No Ordinary Love - G.Callen NCIS L.A

Chapter 36

"Welcome home, Ms. Barrow." The customs officer handed her back her passport and smiled.

"Thank you." Deja took her carry-on luggage and went to get her suitcase. It felt good to be back in England. Strange to be here without Grisha, though. She'd thought that the next time she would set foot in London, he would be by her side. But he had made her go, with a half-promise to maybe play catch-up with her in a few weeks. She hoped Hetty would let him.

While waiting for her luggage, she texted him, saying that she'd arrived safely and was on her way to Nanna. She got one back while she lifted her suitcase from the carrousel. Glad to hear it. Enjoy your stay. Say hi to Nanna and your parents from me. I love you.

She hadn't wanted to go. Not really. But he'd made her. After all, maybe it was a good way to gain perspective and figure out what she wanted to do. She had all this time on her hands now that there was no café waiting for her.

Nate had stuck around for a few weeks. While she was hesitant to open up further to him in the beginning, in hindsight now, she was grateful that she had. His door was always open, and he was a good and unbiased listener, just as he'd said he would be. In the end, both she and Grisha had benefitted more from his time than either of them were ready to admit.

Also, the past couple of weeks had made her realize something. Difficult as it still was, working through the grief over losing Lindy and her café, and however torn she'd sometimes felt on whether or not to leave him, she couldn't do it. She loved him. She loved the man more than she'd ever loved anyone else. But this breathing space was good.

She tilted her head up at the sun. It was a different kind of heat than the one she had grown accustomed to, but sunshine and warmth nonetheless, and she was grateful for it. She hoped that Grisha would be able to join her and they would have a few days in London together. She wanted to show him all the places she used to frequent growing up.

Hailing a taxi, she thought a moment about where to go. She hadn't told anyone she was coming. As the taxi driver took her suitcase and she got in, she gave him Nanna's address. It was time.

It wasn't Nanna's live-in nurse Leah who opened the door, as Deja had expected. It was her aunt. "Well, look what the cat dragged in," she quipped. "That's a surprise."

"Hi Auntie Eve," Deja said as she wrapped her arms around the older woman. Her aunt was two years younger than Alistair, but always impeccably dressed and put together. Nothing that showed she was almost sixty.

"Well, hello darling. Let me look at you." Evelina 'Eve' Wallis –Barrow took a good look at her niece. "You want a cuppa?"

"Always."

Eve smiled. "Mother is in the living room. She will be thrilled to see you."

True to her aunts words, Nanna was. Elizabetta Barrow managed to look younger than her almost eighty-three years, but Deja could see she was getting older. Her aunt had her good looks from somewhere. Nanna straightened in her chair. "Well, amore, this is a surprise! Come here! Let me hug you!"

Deja let herself be hugged and bossed around, served with tea and homemade sponge. She swallowed a bite and looked at her aunt. "How is Uncle Ben? And Theo and Daisy? It's been ages since I've last seen them."

Eve's face lit up at the mention of her children. "They're good. The children are growing up so fast." She reached over for her purse and pulled out pictures. For the next half hour, Deja was brought up to speed on the adventures of her niece and nephew and their families. Both Theo and Daisy were married with kids, so there was always stuff to catch up on.

Deja only half-listened to what her aunt was saying, being rather distracted. Thankfully, after she put the pictures away, Eve looked at her watch. "I have to go. I'm meeting Ben for lunch, and isn't Leah supposed to be back soon?"