The Reunion (Part 1)

chapter 36

Ten days later, Maya had asked Carina if she could book her day on August 10th. She didn't know what the blonde had planned, but of course she agreed.

She had warned her that she wouldn't be going up to pick her up, there was nothing romantic about not going up but she had warned her in advance.

Once arrived at the bottom of the Italian's house, she had sent a message to Carina to come down from her house.
The brunette had come to meet her, and Maya was at the bottom of her house with a sign with 'Carina DeLuca' written on it.

The Italian had a huge smile. She walked down the steps of her building and saw Maya again, sixteen years earlier, in that Seattle airport.

The brunette had arrived at the level of the captain and she had taken it in her arms.

- "ciao"

She had kissed her.

- "ah yes, it's true you don't kiss here"

- "you want me dead?!"

- "uh no, I have a bad memory with death..."

- "fuck! I'm sorry" Maya said, putting her hand on her forehead. "Is this off to a good start?"

- "Maya, Maya, Maya, hey bambina, it's okay"

- "shall we go?"

- "yes with pleasure"

They had gotten into Maya's car.

"So what do you have planned?"

-"Be patient."

The blonde had driven to Pike Place Market.

- "you're too romantic"

- "I didn't do anything"

- "oh so we're not going to relive our first day together?"

- "uh..."

- "you're too romantic"

Maya had gotten out of the car and she had asked the Italian to stay quietly in her seat while she went around and opened the door for her.

-"I got you... Something."

- "what do you mean?"

She had opened the back door and handed the brunette a package.

"It's not my birthday."

- "in a way, it's the most important date of my life."

- "can I?"

- "yes open it"

Carina had opened the gift and she had looked at Maya.

"I... I noticed that you don't take pictures anymore... You, you were very good..."

- "I haven't taken a picture since the last time Charlie went into the hospital to stay for months and months, forever... I've been content with my phone ever since"

- "maybe, maybe if you take the picture again a little bit, you'll see that despite... Despite the hardships, life can be beautiful, to, again, I'm not saying you have to forget, that you have to or that you will forget Charlie, because that's not what I want, I want to cherish his life, throughout ours. Or that it's nothing, the fact that he, that he's not here anymore... But, I, I can't live knowing that the love of my life, is suffering and you'll always have a part of you, that won't be there anymore, the part of the woman I fell in love with that left with that little boy, but I want to do everything to preserve what's left of the love of my life. And I fell in love with a dreamer who made beautiful pictures."