Chapter 20
In the aftermath of the cyber attack coming to an end, the first thing Lisa did was book her flight back to Paris. She managed to get a late night flight at midnight, to arrive in the early hours of the morning. Carla would be sleeping then, but she was desperate to surprise the woman she had so deeply fallen in love with.
The time they had spent apart, although it was brief, had hurt Lisa to her core and she knew she’d hurt Carla too so she knew she needed to fix things.
— —
In the land of the French, Carla had seen on the news and been advised by Felipe that the Parisian airport was re-opening and the first flight back to the UK was at midnight.
“Book it.” Carla said desperately. “Please.” She added.
Little did both women know they were on polar opposite flights, due to take off and land at the same time, give or take the hour time difference. The only place they would pass each other was in the air.
— —
After Lisa had landed in Paris, she jumped in a taxi to their hotel straight from the airport. She didn’t even have any luggage with her - she had just flown herself - literally.
“Where’s Carla?” Felipe exclaimed, greeting Lisa as she walked toward the reception desk.
“What do you mean where’s Carla? I’ve come to get her, from here? Felipe you said you’d look after her!” Lisa didn’t mean to shout, but it just came out. She was exhausted from little to no sleep since she’d left for London over 72 hours ago and even though it was all over, she still hadn’t slept properly, in desperation of getting back to Carla.
“Lisa, we booked her flight back to you last night. She will have landed in London right about the time when-“ He stopped himself in his own tracks, looking at his watch, realising what had happened as Lisa’s face went white. She couldn’t believe it herself. She never once thought that Carla would jump on a plane and come running back to her. She thought Carla was very much a stay-putter and that Lisa would be able to be the one to come and rescue her, and take her home.
— —
Carla landed at London Heathrow and jumped in a taxi straight to the Met Police Station. She waltzed in, in the middle of the night only to draw some unusual attention from the officers stood by the reception desk. She hadn’t really thought this through.
“May I help you ma’am” The desk sergeant asked politely.
“I’m looking for DS Swain. Please. It’s urgent.” Carla asked, her voice laced with that very urgency.
“I’m sorry Ma’am but DS Swain has left, I can find you someone else to help if you’ll just bear-“
“What do you mean, she left?” Carla interrupted as an older, smarter man approached her.
“Are you, are you Carla?” The tall, smart older man asked her, overhearing her enquiries about DS Swain and wondering if this was the very woman Lisa had been telling him about.
“Oh god.” Escaped Carla’s lips as she went white.
“Where is she, what’s-“
“No no no, Carla slow down. It’s not what you think. DS Swain is fine. However, she went to catch the first flight out of London to Paris. I’m gathering now…to go find you.” He chuckled softly.
“Oh no.” Carla held her head in her hands. She’d wanted to surprise Lisa. Thought she might be too busy or just simply too tired to act this quickly and so Carla took it upon herself to be the one in control with this. To surprise Lisa after everything that had unfolded over the last 72 hours.
Carla found the best thing to do was check into the nearest available hotel in London and stay the night there, perhaps heading back home to Devon tomorrow. If she could get in touch with Lisa, that is. What she knew for sure though, is she could not get back on an aeroplane.
— —
Lisa and Carla send each other a text, funnily enough each receiving each others reply more or less at the same time. How they were so in sync was beyond each others capacity to understand.
I can’t believe you’re not here in London. I’m so sorry I didn’t wait for you, but I wanted to surprise you. I miss you so much. I’ve booked into a hotel in London, going to try get some rest. You should too. Felipe will look after you. C xxx
You never cease to amaze me Carla Connor. But I should have learnt already that you are full of surprises. Please don’t get on another flight…although I’d chase you around the world if I had to. Get some beauty sleep. I can’t wait to see you. L xxx
Lisa turns her phone off as she boards the next flight back to the UK. It’s going to be a long night ahead once she’s back in Devon. Sleep is still so far out of reach.
— —
Carla arrives back in Devon later the next evening. Public transport had been horrendous and the delays she endured today were just exhausting, but all she could think about was Lisa.
As she approaches her front door, she sees a little red envelope hanging from the door handle.
Smiling to herself, she gently removes the envelope so delicately tied around the handle and unlocks her door to put her belongings inside, before she delicately removes one of those well known white cards from inside.
Hi, beautiful
God, I’ve missed you
But what’s a few more moments…
There’s something for you at Roys next.
All my love,
Lisa
Carla quickly locks up and heads next door to Roys. This certainly wasn’t what she expected when she arrived back in Devon to see Lisa. She wondered how on earth she’d managed to get home quicker than Carla, how she’d had the time to do all of this, especially if she felt as exhausted as Carla did right now.
