Monday Flash Fics: Princess

Princess

Something disturbed my sleep and for a moment I wasn’t sure what had woken me. The bed didn’t feel big enough and for the first time in months I didn’t have a warm ball of fur curled up behind my bent knees. I blinked and squinted through my eyelashes and saw….her.

She was really here. After all the pain, the waiting, the despair, the moments when we thought it would never happen, the scares when it all appeared to be falling through, she was laying next to me, still fast asleep and making soft, cute noises.

Only six months had passed since we talked about giving up. Neither of us could see our way out of the situation we were in. The universe was conspiring against us. We would clear one hurdle only to discover another one waiting right behind it.

I pushed closer, draped my arm around her waist and rested my cheek against her soft hair. It didn’t feel like enough. I wanted to be closer still, crawl inside her, surgically attach myself to her, do anything to make sure we’d never be separated again.

Yesterday, when she came through the gate at the airport and we saw each other, the rest of the world ceased to exist. She let go of her luggage while I ran to close those last few yards between us. That first kiss felt like coming home. The tight band of worry which had been squeezing my heart for over a year at last let go and I got high on the relief rushing through me. Or maybe I got high on having her near, being able to see her, smell her and taste her.

I didn’t hear any of the comments our reunion provoked until we reluctantly pulled apart. Under any other circumstances the tut-tutting and the disapproving faces would have made me angry and confrontational. Yesterday all I did was smile. None of those nay-sayers could touch us. We’d fought for our coming together. We’d paid our dues, had needed to call on more patience than either of us thought we had, and it had been worth it. A solid wall of happiness surrounded us and none of their bigoted opinions could breech it.

I heard a soft meow and noticed Princess on the edge of the bed, studiously looking away from us. Poor kitty. She’d been the sole recipient of my attention since she was eight weeks old and she clearly didn’t enjoy sharing the limelight. I smiled while my thumb stroked the soft skin underneath it. Princess would get used to the new situation and learn to love the girl who holds my heart. After all, how could any creature not be entranced by her?

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456 words.

Today’s flash is very special to me. I wrote it with two friends—who will remain nameless—in mind. Very soon now they’ll be able to embark on their life together and create their own happily ever after. The thought brings a smile to my face and warms my heart.

Other stories based on the same image will be posted in the Monday Flash Fics Group on Facebook.