Doors are always open

Second door. Chapter four. Night at the apartment

Alice slept until three in the afternoon. With difficulty forcing herself to get out of the soft warm bed, she wandered into the kitchen to make coffee.

Memories of the past night echoed in the body with a sweet aching languor and a surge of new fresh desire. Maybe she should have left her number after all? The second night promised to be even more interesting. True, Chiro knows where she lives, they came to her for a minute yesterday so that Alice could leave a heavy bag with things in the apartment, but most likely he would be too lazy to go after her. Why, if more than a dozen young beautiful bodies are on duty near the hotel, going crazy for a pop star?

Alice tried to imagine such a life for a moment. Here she comes back tired after the concert, with armfuls of flowers in her hands gets out of the car, and at the entrance to the hotel she is met by a crowd of young guys eager for her attention. She gives them autographs with a dazzling smile and, having chosen the cutest one, with a slight nod calls him to follow her. In the room, he opens champagne for her, then she asks to give her a massage.... Cool. Alice laughed. How do they get rid of their fans in the morning? They promise to call back, write, not forget? And then a new city, a new concert and all over again... The faces of casual lovers merge into one big indefinite lump... How quickly would she get tired of it? Or maybe, would not have tired. But how, with such a life, did the guy manage to maintain some kind of permanent relationship and even acquire a bride? Either she is very naive, or deaf-blind-mute, or extremely tolerant, or maybe all this together. But, in general, some strange choice of husband. A husband who is not home for nine months a year. And a huge number of beautiful women constantly around him. And you are always alone, or alone with your common child, alone at family holidays, alone in companies, alone in the theater and at the movie premiere, always in anxiety and doubts about the loyalty of your spouse. Why the hell do you need such a life? For the sake of status, for the opportunity to be called the wife of such and such? Well, maybe, of course, this is great love, but how long will it last?

"However, none of this is my business. This is not my life, I accidentally touched it and it has nothing to do with me anymore,"- Alice reminded to herself and suddenly realized that for the first time in the last month, having woken up, she was thinking about something other than the troubles that had befallen her.

Usually a morning cup of coffee was accompanied by a difficult battle with one's own psyche: not remembering your first hours in the hospital, suppressing a panic attack. Not to recall the day when she was alone, without money and documents in a foreign country. Not to recall how she quarreled with indifferent and arrogant embassy workers. Not to recall the painful feeling of abandonment and of uselessness, accompanied by her first few days after hospital discharge. Don't cry. Look forward only. Think about how she will return home, hug her son... At this point, Alice was just beginning to cry.

And today - wow, she really doesn't want to - neither feel sorry for myself, nor remember the coronavirus nightmare. What does she want? With surprise, Alice realized that she wanted to take pictures - for the first time since...

Well done, a hot Castilian boy, reprogrammed her nervous system in one night. And no matter that there is no good camera, the one on the phone will do for a start. Yesterday, walking around the city, Alice mechanically noted in her head the places where she could take good shots, she had such a habit. If she doesn't bother with styling and makeup now, then she probably will have time to take a few pictures before the concert. Then, in Krasnoyarsk, she will correct everything, edit it.

***

The sweet Spanish voices fell silent, the orchestra's instruments went into soft cases, and Alice went home. She walked unhurriedly along the still crowded streets of the capital, illuminated by lanterns and neon signs. After two hours of sitting in the concert hall, she wanted to stretch her legs, and she did not take a taxi. One or the other melody from the repertoire of «Frambussa» sounded in her head, she wanted to dance and sing, and, getting to the deserted sections of her route, Alice did just that. Sometimes she stopped and took pictures. Maybe someone saw her from the windows of houses, but it didn't matter.

Arriving home, she hastily made a couple of sandwiches from what was still in the fridge, had a snack, then made nourishing face mask from what was in the fridge, and happily flopped into the hot tub with scented foam.

The sharp trill of the doorbell pulled her out of the pleasant bliss. Alice jumped up: until now she did not even know how it sounded; no one had ever come to her here - in Sofia. The bell sounded disgusting and impatient, and Alice, hastily wrapped herself in her dressing gown, went barefoot along the corridor, leaving wet footprints. She convinced herself so much that Chiro would not come here that she was taken aback with amazement when she heard his voice outside the door:

- Alice! Alice, are you home? Where have you gone?

- Chiro, wait ten minutes, I can't open just now.

- Why? Do you have a lover there? Do you need to hide him? Let the guy jump from the balcony, it's not high here.

Alice opened the door.

-Two lovers,- she said venomously. - When one gets tired, I take the second. You will be the third, spare. Come in.

Chiro studied her, puzzled.

- What about your face?

- Glistens with pleasure, - Alice answered and went to the bathroom to wash off the mask of eggs, sunflower oil and honey.

Chiro followed her.

- Sweety, why didn't you leave me your number? - he asked indignantly. - I couldn't even call!

- I wanted to care of you,- said Alice, rubbing off her skin.

"You and your relationship", - she added to herself. – «There are so many people around you, someone will notice us, will not remain silent."

But Chiro understood her in his own way.

- Don't take care of me! I'm fine. I am not tired. Its a good I remember well where you live, otherwise I would not have found you today, and then what?

- You could have had a good night's sleep.

- By the way. We still have to go to the sex shop, have you forgotten? And you still have to dry your hair. We won't have time to sleep.

- You can start right now, - said Alice calmly. - The bed is free. I'll order everything, the courier will bring it here. Get some sleep, then we'll have some fun and then you go to yourself.

Chiro looked at her in bewilderment, trying to digest the information. After the previous half-sleepless night, interviews, signing autographs and a concert, his head was not thinking well.

- I don't understand, - he admitted. - Will you order food? Tell me what to do? Should I let the taxi go or are we going somewhere?

- Come here, honey.

Alice took her lover by the hand and led him into the bedroom.

- Take off your clothes, lie down, close your eyes, - Alice spoke to Chiro in short phrases, like with a child. She realized long ago that this is the best way to communicate with men, and not only with tired ones. - I'll let go of the taxi. The courier will bring toys from the sex shop. I know which ones we need. If you don't fall asleep before that time, we will play. If you fall asleep, I will wait until you get enough sleep. There is still time. Have a rest.

- I won't sleep, - Chiro said confidently, quickly pulling off his clothes and crawling under the covers.

After a couple of minutes, he was already sniffing sweetly, hugging and clutching the second pillow to his chest.