long-distance relationship work, they really do. Laura, if she’s honest with herself, knows from the start that it won’t work, but they just have to try, hoping that maybe their love is strong enough to weather it. But she was right. It works for a few weeks, with daily facetime calls, I love you’s and I miss you’s, Laura flying to London to spend a random weekend together. But the time difference and their schedules finally take a toll on them – daily calls turn into every-other-day calls, then Bradley is supposed to come to NYC but cancels last minute because of another PR crisis, then Laura can’t come because she’s down with a nasty flu. And then jealousy comes. The paparazzi quickly find out that Bradley left for London and they follow Laura like fucking vultures, trying to take photos of her with whatever woman she meets, speculating and teasing the public with headlines like ‘Laura Peterson: living up to her reputation?’, ‘So much for the lovestory. Laura Peterson with a new woman on her arm.’ Even though Laura reassures Bradley that none of this is true, she loves her and she doesn’t want anyone else, she feels the blonde slipping away, most surely spiraling and letting those tabloids get to her. And Laura has never been the jealous type, but when the blonde misses her phone calls and then she sees photos on UBA’s Instagram from an event in London and there Bradley is, hugging some beautiful blonde, she can’t help but feel doubts creep in.
Five months since Bradley left and Laura is on the plane to London, her heart heavy as she knows she has to end it. It’s not working, they are torturing each other and it’ll be better for both of them to let each other go. They spend a wonderful Saturday together, sightseeing, kissing, it’s like a day-long first date and when they stumble back into Bradley’s apartment (flat, in British English) in the evening they spend the next few hours making love, their passion for each other blazing brightly as ever.
“Here you go.” Bradley, wearing only the brunette’s dress-shirt, says handing Laura a glass of water and crawling back into bed.
“Thank you.” Laura drinks and puts away the glass, pulling the blonde close to her. She hates this, hates herself for the next words but there’s no other choice. “Bradley, I think we need to break up.” The blonde tenses immediately and pulls back, her blue eyes wide and hurt.
“Why?” She asks but the brunette sees a flash of understanding in those eyes.
“Because this long-distance thing isn’t working, honey. We tried, we did our best, but…” Laura sighs, her exhale uneven with the tears she can already feel coming. “I miss you like hell and I love you, God knows I do, and it breaks my heart to do this, but we have to admit that we can’t go on like this. We are both hurting, and I don’t see this going on even a month longer, much less another 1,5 years.”
“But…no, this can’t be it. It can’t, Laura.” Bradley objects stubbornly as her eyes well up with tears. “Maybe we can come up with something?”
“Like what?” The brunette asks patiently.
“Like…like…I don’t know…”
“Bradley, honey, we tried everything, we did.” Laura wipes a tear from the blonde’s cheek and Bradley tilts her head into the touch, kissing the inside of her palm, closing her eyes. “But you’re here and I’m there and with work and time zones and my travels…we are torturing each other, I know you feel that too.” The blonde lets out a sob and Laura aligns their foreheads together. “Honey, I love you more than any words can possibly describe, you mean everything to me, everything. And that’s exactly why I have to set you free. I want you to have a life here, a full life, friends, dating, everything.” Just thinking about Bradley with someone else feels like a sharp knife twisting in her already irreparably broken heart.
“No…no…” The blonde manages to say between heart-wrenching sobs, holding onto Laura for dear life, but they both know this is the right thing. How can doing the right thing hurt so fucking much?
“My love, look at me.” Laura gently lifts her head, cradling her face and the immeasurable hurt she sees in Bradley’s eyes is too much to bear, so she kisses her with everything she has, committing to memory how the blonde feels in her arms, tastes, smells. “Tell you what.” She says pulling back an inch. “When…if you come back to New York and if we’re both single then, you know where to find me and we’ll see what happens.” She knows it’s one in a million chance that a gorgeous woman like Bradley will stay single for too long, but she has to give the blonde (and herself) some hope.
“I can’t imagine being with anyone but you. That’s just…no.”
“Me neither. But, Bradley, if someone someday catches your eye, please give her a chance without feeling guilty.” The blonde shakes her head vehemently, but Laura (who can barely speak with the immense anguish she’s feeling) makes her keep eye contact until Bradley gives a slightest nod. The brunette kisses her again, purposefully this time. “Honey…” Laura manages to say breaking the kiss. “I don’t want to spend the last day with you crying and being sad. Let’s make the most of tomorrow before I leave?”
“Yes, sure.” Bradley agrees with more tears spilling down but she pulls Laura in and lets their passion take over.
The next day they act as if they are not saying goodbye in a few hours – walking around the neighborhood, eating, kissing, taking photos. And if Bradley is more affectionate than ever, reaching out for her hand, kissing her, looking at her intensely, snuggling into her more often, well…Laura isn’t the one to complain. And then she has to leave for the airport, Bradley by her side in the taxi. The brunette gets her boarding pass and now it’s time to leave. For real.
