Hebridean Hame Ch 14 (very early WiP)

Note - this is as far as I've gotten, having suffered my first period of writer's block since I started this story last year. I'm still chipping away, trying to do a little every night (which sometimes consists of nothing but reworking what I already had down). However, it's been too long and I feel like I owe you guys at least something!

Quaranteam: Hebridean Hame, Chapter 14

Late Afternoon, Saturday, 3rd October 2020

Eilean Arthriagh, Inner Hebrides, Scotland

With a dull thud, the rowboat's plastic hull made contact with the beach. The gentle swell of the water within the tidal channel caused the boat to rock slightly.

Callum, sweat beading on his forehead, breathed a sigh of relief and allowed himself to sag slightly. His shoulders ached from the back-and-forth journeys he’d just undertaken, first to take Catherine from the mainland to the island, and then to return and bring Nicole. One trip over the water was warm work, but three were enough to remind him he’d worked at a desk for most of his life.

Nicole sat across from him, smiling slightly as she took in her surroundings.

“Well, that was easier than I expected,” she said while waving to Catherine, who waited for them further up the seashore, at the end of the track that led to the house.

Callum huffed something akin to a laugh while dragging his sleeve across his forehead. “This first time, I did it for you. Next time, you’re on your own.”

The young woman grinned in response, leaning forward and touching his knee. “I hope that doesn’t apply to everything on the island,” she replied quietly, before giving her eyebrows a comedic wiggle.

Callum laughed again. “Starting to feel it?” He asked as he stowed the oars, somewhat familiar now with the out-of-character and flirty behaviour the vaccine appeared to induce.

Nicole blushed and gave a small nod, hurriedly removing her hand. “I don’t know where that came from. Sorry.”

“It’s fine, a side effect, I think. Catherine was the same.”

“But not Sarah?” Nicole asked, picking up on his omission.

Callum shook his head. “No, Sarah was a little further along when… well, when I got to her. Hard to believe that was only Monday. She was waiting at the house when I returned to the island after collecting the shopping.” As he spoke, Callum carefully rose, stepping over the bow onto the dry foreshore. His hands took hold of the boat, using the hull’s slight rise on the swell to pull it further ashore, before offering a hand to Nicole.

She raised an eyebrow, passing him her bag. “What do you mean by ‘a little further along’?”

He shrugged before placing the bag down and again offering Nicole a hand. “The vaccine drives women to complete the bonding process. Over time, it becomes a more urgent desire. When I got to Sarah, she was pretty far along.”

The puzzled look on the young woman's face changed to one of realisation as she took his hand, carefully balancing as she stepped ashore. “Oh. Oh! I see. So you’re saying…”

“I’m saying that there was very little talking.” Callum finished for her with an awkward smile.

Collecting Nicole’s bag and some of the shopping that couldn’t be left in the car until the tide changed later that night, the three began trekking up the sloping roadway.

****

Nicole eagerly pulled ahead, her head turning to take in the various sights of her new home. Meanwhile, Catherine walked beside Callum. He glanced at her, silently checking in, and to his surprise, he noticed that the older woman looked nervous.

“Everything okay?” He asked quietly.

Catherine nodded, shifting the bag she carried to her other hand, leaving the hand closest to him empty. “I am fine, although the headache is becoming a nuisance again.”

Callum grimaced slightly. He’d managed almost to get used to the dull throbbing over the last day, but Catherine's comment brought it back into sharp focus. “Tell me about it,” he replied.

The pair watched Nicole walking ahead of them for a moment before Catherine spoke again, her tone unusually hesitant. “Do you think Sarah will still be as accepting of… everything… as she was before we left?”

“I think so,” he answered. “We spoke about it a little, and she seemed genuinely happy that more partners meant more protection for me.”

They continued in silence for another minute, the only sound their footsteps on the rough track, before Catherine spoke again. “You will be busy with Nicole this evening. And Sarah, no doubt.”

Callum frowned slightly, glancing at his companion as he tried to understand where the conversation was going before he replied. “Yes, and I’ll need to fit in time with Alison as well, before I take Mira up to Fort William tomorrow.”

