To Caress My Day

Twigs tore out of Percy Hopkin’s New Years party and nearly toppled out into the hallway teeming with more approaching partiers. Shereen and Asami’s grasp on her had tapered off as soon as they managed to hustle her through the congested doorway of bodies, but now they were completely gone and out of sight. Twigs didn’t worry about them anymore, she was on an imperative mission of her own.

Turns out Seth was here in London, standing on the rooftop of her apartment building awaiting her instead of shut away in his office at FOX Studios working on his prominent TV shows. She hadn’t expected he’d show up for New Years because he’d been so extremely swamped at work since they got back from Christmas vacation in Gloucestershire. The man seldom had time to return all her calls or text messages. Twigs was completely understanding of that and so she had resolved to devote New Years with her close friends at a friend’s apartment. Never in a million year would she have guessed he’d fly out to her unannounced to surprise her.

Whispering a soft apology to the man whose arm she’d bumped on her way out, she sped through the packed hall and into the farthest elevator that was luckily unoccupied. Catching her breath inside, she darted out as soon as the door reopened on the ground floor and entered the lobby only to spot Derek through the huge glass doors. He was leaning against his car with his hands hidden in the pockets of his clean black suit. Twigs took off in a sprint for the doors, swung one open and nearly lurched down the stairs when her vision verified it to be him. “Derek? What are you doing out here?”

Derek flashed her a smile of greeting and straightened himself. “Evening, Tahliah. I tracked your phone to find your location.” His eyes surveyed the tall apartment building. “And I found you here.”

“Why did you feel the need to track me down?” Twigs inquired as she warily took each step at a time down the stairs until she stood before him on the sidewalk. There were only a few people strolling along at this time of night that didn’t care for New Years.

“Do you really need me to answer these questions?” Derek turned to open the back door of his vehicle for her to enter. “Or would you prefer to be with Seth on your rooftops counting down the seconds to 2013?”

Twigs grinned at him and blithely pointed a finger at him as she climbed on in. “Fine, but this interrogation isn’t over, Mister!”

“Of course not, Miss Barnett.” Derek chuckled, playing along as he shut the door behind her. Getting behind the wheel of his vehicle, he turned his focus on getting his passenger to his employer as soon and safely as possible. Despite the traffic, he managed to get her there in time. He already predicted she’d fly out the car when she did and so he rolled down his window and hollered out. “Happy New Years!”

“Happy New Years, Derek!” Twigs hailed over her shoulder with a wave as she ascended up the steps to her apartment building. She felt like a kid on Christmas. She couldn’t wipe the goofy grin on her face as she bolted all the way up to the rooftop. Upon reaching the final door, she reached into her pocket for her set of keys and found the one that was less resorted to this time of year. Forcing it into the lock and twisting it, she undid her final hurdle and burst past it all while panting like a dog.

All in black, Seth stood with his back to hers in a winter coat, his heat tilted back to take in several fireworks that had gone off on other rooftops away. He hadn’t heard the door, that locked automatically, open behind him, or slammed shut. His attention was on the combustion of brilliant colors in the sky.

Catching her breath, Twigs slowly traipsed the rest of the way to him with her hands on her hips. “You know, I almost didn’t get that hint you sent me.”

Seth revolved around at the melodic sound of her voice, and despite the feebleness on his face, he smiled at her in all her majesty. It felt like centuries since he last saw her, but then again a minute away from her felt the same. With his hands still lodged in his coat pocket, his eyes took her in as he apologized. “I’m sorry, Pixie. The battery on my phone had died so I wasn’t able to call you or Derek. I figured my best chance was to wait it out up here even if it took you a couple of winters to find me.”

Twigs giggled then rolled her eyes at him. “Well thank god Derek figured it all out for us or else that might have been the case.” She drank in the sight of him, and noted the lethargy that made him look like a zombie. “Baby, you look tired.”

“Don’t remind me. It’s taking everything in me to stand right now.” Seth chuckled, closing the distance between them to engulf her in his arms so he could siphon life into him again from her lips.

Twigs sagged into the kiss, her hands coming up to fist his winter coat. She moaned softly at the determination of this man. Here he was half-dead with exhaustion and he was able to kiss her with such precision, never missing a beat. Her toes curled in her boots with mirth until he ended the kiss, making her pout up at him. “Seth...why did you come here if you’re so dead on your feet? You could be back home in your own bed catching up on some much needed sleep.”

“I missed you.” Seth pouted like a baby down at her. “I don’t need sleep to survive. I don’t need food, water, or air in my lungs, Tahliah. I just need you.”

“Oh, baby.” Twigs cooed, practically swooning over his romantic admission. Her hands released his coat to tenderly caress his cold cheeks, aware that they too were cold. “How long can you stay with me in London before you have to go back to California?”

“Until morning.” Seth answered, closing his eyes and leaning into her touch for more comfort. “Then I have to return.”

“Do you wanna head inside then?” Twigs recommended, arching a brow. He looked like he was already asleep on his feet. Fearful that he was when he didn’t answer her, she softly breathed. “Seth?”

Seth’s head jerked as he opened his eyes with a smile. “Actually, I was thinking of staying up here and being adventurous with you by...oh, I don’t know, maybe having sex on the rooftop of your apartment building?” Stepping aside but still within her reach, he gestured to the candles surrounding a few airport blankets he brought along with him to lay out on the rooftop for them. “See, I had it all planned out. I just totally forgot how cold it gets here in the winter.”

“Aw, Seth!” Twigs gasped, cherishing the amorous display. “I can’t believe you did all this for me...and on the worst days of the year to do it on.”

“Yeah, I know. It’s too damn cold for sex on a rooftop, but maybe we can still cuddle until the countdown and then go have sex in your bed instead.” Seth voted for them both with an upbeat nod.

“That sounds like the perfect way to end my 2012 if you ask me.” Twigs agreed with a sultry smile.

Like excited children, the two joined on the blanket Seth had laid out for them. With an extra one he had folded and set aside, he draped it around them both as she snuggled up against his side. With their eyes to the skies, they watched the fireworks continuing to go off every now and again. The timing between them shrank as midnight loomed closer. In the meantime, the couple caught the other up on everything that had been going on in their lives since they last spoke. Seth had a never ending list of things back in California unlike her, and yet he still somehow found the time to come and see her? The man was extraordinary!

“How are the ladies doing, by the way?” Seth inquired, his eyes falling shut as he contended with sleep. “I haven’t seen them in forever.”

“They’re doing amazing! Neon Jungle got a gig coming up this year they won’t tell me about. They want to make sure it’s all set in stone before they do.” Twigs answered with a proud smile, her eyes on the barrage of the lights in the sky. “What about your family? Did Bella enjoy the presents we picked out for her in Cheltenham?”

“She did, actually.” Seth murmured, his head slightly lolling to his right towards her. “Unfortunately she’s now convinced I must be Santa Claus because of how many she got from me. Only Santa could deliver that many at one time, I guess.”

Twigs let out a laugh. “Well, now there’s a new Santa in town, and he’s much hotter than the last one.”

“Hotter, you say?” Seth smiled in amusement, despite his eyes being closed. “As in...you wouldn’t mind him coming down your chimney once a year and helping himself to your cookie jar?”

Twigs shrugged though the seductive smile on her face said it all. “Honey, he’s so hot I would demand him to come down my chimney every day of the year so I can hand feed him cookies right after he stuffs every single one of my stockings to the brim with his white Christmas magic.”