CHAPTER ELEVEN
Phillip was nervous as he waited at Heathrow Airport for Natalie to arrive, which wasn’t helped by there being a flight delay. He knew she’d gotten on to the flight, he’d called her before she left for the airport. She was also nervous.
“You’re not going to run away when you see me, are you?”
“No. Why would I do that?”
“You might not like me anymore.”
“Yes I will.”
“Do you still love me?”
“Yes I do.”
“You sure?”
“I’m sure.” After the daily telephone conversations that they’d had, with Phillip setting his alarm to wake early just for that reason, there really was no doubt.
“Well, okay. What will you be wearing at the airport?”
“I’ll be wearing my beige raincoat and a black fedora.” Phillip had taken to wearing a hat like Ken always did. “What will you be wearing?”
“My black woolen coat and a rainbow scarf. You still love me?”
“I still love you.”
It seemed to Phillip that it was an awful long wait from when the sign said that her flight had landed to when she eventually appeared at the arrivals gate. He spotted her right away, waving to her and she waving back, and he actually ran toward her. So much for butler calmness. Her friend though, who liked to think of herself as a savvy world traveler, was struggling with her luggage, so after a quick hug with Natalie he was compelled to help out her friend.
“No, I’m okay” she said, struggling to organize herself, “you two must go, and I have to get a connecting flight.”
Phillip and Natalie stood staring at her as she bumbled away, both amused, arrivals moving around them as they also tried to find the folks they were meeting.
“Let’s move from here,” Phillip took Natalie’s case and headed to a quiet corner with her following.
“Well, you made it,” he said, putting down the heavy case.
“Were you waiting long? I was worried that you wouldn’t.”
“I have patience.” Phillip took in her appearance, “You look great. Happy to be here?”
“I am now. I worried all the way over. I was so nervous that you wouldn’t be here to meet me. You do love me?”
“Yes, I do. Can we have a proper hug now?”
“Oh yes, I really need one.”
They hugged for quite some time in that corner of the airport, both realizing that it was probably the beginning of their life together on a permanent basis and they wanted to get used to it.
Instead of taking a taxi or using the underground, Phillip suggested they take a bus to Victoria Station and get a taxi from there to their hotel. This way, Natalie could see a good part of London from the top of the bus.
Phillip had picked out a hotel near Charing Cross for them to stay in. It was cheap and central, but also clean and safe which was important, as he was going to have to leave her there. He knew she was tired from her flight and the time change. He was also tired from being too nervous to sleep, but it didn’t stop them from making love for the first time once they got to their room. Clumsy but tender lovemaking, that stemmed from all of their conversations, neither disappointing the other.
Then they slept.
Contentedly, but not for too long as they were going to have dinner with Ken and Fran, who Natalie hadn’t met yet. Phillip knew she and Fran would like each other.