FLYING | Sequel of FALLEN (NaNoWriMo 2022 WINNER)

38.

I woke up at the same time as Marcel, this morning. We took the time to drink our coffee together in the kitchen. We took this time to ourselves before the writers came buzzing around us to get the day started. Marcel taught Logan's morning lesson again, while our host was already hard at work on his story. Emma joined us in the veranda with her cup of coffee.

"Do you want me to add wood to the fire or is it warm enough?"

"It's alright. We missed you last night, where were you?" I ask her as I define the ridges of her nose on the sculpture.

"I had a little self-care moment. I love the bath here. So I took a long bath. I did my whole skincare routine and went to bed early to continue your novel."

"That sounds lovely. I'll have to check it out."

I smile at her and get my hands back onto the clay. I get back into my work and my mind drifts to multiple thoughts. It gets me to realise how content and confident I feel at this moment in time. I really do love sculpting. More than I love playing with words. And I think that this retreat has helped Marcel and I grow a lot. We have nowhere to go, nowhere to hide here. We have had difficult talks we would probably never have had in the real world. Maybe, he would have kept the truth from me. Maybe we wouldn't have bonded like we did and we would have drifted apart again. I can't ever imagine being apart from him anymore. And I'm confident that he won't ever keep something from me, even for my own protection. Whatever this world holds for us, we'll face it together.

Around lunch time, I decided to leave my sculpture behind and sit in during the end of Marcel's lesson. It was a joy to see him so passionate about something again. And let's not forget how adorable his voice sounds when he speaks French. People were so drawn to him, some have asked to work with him this afternoon.

We had a short little lunch together, but he was as excited to help the writers as the writers were to be helped. I didn't want to keep him from them any longer. I excused myself and headed to my room to gather my necessities to bathe. I never cared for the bath since Mace and I have spent most of our time showering together. But Emma did make the idea of a little self-care time sound very exquisite.

With my hands full with a change of clothes and my cellphone I haven't turned on since getting to this retreat, I enter the bathroom and lock the door behind me. I walk to the bath and turn the knob to fill the porcelain with hot water. Once I'm naked and sliding in the tub, I reach for my cell phone to turn it on. It vibrates immediately. I notice notifications from Instagram, text messages, and three missed calls. It instantly makes me anxious. It felt so great to be shielded from the world for a few days.

I prioritise the missed calls first. Simon called me twice and Edith once. I see both have texted me as well.

Edith: Hi Grace! I have sent you your draft with my comments by email. Have a nice day.

I smile at the text and reply to her right away. I don't know when I'll have the time to look through it. Maybe after I'm done with Logan and Emma's sculpture. We'll see. I'm not in that kind of mood right now. My mood these days is to fuck Marcel. It's our time to reconnect and I don't think I want to think about work while we are here together.

I tap on my screen a few times and read my brother's texts.

Simon: You would have had all the deets if you would have answered my call.

Simon: Ronnie and I went out.

Simon: Why aren't you responding?! I thought you would be the one to be as happy as me about this.