Lapis Lazuli [Prequel To : For The love Of Chéri]

Chapter 2 : You, Are Not Broken! You're Exceptional, Extraordinary!

At the airport arrivals lounge, Maurice walked back to their table with two cappuccinos, and he placed one in front of Monique before he sat next to her.

"The plane is late, my love." He said as he put his arm around her.

"Ohh, well I am glad we made the most of our last time as a couple with privacy." She said as she put her arm around his waist.

He smiled back at her as he held her close, "I think I should send them off away again. Perhaps to a nice private school?"

"No! But, I love it when you're like this." Monique said as she leant into him and sipped from her cup.

"Ohh? Maybe, it is because there are no stress factors on us for once and the café is in profit." Maurice said.

"And because you're usually highly strung." Monique cut in.

He smiled and laughed a moment, "And... I am highly strung." He admitted as he smoothed the front of his high-necked, orange silk shirt which had bright blue designs all over it.

"But not recently." Monique said with a smile.

"No. But then you have also been very agreeable."

She sipped from her coffee, "Because you have been too! Our life is perfect right now. Maybe it is the excitement of having the children live with us again."

"Hmm, I will remind you that you said that when I check you into your room at the asylum."

Monique laughed a moment, "Maybe it is you who is driving these women crazy...?"

Maurice offered his cup up to hers, "Then congratulations, you are my final casualty."

She hit her cup against his and they took a sip before he put his arm around her and kissed her cheek, "L'amour de ma vie." He said in her ear.

"Mon râleur" Monique smiled as responded before she leant into him.

Things were harmonious between them at present, and they had managed to rekindle their romance again as they both recognised that their tempestuous relationship was always swinging slowly between harmony and cacophony.

They were trapped in a vicious cycle, where she would not be intimate with him because he was highly strung and demanding, and he was highly strung and demanding because she would not sleep with him, so things escalated quickly between them. This would then lead to arguments, infidelity on his part, and further feed the feelings of rejection they both felt, followed by many apologetic gifts and obsequious apologies again, on his part.

But, during times like this, they were very much in love with each other and the reverse would happen. They would have a lot of intimacy, so he made no demands, wasn't argumentative and she would be even more amorous towards him, which he loved.

Monique herself had to quickly learn the ways of a man. She had been a virgin bride and had, as was common, no instructions on what to expect from anyone other than her new husband.

At points, she felt thrown in at the deep end having suddenly found herself a new wife and stepmother to five children, but she felt that he came with the children, and at least they would be friends if nothing else.

She anticipated the arrival of the five children, Marcel, Eugéne, Lydia, Romain and Béatrix. She wanted to find out when they had been up to and if they were going to pursue their dreams in any way.

"Look!" Maurice said as he pointed to the arrivals board, "Their plane is now listed as landed."

They got up and made their way to arrivals and looked over all the people who started to walk through with their travel cases.