“So…” She says cautiously and the only response she gets is Bradley crushing her in an embrace and kissing her soundly.
“Laura…” The blonde whispers when they part for air. “I want you to remember this: no matter where I am, my heart will be with you. It’s yours. Forever.” Bradley murmurs against her mouth.
“I will always love you, Bradley.” Laura chokes out and leans in for one last kiss, a kiss laced with love, desire, understanding, acceptance and anguish. She pulls back and steps away, the blonde’s lost and hurt look taking her aback, but she has to go into the green corridor for customs control, to leave the love of her life for good. She throws one last glance at Bradley and the sight of the blonde just standing there, tears rolling down her cheeks, wringing her hands and looking so so heartbroken is almost enough to make Laura change her mind. But she looks away and keeps walking towards the customs’ booth, the sight of the woman she loves scorched into her memory.
*End of flashback*
“Laura?” Bradley’s voice cuts through the memory and Laura realizes she zoned out.
“Sorry, what?”
“I asked if there’s someone in your life worth mentioning.”
“Uh, no, no.”
“No Maggie?” Laura’s eyebrows shoot up in realization.
“Oh, been reading up on me, have you?”
“Yeah. I tried not to, but…” Bradley says looking away from the brunette’s curious gaze.
“Answering your question - no, no Maggie. She and I are done, we have been long ago. I couldn’t…” Laura lets the sentence hang in the air. Maggie looked promising enough, helping her pick up the pieces of her broken heart and give her time, and the brunette really tried to make it work. But a few months into their relationship she realized that Bradley had ruined her for everyone else, including someone as wonderful as Maggie. And she felt pathetic for a long time, for breaking up with an amazing woman for some vague hope that the blonde will come back. And now, five years later, Bradley is in fact here, in New York, sitting right next to her.
“Laura…” The blonde whispers and places her hand on the table, palm up, an offer, an invitation. Laura looks at her hand, not quite believing this is happening, but then lays her hand on Bradley’s a bit hesitantly. That first touch sends shivers up her spine and she looks up to meet the blonde’s eyes shining with tears. “Do you still…do we…have a chance?” Bradley looks so unsure, so scared and Laura wants to tell her everything she feels for her, still feels for her, but instead intertwines their fingers and brings both their hands to her lips, kissing the blonde’s knuckles.
“Let’s go home.” Laura says and Bradley inhales audibly and smiles brightly even as a tear makes its way down her cheek. The brunette throws some bills on the table and leads Bradley out, who is gripping her hand almost painfully and doesn’t let go until they step inside Laura’s brownstone.
“You redesigned.” Bradley says standing in the middle of the living room and looking around curiously and Laura’s heart swells with emotion at having the blonde in her apartment again. She can’t stand not touching her for one more second, so she steps towards Bradley and hugs her from behind, the familiar scent overwhelming her senses all at once. The blonde immediately melts into the touch, her hands resting on top of Laura’s.
“Well, a lot has changed in 5 years. Except for one thing.” She pauses and Bradley turns in her arms, her hands sliding up to rest on Laura’s shoulders. “My love for you.” The brunette whispers and Bradley smiles a watery smile. “You know the Spanish say ‘tu me haces falta’ which literally means ‘you are missing from me’. And that’s exactly how I felt all these years, you were missing from me, Bradley, no matter where I was or who I was with.” Laura vaguely feels tears start trickling down her cheeks as she leans in to press her forehead against the blonde’s who is crying too.
“Laura…I don’t think I spent even one day without thinking of you, I missed you so so so much.” Bradley pulls back and cups the brunette’s face in her hands, her thumbs ineffectively wiping the tears. “I love you, you are my life, my everything. And I swear, I’m never leaving you again. Ever.” Laura closes her eyes, letting those words sink in, wrap around her aching heart and fill her insides with a happiness unlike any she’s ever felt. “This…” Bradley takes Laura’s hand in hers and places it just beneath her left breast. “Is yours, only yours.”
“You are the love of my life, Bradley Jackson.” The brunette smiles at the way Bradley lights up at that statement. “And I know we have a lot to discuss and to discover about each other, but I really think I’m gonna die if I don’t kiss you right now.” Bradley chuckles and leans in slowly, very slowly, and Laura, though feeling like a taut wire, doesn’t rush her. She wants to savor this moment, having Bradley in her arms again and meets her halfway, their lips finally touching for the first time in five years. Laura has dreamt of this moment more times than she cares to admit, but none of her fantasies live up to the real thing, to the feeling of the blonde’s soft lips capturing hers, the low whimper Bradley lets out, the warmth of her hands pulling her closer, the tentative tongue asking for entrance and then she can’t hold back any longer. Laura pulls the blonde flush against her body, deepening the kiss and walking backwards to lead them to her bedroom, where they take their sweet time getting reacquainted with each other’s bodies. There’s a lot more tears and laughter and kisses and I love you’s and orgasms this night before they finally give in to sleep and exhaustion of the day.
