Chapter 19: Love Hurts

The weekend flew past and come Monday morning, while Kathleen and Michelle were sleeping the sleep of the well-sated.

Louise was back at number 7, tired, exhausted and with a smile on her face that told everyone she had a wonderful weekend.

Mia was checking the building schedule and was happy they were on target to get the building work done on time. She had some definite ideas she wanted to run past Erica re the tunnel and the extra ‘store-room’. The area behind the red brick wall it was decided would become a ‘private lounge’ area. Somewhere the more well-known members could go and not be disturbed. She and Emily had talked about the extra store-room, all weekend, in between getting out of bed, going to the loo, getting back into bed, sleeping, making love, eating, shopping and making more love.

The week went smoothly, the grand staircase was put in leading up to the newly completed sun deck and bar and down into what will be known as the Mary Ambrose room, where the paintings will be displayed along with the many love letters, all beautifully framed.

All week Mia had tried to get Erica and Emily, to sit down and work out how the two store-rooms would be decorated. For whatever reason getting them in the same place at the same time didn’t happen. Her frustration grew. What didn’t help, was that the timing of their work schedule also kept them apart.

At the weekend, on Saturday morning, they were lying in bed, just snuggling. Mia wanted Em to work on some ideas to make the first store-room as luxurious as possible. She explained to her what was in her mind and imagination. Love seats, hidden little areas, subtle lighting. Emily was laying in her lovers’ arms as she explained how she saw it in her mind. Emily rolled over onto her elbow and put her hand under her chin, kissed Mia on the nose, and got out of bed.

“What?” Mia asked, “Where are you going?”

Emily turned to her and reminded her of their agreement, “as soon as one of us starts talking shop, at home, the other one would walk away. Remember. Besides, I work for Erica on this project, as you keep reminding me.” She laughed at Mia and dived back onto the bed, landing next to her, crawled up onto her, held her tightly and used the covers so she couldn’t move, she had her pinned down under the covers and kissed her. Looked into her eyes, kissed her again and told her. “I love you so much Mia, that it hurts me sometimes.” She laid her head under her chin.

Mia blew the hair away from her mouth, and some of it started to twitch her nose, “Em baby, move a bit, your hair hon, it’s in my mouth and nose babe.”

Emily just lay there. “Nope not until.”

“Until what?” Mia asked, knowing exactly what she wanted. “Hell freezing over or something?” She continued and laughed.

“Nope, you know what to say. And I’m not going to move until you do, I’m still waiting.” She laid there not moving except to move her head sideways under her chin. Making sure it tickled Mia’s nose.

“Em, stop it, sweetie, aaawwww come on babe, move, please.” She was almost pleading now.

“OK, PRETTY PLEASE move.”

“Nope that’s not it either.” She replied. All the while smiling to herself.

“Do you want to have some hot fucking later on?” Mia was pulling out all stops.

“OH of course I do, and we will. But that’s not the magic word either. So stop trying to bribe me.” She carried on. Wiggling her body into Mia until she settled onto her tummy and put pressure on her bladder.

“Emily, this isn’t funny honey, I need to pee shortly.” She told her lover.

“Oh look, you’re a poet and didn’t know it.” She said in reply, laughing at her own joke. “Well Mia Francesco De Lombardo, if you don’t want to pee in our bed, you better come up with those magic words.”

“OK OK, I love you too. Now can I get up and have a pee?” she said with a sigh.

“Nope, not anywhere near good enough missy,” Emily told her.

“Emily.” Mia said in a caring voice, “Emily,” She stopped, then after catching her breath, “Emily Kathleen Ambrose, I love you like there is no tomorrow, you are the air that I need, you are my reason for waking up every morning, I love you with every ounce of my soul, with every breath I take, without you there is no living, no tomorrow. Without you I am nothing.”

“AAAAWWWW you say the nicest things to me.” She still didn’t move.

Mia blew her hair away from her nose and mouth and then said. “Can I get up now?”

“Nope, you didn’t sound like you meant it.” She said laughing, then jumping off the bed and running out of her bedroom.

Mia heard Miriam tell her daughter for the thousandth time that week, “Put some clothes on Emily, please.” Mia put on a dressing gown, fastened it, making sure it was secure, and ventured out of their room down to the bathroom. Emily was already in the shower and fortunately hadn’t locked the door.

Mia relieved herself while Emily was humming away to herself under the shower. She was half tempted to sneakily turn the hot water off while Em’s back was turned. But thought better of it. She pulled the shower curtain back, looked at her sweet lover, smiled and started to sing to her.

