Le ciel est bleu

Chapter 3

"I have to go," an uneasy Timothée skedaddles in the hallway as soon as hears Floret's out-of-the-blue proposal.

"Where are you going? I just said I love you, you idiot!" Floret yells at him angrily because she feels insulted by Timothée's actions. Him walking out like it meant nothing to him, she assumes that he's a commitment-phobe.

"I hate you, I hate you," Floret screams in the hallways and locks herself in her room, sinking into the floor of her room, she bursts out crying.

She stays awake the whole night, thinking of the humiliation she went through, the eleven days she spent with him and expressing her love for him. He was her first love, no doubt, and this was the first time he ever brought her down. She sobs incessantly through the eight hours of the night.

'Why did you do this to me?' she ruminates her heartache.

The next morning, she was reluctant to go to teach at the university but she knew she had to keep her priorities first and that teaching will assuredly distract her from the despair.

"Okay, these are the kinds of patent licensing everyone should note and memorize. Any questions? Anyone?" hiding her pain she asks the class. Her face was paler than ever since her sleepless night and her eyes were shrouded by dark circles. The shine on her face was almost gone, and the light in her eyes was dull as if it were kept in a dark room for a prolonged time.

"So, everyone got it. Thank you, everyone," she says putting on her overcoat on her olive T-shirt and leaving the class.

Timothée was not a commitment-phobe, he was afraid he would disappoint Floret if he remained speechless for another second. He knew he disappointed her and did not know the solution to it.

A week had passed since the ruinous incident but Floret and Timothée did not forget. They would cross paths at Syfel, looking away from each other awkwardly, speechlessly but inside, both were yearning for each other. Kevin had left that night without bidding Floret goodbye and was unaware of the whole situation.

It was January 11th and Timothée knew he had to do something to make it up to Floret but he didn't know how. The conundrum had only one solution and that was asking Kevin for advice. Although a little hesitant at first since he did not wish to communicate with Kevin about his unconfirmed breakup, he still rings his brother for answers and tells him every detail of the night.

"Well, you said you like her and don't want to lose her at any cost and want to make it up to her? You said you feel inexplicably regretful, you, my brother are too in love with her. Admit it, you love Floret," Kevin replies to Timothée's query. A simple and straightforward answer, Kevin was as clever as a fox, he was an expert at handling relationship problems, having gone through many heartbreaks himself.

"I do but how do I do it?" Timothée says as guilt takes shape in his eyes.

"I believe only you have the answer to that. Good luck, mate," Kevin hangs up.

Timothée sits down at his desk, pondering over the solution and picks up a pen and paper and writes. He writes a letter expressing his love for Floret. He writes about her eyes, her smile, her extraordinary intellect, her commitment, steadfastness and her straightforwardness, each and every quality that he loves in her and promises to make her happy in his letter.

'Now I have to go up to her, give this letter to her and I have to do it, no matter what,' he plots.

With a gutsiness he never experienced before, he knocks on her door with the letter in his pocket.

"I have to talk to you," he says to her in a nervously commanding voice.

"So talk," she puts forward her word bluntly in a resentful tone.