Marking off another day on her calendar, Vivienne flipped the pages back and sighed contently as she took in the eight months that had passed. “Late August.” Vivienne contently spoke to herself and placed the small black marker back in its place. Gliding gracefully through her modest villa, Vivienne made her way to the compact living room and sat in her plush chair. “Summer is about over, Mon amour.” Strumming her fingers, Vivienne winked at Faye teasingly. “Demain soir, tout se passera.”
Faye closed the lid on her laptop and shook her head frantically, “What do you mean everything? Tomorrow night?” Faye stopped a moment to translate what Vivienne casually rattled off. “How did I forget it was tomorrow?” Faye bolted off to the kitchen and looked at the calendar. “ I can’t…be..”
“Say it in French, Faye. You need practice.” Vivienne started laughing.
Peeking out from the kitchen, Faye pursed her lips and concentrated. “Tu n'es pas censé me voir ce soir, je ne peux pas être là.” Faye laughed, “I think that is the fastest I have said anything in French, I am not sure I said it completely right.”
“I understood what you said, my love.” Vivienne crossed her legs, “I cannot fathom why you are insisting on that silly tradition. How is me not seeing you for one night any better luck than what we’ve had for the last few months?” Vivienne reached for one of the many stacks of wedding magazines the couple had collected since early spring when they traveled to Saint-Maxime. Flipping through the pages, Vivienne gazed over the luxurious places for rent and shook her head. “If we were going to be this traditional, why didn’t we have all of our friends here in France with us and make it a huge wedding?”
Faye shrugged and darted quickly to their bedroom, slamming the door. “I don’t know, Viv. Once we did the dedication for my parents, made the memorial park … for the Park’s… I was rather anxious to leave.” Faye pulled her small bag from under their bed and gathered her essentials. “You were also determined to follow what Sylvie told you.” Faye laughed, “Next thing I knew I was on this huge boat crossing the Atlantic.”
“You sound like I made this up.” Vivienne tossed the glossy book back on the table with a huff, “I have told you before that all she said was, ‘Love yourself..go home.’ …I took that to mean here in France. This little villa on the outskirts of the port.”
Unlike the vast house in Virginia Beach or the massive Ravenstead Manor, Vivienne’s French home was a modest two-bedroom boxy house that sat quietly on a plot just outside the port town of Saint-Maxime. Made with gray and white stone from a local quarry, the little house had five windows to match her other homes and were purely decorative. An archway made of tan colored brick outlined where a solid black steel door hung with a brass knocker in the center along with a small button doorbell to the left. Completing its look, the house had a basic roof covered with black and gray shingles.
Keeping the home small to accent the land, Vivienne ensured the front walkway was lined with night-blooming flowers. Tuberose, with its tall stalks and rich honey scent blended with the gentle creeping lemon-scented evening primrose, attracted butterflies that fluttered around the home at all hours of the night. White pavers held in place with sand, created the remaining path around the property, allowing anyone to stop and admire the other sections of purposefully placed flowers to admire, complete with small two-person benches.
Shaking her head, Vivienne stood up and walked to the front door and stepped out onto the front porch and gazed up at the moon. “Faye, love. I didn’t hear you voice any concern about being on the yacht while we were coming to France.” Vivienne leaned on the brick column, “A full moon. I am not sure I can look at it without seeing Miss Miakoda anymore.”
Sliding her hand over Vivienne’s shoulder, Faye kissed Vivienne on the back of her neck. “Don’t turn around.” Faye ran her fingers through her partner’s long silky hair. “I know you didn’t make it up. Take a look out there.” Faye trailed little kisses across Vivienne’s neck. “Look at how far we’ve come, darling.”
Leaning back into her lover, Vivienne closed her shiny blue eyes and let Faye’s warmth permeate her. “I am still in a moderate form of disbelief. You talked me into tearing down the gates and walls. Casey, you and I cultivated everything out there.” Vivienne pointed to a couple kissing by the purple roses. “Love is the lay of the land, it would appear.”
Faye backed away from Vivienne and rubbed her back. “It certainly did wonders for us. Why not express it whenever we can?” Faye giggled, “You know, since we opened the flower garden we’ve had about ten thousand visitors, and no casualties.”
Letting out a light laugh, Vivienne walked over and plucked one of the tuberose and breathed in its rich scent. “They have nothing really to fear from me, Mon amour. It is more about your amazing ability to curb your cravings.”
“Okay, you can come back inside if you want.” Faye called from the bedroom once more. “My control isn’t perfect, Vivienne. That's why I have to come inside after a few minutes.” Faye sat down on the bed and closed her eyes and forced back the fire that burned her throat. “Vivienne?” Faye called for her fiancée.
Instantly darting inside and closing the front door behind her, Vivienne stopped short of going into the bedroom, “Faye? Mon amour, shall I come inside? I can feel the confusion, love.”
“It would be bad luck. Can you just…” Faye trailed off.
Making her way back to the kitchen, Vivienne opened the refrigerator and grabbed a few plastic bags of blood and placed them in front of their bedroom door. “...I did it already, Faye. Let me get back to my chair then you can sneak your snack.”
Sensing that Vivienne had left the door, Faye snatched the two blood bags and quickly snapped the door closed again. “Thanks.”
Vivienne no sooner sat back in her chair, than she heard the swift gulping sounds coming from their bedroom. “That was really fast, Mon amour.” Vivienne giggled, “I think you miss me already. You know my lap is open if you want to come out here and play.” Vivienne changed her tone to a more seductive and playful one. “This will be the longest time since the farm we’ve been apart, assuming you keep up with this ridiculous tradition.” Vivienne playfully giggled, “Mon amour. It is a full moon. We could go bare onto the back porch and run our fingers over each other all night.” Vivienne sighed, “One little finger, circling your shapely hips, swirling over your navel…” Vivienne closed her eyes and visualized Faye’s bare skin on hers. Seconds later, Vivienne heard Faye frantically drain the second pouch followed by a loud thud. “You wouldn’t have happened to slide off the bed once again, have you?”
“Still not a comedian, Viv.” Faye picked herself up from the floor and flopped on the bed face up. “I still think you pushed me out of the bed, more than I accidentally slipped out.” Faye snorted and pushed the vision of Vivienne kissing her belly button from her mind. “This is important to me, Viv. It’s tradition. Besides, won’t it be so much better when we can undress each other slowly after the ceremony?”