It's not even up for discussion when the next day Bradley moves back in with Laura, neither wanting to spend even a day apart, basking in being close again. And yes, there are a lot of uneasy conversations that follow, how can they not, when so much has happened in the past five years and they have to get to know these new versions of each other. Bradley confesses that after the tabloids confirmed that Laura and Maggie were serious, she was so distraught that she got drunk at the nearest bar and fucked the first person who hit on her, feeling disgusted with herself before the night was even over. Laura’s heart breaks for the blonde, but she understands the urge to cover up the pain with sex. In turn, she tells Bradley that she went back to taking strong antidepressants since they broke up, only cutting down on them after 2 years. They talk, they heal together, and Laura feels her heart finally start to mend after years of hurting and missing Bradley and dozens of times when she picked up the phone to call her, but talked herself out of it every time. Above all, there’s love, unwavering and all-consuming and making all the hurt gradually fade away.
A week after Bradley moves in Laura wakes up to the smell of coffee and something sweet coming from the kitchen. As much as she hates waking up without Bradley (the memories of countless lonely mornings of the past 5 years still very fresh and raw), she loves this newfound domesticity, the blonde cooking breakfast for them (without burning the house down) is a welcome change. She quickly brushes her teeth and goes to the kitchen, haltering in the doorway, the sight in front of her taking her breath away - Bradley is wearing Laura’s old oversized T-shirt that she for some reason has taken a liking to, turning something over on the stove while humming a song the brunette doesn’t recognize. Laura suppresses a chuckle when the blonde curses as a drop of sizzling butter lands on her hand, and finally moves to stand behind Bradley and wrap her arms around her lithe body.
“Morning, love.” She murmurs with a smile as Bradley immediately melts into her.
“Good morning, sleepyhead.”
“Oh, now I’m the sleepyhead? It was not me who kept us up most of the night, so.” The blonde turns off the stove and turns around to kiss Laura slowly.
“I’m so not sorry. Plus, it’s your fault for being so damn sexy and irresistible.” She says cheekily and Laura shakes her head affectionately, her heart swelling yet again with the immense love she feels for Bradley. Not that she ever doubted this, but in this exact moment she knows for sure that she wants this, them, forever.
“Wait here.”
“What?” Bradley asks in confusion as Laura heads towards their bedroom.
“Just wait, please.” Laura throws over her shoulder and quickly reaching the bed starts shuffling through her bedside drawer. Finally finding what she’s looking for, she puts the item into the back pocket of her shorts before going back to the kitchen where Bradley is waiting for her in the same spot like an obedient puppy. The adorably confused look on her face makes Laura step closer and kiss her tenderly, the feeling of her soft lips on hers being something she will never get tired of. “I love you, Bradley. I thought I was in love before, but this, you, are everything I’ve ever dreamed of and so much more.” Laura whispers pulling back and smiling as the blonde’s features light up immediately. “You showed me what it’s like to love someone so much that you put their needs before your own, you teach me how to be vulnerable and open around you, how to let go and let myself be taken care of. You know, I made peace with being alone long ago and I am fine on my own, but with you ‘fine’ turns into ‘great’ and even simple coffee tastes better when I’m with you. Bradley, you are the love of my life and the love I feel for you transcends any words that exist in any language and I want to spend the rest of my life by your side, if that’s what you want too.” Laura’s breath hitches as she takes out a small box and opens it while she gets on one knee and the blonde gasps loudly. “Bradley Jackson, will you marry me?”
“Y-y-yes.” The blonde stutters out nodding vigorously. “A billion times yes.”
Laura can’t jump up fast enough to put the ring on Bradley’s ring finger and kiss her, kiss her so passionately that they end up completely out of breath even as tears trickle down both their faces.
“Yes?” The brunette asks pulling away, but still clinging onto Bradley for dear life.
“Yes.” Bradley kisses her again, less desperately. “Yes.” Another kiss. “Yes. Yes. Yes.” She keeps murmuring between kisses until they both calm down a bit and the blonde has a chance to look closely at the ring. It’s a beautiful white gold band with a big blue diamond in the center, adorned with smaller diamonds on the sides.
“It reminds me of the color of your eyes.” Laura admits and the blonde looks up, curious.
“When did you get it?”
“I…” The brunette considers her answer for a second. “A week or so before you got offered the London promotion.” Bradley gasps.
“Y-you…held onto it all this time?”
“Yeah, well, I kept hoping.” Laura whispers as a new stream of tears flows down the blonde’s cheeks.
“Why didn’t you…?”
“Because then you would have stayed.” Laura whispers and Bradley leans her forehead against the brunette’s, breathing in and out a few times trying to control the sobs wracking her body.
“Laura, I love you, I love you so much I can’t even breathe sometimes. You’re it for me, Laura, for always, forever.” And then Bradley kisses her again, deeply, passionately, making them both whimper and moan at the intensity of the kiss and their feelings for each other. And well, if Laura feels the tears running down her face, neither woman cares.