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All characters are 18 years or older.
This story is the continuation of my Technically We're Estranged series and I suggest reading the previous chapters before continuing. TWE is made of intentionally shorter chapters, and hopefully you enjoy the tease. This chapter includes exhibitionism and elements of incest.
Stephan tries to make amends with wild gestures.
Thanks to Antematter for his comments. If you are a writer seeking a volunteer editor, seek him out.
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I yawned to make my ears pop as the rumbling airplane bounced through some turbulence on it's way into the sky. This was probably the stupidest thing I had ever done. Was it worth it?
Well, if it worked out, then yes.
*********
"Good morning, Stephan," Bella answered the phone.
"Bella," I said. "I'm not going to be in for the next few days."
"Oh," she replied, a little shocked. "Are you sick? Is everything alright?" I hadn't taken a sick day since I opened my little one-man firm - if I caught the flu I sent Bella home so she wouldn't catch it and then worked through the discomfort.
"No, and no, but I'm going to try and make it right. You can take the next couple of days for yourself, just have all the calls forwarded to my cell."
"Stephan, where are you?"
I looked up from the tiled floor of the airport. She could probably hear the shifting crowd running past me like a river as people tried to find their proper terminals.
"Airport," I said.
Her end of the phone was quiet for a long moment. "Are you sure about this?"
"No," I said. "I'll talk to you when I get back."
"Good luck," she said. It sounded a little sad.
*********
The layover in Hawaii was just long enough that I could have made it to my parents house to say hello and get back in time for my flight. If I were a good son I would have called to let them know I would be at the airport and they could have come to meet me. If I were a good son, I also wouldn't be rushing across the world to try and explain to my cousin why her online relationship was with her own cousin.
I made better use of the time, at least when it came to getting everything fixed. I fielded a couple of calls, assuring my clients that I would be back soon, and set a few appointments for later in the week to keep them happy. John Marc, easily my most profitable client, had been the easiest.
"I'm sorting out what we talked about."
"Good," he said. "No need to get all tied in a knot over some pussy." He would never get that someone like Mel wasn't just 'some pussy,' but I wasn't about to argue that with him over the phone.
Just before my flight to Austin started boarding, I spotted the flowers being sold at one of the in-terminal stores. They were from all over the Hawaiian islands, and if I had stepped outside the airport I probably could have found an entire bouquet, or even a full leis of them, for about a quarter the price. But buying inside meant I could take them with me on the plane, and I knew exactly what flower Mel would want most.
With my delicate red gift tucked away carefully in the top of my single carry-on bag, little more than a duffel I had quickly put together that morning after a sleepless night, I boarded the second leg of my journey to try and convince Mel of... I wasn't even sure what.
I just needed to see her.
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Flying across the world, especially over the Pacific from Australia to the US, could really mess with your sense of timing. My plan the whole time had been to step off the plane, get in a cab and go to Mel's place immediately - it hadn't been hard to track down her address with a quick email to my aunt. The flights, the layover in Honolulu and the time change dashed those hopes though, because when I stepped off the plane it was 3 am in Houston.
I checked my phone for messages from her. Nothing.
Shuttling to a hotel near the airport, I settled in to wait the few hours until dawn. Laying on that shitty hotel bed, staring up at the dark ceiling with my shoes still on and the lehua flower twirling in my hands, I felt like a fucking stalker. Everything I was doing, had done, in the past months ran through my head. I knew exactly what time I could go to Mel's house to catch her before she left for work because she sent a snapchat almost every morning at the same time. I knew where she lived because her mom told me, along with what hospital she worked at. The lies were thick and heavy in my chest.
I am so fucked up.
The cab ride was about twenty minutes, meandering to the outskirts of the city into a suburb. Her house was a small bungalow, cute but the gardens out front were a little on the messy side. I wondered how long it had been since someone had tended to them properly, if ever. Mel wasn't a total girly-girl, but she'd also never been a hands-in-the-dirt kind of person either.
I paid the cabby for the trip, along with another ten to hang around a couple minutes. My hand resting on the car door latch, I took a deep breath and fiddled with the flower again. Another breath and I was stepping out, feeling like I was floating on a cloud. It wasn't quite an out of body experience, walking up the little path to her front door, but my mind was totally blank and in the moment, each step forgotten as I took the next, and then I was standing in front of the door.
I knocked.
Silence except for the light thrum of the taxi behind me, and the soft swoosh of another car driving past.
Should I knock again?
Footsteps inside. The lock turning. My fight or flight mode revved up to eleven and I wanted to dart back to the cab and try and disappear, but I stood my ground. I must have looked ridiculous, standing with the red lehua flower gripped tightly in one hand as I waited for the door to open.
The sun had come over the horizon on ride over, the golden beams playing thick shadows over the neighbourhood. My slacks and suit coat weren't quite enough to ward away the early morning chill, though they would probably be too much later in the day. These were the things my mind tried to focus on as the lock clicked and the door swung inwards, hoping that this wouldn't turn into a disaster.
She was already in her medical scrubs, light blue fatigues with the v-collar, loose and comfortable. They hid a bit of her form, though there was no hiding her perky bust. Her hair was tied back loosely, strands falling free from the sides of her head, and she was holding a half-eaten piece of toast in her hand. As she looked at me Mel's eyes opened wide, flashing baby blue, and her mouth opened to a gape.
The door slammed shut.