She paused before answering. “Of course,” she eventually responded.

Callum looked over at her, surprised at the resigned tone she’d used, recognising something had gone unsaid. They walked another few steps as he considered the situation and Catherine’s reply. “Do you want to stay at the house tonight?” He asked, guessing that the older woman feared being left out.

Catherine’s response was instant. “Yes. Please.”

He nodded. “Good. That’d be nice.”

She didn’t answer, but gently placed her hand on his inner arm, moving closer to him as they walked together.

As they continued towards the house, her hand slowly slid down his forearm and wrist. Eventually, she awkwardly held his hand, subtly breaking contact as their destination appeared.

Callum, concerned, looked at her.

Beside him, Catherine slowed to almost a stop, her hand rising to her head. Suddenly, the sharp throb of his headache changed into an urgent tingling feeling.

“Sarah is waiting for us,” Catherine mumbled, just as the same awareness came over Callum. He nodded in agreement, finding himself sure that Catherine’s statement was true.

They both set off again, increasing their pace and rapidly catching up with, then passing, Nicole.

Their speed increased as they grew closer, until after a short jog, Callum was the first through the door. He hurriedly wiped his feet - more of a muscle memory than a deliberate act - even as he called out.

“Sarah?”

The response was a muffled gasp from the kitchen, followed by footsteps rapidly approaching.

The bags he carried fell from his grasp as he moved to meet her. It didn’t occur to him to question why he was so sure it was Sarah he was moving towards.

He’d made it only a few steps down the hall when Sarah hurriedly emerged from the kitchen, tears visible on her face. The two met in an intense hug; their shared momentum caused them to turn together, wrapped in each other's embrace.

Callum clung to her, overwhelmed by a sudden flood of emotion. The tingling feeling at the base of his skull melted away, replaced by an overwhelming sense of satisfaction and intense pleasure at returning home, and of being back with Sarah. He felt whole again, though he struggled to identify why, as he hadn’t been aware of feeling incomplete.

The more he considered it, as the hug continued, the stranger his reaction appeared. As pleased as he was to see Sarah, his emotional response was far stronger than it should have been. It felt… forced, somehow.

Sarah gripped him tightly in response, and he could feel her shaking against him. They swayed a few steps together, clutching each other as if scared some outside force would pull them apart. Another wave of that same pleasure washed over him, somewhat drowning out his muddled thoughts.

Then there was a gasp from the doorway, and Callum looked over Sarah’s shoulder to see Catherine standing in the entryway, holding onto the doorframe. She had discarded her bag, and her other hand was pressed to her upper chest. Tears were in her eyes, though her smile was one of confusion and pure relief.

Behind Catherine, Nicole stood nervously, watching the reunion.

****

Callum, Sarah, and Catherine sat together on one side of the kitchen table. Sarah sat in the middle, holding Callum and Catherine's hands, while the other two sat unusually close to her, elbows and knees touching. None of the three appeared to be in any hurry to move away.

Nicole sat at the other side of the table, a little away from the others. She looked bemused, switching between looking around the kitchen and watching the oddly behaving trio.

In the background, a concerned-looking Mira waited for the kettle to finish boiling, glancing back now and again at her three strangely behaving friends and the new arrival.

“Are you sure you’re all ok?” Mira asked, while watching her three friends smile at each other.

“Yes, we’re fine.” Sarah replied. “Just glad everyone is here again.”

Mira focused her attention on Catherine. “And you’re alright Cathy?”

Catherine nodded, her focus remaining on Sarah and Callum.

Mira sighed, leaning her elbows and forearms on the kitchen counter, shaking her head slightly. “Were these two like this all the way here, Nicole?” She asked, obviously referencing Catherine and Callum.

Nicole shook her head. “No, they were a little touchy-feely in the car, though they were trying to be subtle. But nothing like this.”

“We’re fine, honestly.” Callum added. “It was just such a relief to get home.”

Mira shook her head again. “Nope. That’s not it. I might have expected you and Sarah to behave like this. Or at least just be pleased to see each other. And I mean no offence to Catherine. But she’s acting so out of character it’s almost like you brought a different person home.”