Emily turned the water off, her tears mingled with the water running from her hair. She stepped out of the bathtub, and just hugged her. Mia lifted her head, kissed her, and then kissed her again.

“Don’t you ever doubt my love for you? No matter how silly you get, or how tired I am, I will love you till the end of time.” Mia told her.

Emily hugged her. “That was a lovely song, did you write it just for me?”

Mia held her at arm’s length, not sure if she was serious or not, then hugged her, just hugged her. There was a knock on the door, and Miriam asked if they were decent.

Emily wrapped herself in a towel and opened the door, “Sorry to interrupt you two, but your phones have been going off Mia.” Miriam told them.

She looked at Mia in her soaking wet dressing gown, “Mia.” She said, “The idea is to take your dressing gown off before getting into the shower.” She smiled at her.

“Well normally I would, but a certain mischievous person decided to hug me before drying herself,” Mia replied with a smile on her face.

“Not my fault mum, she was singing to me,” Emily stated.

Miriam looked at them both and smiled, pointing to her daughter, “you get dried and dressed.” Then looked at Mia, “You should answer your phones, well at least one of them.”

The voicemail messages were from the site office, the electricians had finished setting up all the necessary lighting in the two store rooms and as far into the tunnel as the available lights would allow.

What was meant to be a two-minute job turned into a week’s work? All of the temporary lightings were run off of a new generator and a whole new circuit board for the area was required just for the lighting and power for those areas. Emily joined Mia at the kitchen table, “What’s up babe?” She asked.

“Fancy a trip to the office?” She asked Em with a wicked look in her eye.

Emily, leaned in close to her and whispered, “What have you got on your mind? As if I didn’t know.”

Mia turned to her and quietly asked, “Want to be the first Ambrose in 150 years to see where the tunnel leads?”

Emily’s eyes lit up and she took a deep breath. “Aunt Kathy will be furious if we don’t let her be the first one.” She looked at Mia and with a giggle said, “Let’s do it.”

Mia went and started getting dressed. While Emily found her mum in the garden, potting some plants. “Mum, Mia and I are just going into the office, we shouldn’t be too long.” Miriam looked over the top of her sunglasses. “OK, enjoy yourselves.” And smiled at her.

Emily looked back at her mum and told her. “We have a perfectly good bedroom for that, we definitely wouldn’t be going into the office just for some privacy. Besides, if we get too loud, you turn the TV up so everyone in the street can hear it. We aren’t that loud, are we?”

“Sometimes sweetheart, yes you are. And I am happy for you both, really.” They hugged. Mia was waiting for her and was standing at the back door, she waved her goodbye from a distance.

As Emily approached the back door, she said in a voice loud enough for her mum to hear, “Mia you are too loud when we have sex, mum can hear everything you say.” Mia turned a bright red, Miriam raised her voice to her daughter, “I said no such thing, and Emily Ambrose you will go to hell for telling such porkies.” Emily laughed and pushed Mia back into the house. “Were you two serious just then?” Mia asked her.

“For a really smart woman, you can be pretty dumb sometimes. It’s me she can hear.” She said laughing at Mia. She took her by her hand and they walked out to her car, which was parked on the street. Mia unlocked the car, from a distance and opened the door for Emily. They smiled at each other.

The drive to Port Adelaide took twenty minutes. During the drive and while stopped at a set of traffic lights, Mia found the song Unchained Melody by the Righteous Brothers and put it on for Emily.

“Oh my, that is both beautiful and sad,” Emily said.

Mia replied to her, “I think it is one of the most beautiful love songs of all time.” They held hands, then smiled at each other, a lot. Emily rested her head against Mia’s shoulder. Mia took a deep breath and started singing to Emily again.

“Oh My love, my darling, I hungered for your touch.” At the same time, Emily started to hum the tune. In perfect harmony. From that time on, whenever they wanted some attention from one another, one or the other would start to sing or hum ‘their’ song.

They let themselves into the office, found some torches, one each, made certain they were fully charged and headed off.

Mia took her time, walking in through the back door, she looked at some recent handy work and made an umph sound of displeasure. But kept walking. Reaching the front doors, she turned and looked at the grand staircase. Turning to Emily, “go and stand at the foot of the stairs, give me a pose, I want to send a picture to everyone.” Emily did, she pulled the classic Audrey Hepburn, or was it the Marilyn Munroe look, arms in the air. Mia clicked away several times. Em came running over to her and looked at the different shots, they agreed on a particularly good one and Mia sent it to each of the family. She titled it ‘The Grand Entrance’.