Gently she opens Roys door to be greeted with another red envelope on the table in the centre of the café. Carla calls out, but there’s no answer. She finds this strange, but goes ahead to open the envelope anyway, wondering if there will be any further clues inside.
Don’t worry, Roy is being discreet.
He promised me no distractions.
Okay so this one was just a decoy 😉
To buy me some extra time,
Please don’t be mad
All my love,
Lisa
PS - Remember where we had our first date? ❤️
Carla headed to the beach, her heart racing with anticipation. On the approach, she could see Ryan there, with a single rose, holding a red envelope.
“What is all this Ryan?” Carla asked. “I can’t find Lisa, I’m chasing red envelopes around Devon and Roy’s…well, hiding?”
Ryan chuckles as he hands her the rose and the envelope.
“All will be revealed.” He said sweetly as he kissed his aunt with a peck on the cheek, but not before whispering something first.
“If I tell you anything, Lisa will kill me, so…” He gestured with his eyes as she smiled back at him, shaking her head playfully.
Carla opens the next red envelope to reveal a couple of keys and a simple address hand-written on the white card inside.
45 Seaside Lane,
Devon
Don’t keep me waiting too long.
The address is only a short walk from the beach. All in all, she’s almost walked around in a circle.
Carla arrives at a little empty place with a LET BY sign above the door. She looks at the card again and then looks at the place in front of her just to double check she’d got this right. She didn’t want to be arrested for breaking and entering.
Carla opened the door and was faced with a lovely quaint room, freshly painted by the look and smell of it. On the table in front of her she could see some papers and she placed the keys and the rose down to take a closer look.
It was a rental agreement. All laid out infront of her. Her eyes scanned the page and as they fell to the bottom she saw her own name, next to Lisa’s name and Lisa had already signed on a dotted line. A wave of emotion had hit Carla almost like a ton of bricks, but she had to hold it together before she second guessed, before she got too excited. It really might not be what she really thinks it really might be.
Carlas eyes landed on yet another red envelope hanging from the door handle of what looked like it led to another room.
Inside, the white card read:
The Final One,
I Promise.
Carla opened the door to find Lisa stood in the centre of the room, sheets of paper all over the walls with sketches and writings along with blank pages all pinned up. Lisa stood in the centre of a heart shape laid out by rose petals.
Lisa spoke first.
“I should have never left Carla. I’m so sorry.” Lisa’s tone was sincere.
“No, you shouldn’t be the one apologising. You were honest with me from the moment you met me. Deep down I knew that you being here in Devon was never permanent, but I was selfish and naive and thought that what we had was something special-“
“Had? What do you mean had, Carla?” Lisa’s voice quivered as she took one step closer to the brunette. This conversation was not going how Lisa planned it in her head. Carla also not really registering what was tumbling out of her own mouth. Her defences had come out of no where but clearly her subconscious brain was taking over what her heart wanted to say.
Carla had thrown Lisa a curveball, what the hell had Lisa created in Carla’s head these last few days she’d been away, or was it just the extreme tiredness clouding her thoughts? Either way she was beginning to think she should have started with “I love you.” Clearly Carla never received that text message, that lay dormant, still undelivered.
“I should have known that all this had to end at some point, right? That you had a job and a life to go back to.” Carla was trying desperately to keep her voice steady and hold back the tears that were clearly already forming in her eyes. Her heart was screaming inside to stop pushing Lisa away. What the hell was she playing at?
“And this…” Carla gestured to the papers in her hands. “All this…” She continued as she gestured around the room they were stood in. “It’s too much Lisa, if this is your goodbye then I-“
“I’m sorry but I can’t-“
“I can’t accept it.”
Carla’s voice finally broke. Her walls falling down, stumbling over her own words and sentences.
Lisa was stunned to say the least. Bewildered. Flabbergasted. Baffled. Nothing could really cut it.
She couldn’t understand where it had all quite gone so wrong so she tried to change direction.
“Carla, I, um, I was offered a promotion back in Manchester. To Detective Inspector. My boss is retiring-“
“Well done, Lisa. I hope you’re happy, I really do, but I can’t, I can’t do this.” Carla had cut her off. She left the papers on the floor and turned to leave, but Lisa found her confidence, she leapt forward and grabbed Carla’s arm with such determination.
“Carla you don’t understand!” Lisa was frustrated now, but not with Carla, with herself at how much of a terrible mess she was making of all of this.