Catherine glanced at Mira in response but only gave a small shrug. “I, too, am happy to be back.”

“Well, she sounds the same,” Mira muttered, the kettle behind her noisily reaching boiling point and clicking off.

The kitchen was briefly filled with the sound of pouring water, tea spoons rattling in mugs, and Mira confirming Nicole’s milk and sugar preferences.

Eventually, with mugs passed around and the biscuit tin retrieved, Mira settled beside Nicole.

“You three are creeping me out.” She said with a sigh.

Callum frowned.

“It’s like…” Mira sipped her tea, watching them over the rim, “There’s some sort of weird symbiosis going on.”

“It felt good to reconnect.” Callum offered, still frowning. Some of his previous confusion returned.

Catherine nodded enthusiastically at his explanation, putting her mug down as she spoke. “Yes. I had not realised I missed the place so much until I saw the house again.”

“And everything else feels normal?” Mira asked.

“Well, yes. I may feel a little more emotional than normal, but today has been a day of firsts.” Catherine replied.

Mira raised an eyebrow and focused on Sarah. “And you’re doing okay, Sarah? You said earlier that you were still feeling a little… vulnerable?”

Sarah smiled contentedly in response. “I feel much better now.”

****

“This room is spare,” Callum gestured to Nicole as he pushed the door open, stepping aside to let her look in. “Sarah and I have been using the room next door,” he said, pointing down the hall.

They continued their tour, Callum opening his bedroom door while indicating across the corridor. “The main bathroom is in here. And that door leads to the sitting room.”

Nicole nodded, briefly looking into the bedroom and then the bathroom. “Do you have enough rooms for everyone? There’ll be six of us, plus you?” Her sing-song Geordie voice lowered to match his.

“We still need to figure that out,” he replied with a shrug. “There are two more bedrooms upstairs. One of them was Sarah’s parents' room…” He paused for a moment, clearing his throat before continuing. “We still need to clear that out, but haven’t gotten around to it yet.”

Nicole gave him an understanding look. “That’s never going to be an easy task,” she offered, patting his arm before opening the sitting room door. Her movement entailed more physical contact than might have been expected, with her hand remaining on his arm and her body briefly pressing against his. “But that means you’ve room for five of us, assuming one of us sleeps beside you?” She glanced back at him, brow furrowed.

He was very aware of her closeness as he stood behind her, watching her as she looked around the room from the doorway. The faint smell of her shampoo was especially noticeable, given their height difference, with the top of her head almost level with his nose. The positive feelings that had engulfed him on arrival home had faded in intensity but still lingered.

Which meant that when she ‘accidentally’ stepped back against him, he thought nothing of placing a hand on her hip, holding her there.

Nicole gasped softly, the sound morphing into an approving hum. She tilted her head, looking back at him over her shoulder, biting her bottom lip.

“Where am I… sleeping… tonight?” She whispered, maintaining eye contact with him.

Callum found himself staring into her eyes as he almost growled his response. “Upstairs.”

Nicole nodded slightly, turning towards him, chin tilted up.

They kissed for the first time. His mouth descended to meet hers, tentatively at first, slow and deliberate, but then rapidly growing in passion. The tenderness quickly gave way to passion, which grew in intensity.

His lingering concerns regarding her age faded due to how she kissed him. She was good at it. Damn good. Her lips conveyed her desire for him and encouraged him to go further.

The kiss broke as they needed to catch their breath, Nicole's hands now flat on his chest, while he pulled her hips against him.

“Wow…” It was all he could muster, taken aback by their first encounter.

Nicole smiled teasingly up at him, looking pleased but shy. “Thanks. Wow yourself.”

“I mean, wow…” He sighed.

Nicole giggled, covering her mouth with a hand in what appeared to be a very asian mannerism. The same hand then moved to stroke his cheek. “As keen as I am, I could really use a shower before we go any further.”

“There’s an en-suite,” he offered, nodding his understanding. “I’ll get your bag.”

“Lead the way,” she instructed, eagerly.

****