Behind The Church

XXIII

Kate

Living with Tina and the girls is something I wish I had done sooner. It's awesome having our own space and I don't have to share a room with two five year olds anymore. Which means I can stay up for as long as I want and do whatever I want and not have to worry about stepping on a sleeping child all the time.

Which is why waking up to a quiet bedroom while cuddled into my girlfriend is amazing. The sun peepinp through our blinds and Tina's soft breathing is so relaxing.

I feel her lips kiss my head as she tightens her arms around me.

"Good morning, love." I hear her groggy voice say.

"Hi. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. I had the most calm dream ever last night."

"I heard you."

Tina tends to talk in her sleep a lot.

"Good. Because that was the best dream I've ever had. We went to the beach and just sat there and talked."

"You were saying something about the kids wanting you to propose to me."

"Yeah. That's because they do. They want us to get married."

"So does Mammy. She always asks when we're gonna tie the knot and I always say-"

"When she pops the question." Tina nods. Her eyes on me now.

"How did you know?" I question.

"Zoey likes to eavesdrop."

"I see. Will we get married soon?"

"I don't know. All this Covid stuff is in the way."

"It is. Are we still gonna get stuff done with the band?"

"For that were going to have to extend our isolation bubble. That's four different households with other people in as well. It's just something we can't do."

There was a thoughtful silence and I could literally hear the cogs turning in Tina's brain.

"What if they moved in with us until the pandemic is over?" I suggest.

"I didn't think about that."

"We have the room, we all get along and we'll be in the same bubble."

"Yeah. We have a band meeting on zoom today, anyway. We could suggest it then."

"Sounds like a plan."

Three small knocks sound at the door and I smile at the thought of one of the girls standing there nervously not hoping to wake us up.

"Come in." Christina calls out.

"Morning, Mama. Can I still do the morning ritual with you?" Zoey asks, shyly.

"Of course, kid. I'm sure Mom won't mind." Christina confirms, letting go of me to sit up and allow Zoey to sit on the bed.

"What's the morning ritual?" I muse as I watch Tina and Zoey start to play fight on the bed.

"It's just something Zoey wanted to do every morning to help her wake up." Tina shrugged as she struggled to keep Zoey down to tickle her.

I hear Ruth's little feet pat on the wooden floor outside of the bedroom and she pokes her head into the room, she smiles when she's sees that we're awake and climbs onto the bed, immediately diving into my arms.

"Morning, Mommy." she grins.

"Morning, Ruth. How did you sleep?"

"Really good. Those beds that Mama got are so comfy. You should sleep in my bed tonight, Mom! It's big enough, I promise!"

"That's great! But I want to sleep in Mama's bed for a couple of nights because I missed sleeping with her."

"Aw, so in a few nights then?"

"Sure."

"Yay!"

My girlfriend and my daughter finish with their mini play fight and we all get up to have breakfast and get ready for the day. We all have online school today, and it'll be weird because this will be our first school day living together. I moved in on Saturday.

Tina has two laptops set up already, one for us and one for the kids. Both on separate zoom calls, well, the lobby of the zoom calls. Tina sits at one of the bar stools, her note book and pens neatly laid out across the counter top. I smiled and kissed her head and she hands me one of her air pods. I put it in and wait for our zoom meeting to be activated.

Ruth and Zoey were already in their lesson, their headphones on their heads and they stare at the screen while their teachers talk to their class.

"Oh, and it seems that Chrisina has an addition." the teacher points out when she sees Tina and I in the same room. I hadn't even realise class had started.

"Yeah, I just needed my best friend to stay with me." Tina says, saying what I had asked her to say.

I was still insecure about what my Dad had told me all those moons ago. Sometimes, the words would just ring through my head. Him telling me to go to Hell and that he hated me. Tina understands that, but I know she's upset.

Classes drag by but we're all finished by around half two-ish. Ruth and Zoey say goodbye to Ms Tyler and we say goodbye to our English teacher.

Tina closes our laptop and looks to me, her eyes filled with love and care. I take her hand in mine and squeeze it three times. She replies with the same three squeezes, my smile growing with each one.

She makes me smile all the time. She always cheers me up when I'm down and she's my light. My person. My love. I voice this much to her and she says,

"No words could describe my love for you, Kate."