“I love you.” Lisa said matter-of-factly. This wasn’t entirely the way she’d imagined telling the woman who stood before her that she loved her, and a huge part of her knew she should have said it weeks ago, but she’d been too afraid and right now, she was more afraid of losing Carla over anything in her entire life.
“I turned the job down.” She said gently, stroking Carla’s arm as she gripped it.
Carla turned around, meeting Lisa’s eyes. Unsure of what she had just heard.
“You did what?” It was almost a whisper, barely audible.
Lisa chuckled softly at the other woman, she wiped at her own tears.
“I turned down the job. I said I didn’t want it. Not anymore. I spoke with my boss and there’s no need for me to work my notice. My boss pulled some strings.” Lisa said clearer this time, a smile tugging at her lips as she held eye contact with Carla.
Carla’s mouth fell open.
“Wh-What are you saying exactly?” Carla asked, a little pushy. She really needed Lisa to be completely clear and not misleading in any way. Carla’s heart just couldn’t take much more and her brain felt like it was malfunctioning.
Lisa grabbed hold of both of Carla’s hands and let her lean against the wall.
“You’re shaking.” Lisa stepped a little closer to Carla, still holding her hands, but their bodies almost brushing together.
“I’m a little overwhelmed, but I need you to keep talking so I know exactly what you mean. I don’t want to get it wrong.”
Lisa laughed softly.
“You, Carla Connor are such a cute mess. I want this, all of this. I want you when you’re angry at me and shouting at me for something I haven’t done or something I’ve forgotten. I want you when you’re sad, upset and broken and you need me to help you feel better. I want you when you’re happy or excited about something and you can’t wait to share it with me. I want your cuteness, the way you get all shy and nervous when I’m near you. I want you when you’re feeling sexy and confident and in control. If I’ve missed anything, anything I want that too.” Lisa stared intently into Carla’s eyes as she saw the sparkle coming back.
“I fucked up Carla. I wanted to do better this time. I wanted to be better, with you and I let work get in the way again of the person I am completely and unapologetically in love with. I don’t get a second chance with Becky, and I don’t deserve a second chance with you, but I get to fight for one. I get to fight for you.”
“I turned down the promotion because to be quite honest Carla, I can’t imagine my life without you. My life isn’t in Manchester, my life is wherever you are.”
Lisa picked up the papers that Carla had left on the floor, leaving Carla leaning on the wall, still trying to take all this in.
“If you’ll still have me, this place is ours, well almost. It’s rented with the option to buy in the future, all you have to do is sign on the dotted line and we can do what we want with it.” Lisa smiled.
Her own heart was really on the line now.
“I still don’t quite understand-“ Carla whispered, completely blown away.
“Once upon a time, I asked you what your dream job would be in Devon, if you planned on staying and you told me you’d like to open a little gift shop, you just needed the right space. So….I started looking back then and secured this place, I started drawing up some plans, some ideas of my own and then these blank pages over here, they’re for your own ideas and our ideas collectively.” Lisa smiled, looking proud of herself for a moment. She deserved to be, she was really trying.
Carla had listened intently to every single word that had graced Lisa’s lips. She stood there in silence for what felt like a lifetime, to Lisa. Carla couldn’t quite comprehend the extent of what Lisa had done for her, what Lisa had been doing for her and what Lisa would be doing with her.
“Okay.”
That was all Carla could manage to begin with.
Lisa quirked her eyebrow. “Okay?” She repeated Carla’s word as a question.
Carla’s expression turned into a wide smile, her eyes were filled with pure love and joy.
“Yes. Okay. I want all of it with you too. All of this. This little shop, this little life. I want you and your unbelievably poor deliveries on speeches, I want the surprises and the red envelopes, I want the keys and to sign on the dotted line. I want your flirty and dirty text messages, I want you all dressed up and dressed down. I want more skinny dipping adventures and for you to let me be in control. I want all your romance because to be quite honest Lisa Swain, you do all the right things and you say all the right things, mostly, eventually. I truly cannot imagine my life without you and if I’ve missed anything, I want all of that too.”
Carla pushed herself away from the wall and placed her hands on Lisa’s cheeks, brushing softly before bringing her in for a long, sensual, kiss.
“God, I’ve missed kissing you. Holding you. Touching you. But right now, I really, really want to take you to bed.” Carla said in her most seductive tone, before leaning into Lisa closer, whispering in her ear. Carla had thought a lot about repaying the favour to Lisa.
“I am completely and unapologetically in love with you too, detective and I’m pretty sure I owe you the pleasure of you allowing me to be in control. Now please, can I take you to bed?”