Heart Me

6

The girls were so excited to see their mother that they did not want to sleep despite the jetlag. When they arrived that morning, it was bedtime back home and yet, they endured the entire day. They talked, they played and they told her about all their adventures back home. They hugged, laughed, and jumped together on the bed holding hands as they use to do at home. Iris did not leave the apartment and despite sharing an apartment with Stone she didn't see him that much. Once he was installed in his bedroom, he spent some time there. She heard him talk, probably talking to someone on the phone and after he went out. She does not know if he left alone or with Chris, but he did not tell her anything. Together with her girls, she felt almost complete and with an intense rainy day like that one, she was just happy to be with them eating pizza directly from the box and sitting on the floor.

When it got dark, the girls were so tired that Iris decided to take them to bed. They showered and changed to their pajamas and then fought for who would sleep in the king size bed with her. The three of them stayed in her bedroom. Iris knew she was going to have a terrible night with three kids in her bed, especially Ula who tended to sleep on top of her sometimes, but she did not mind. With a dim light, she was just sitting at the edge of the bed watching her girls sleeping, completely passed out. Iris stayed there almost in the darkness watching her daughters who she missed above all things. The soft glow that emanated from the small lamp on the bedside table, casted a warm and inviting aura throughout the room. It was just bright enough to reveal the contours of the furniture and décor and of the kids in her bed. It was also enough to create a sense of calmness and tranquility that she had not experienced in a long time. Shadows danced along the walls as if performing a silent ballet, adding a depth and character to the plain surroundings. It was as if the small source of illumination had transformed an ordinary bedroom into a sanctuary of peace and relaxation and it brought tears to her eyes. All she cared about, all she loved was just there in front of her eyes and hearing the front door closing, all she loved and cared about was inside the apartment. Only Zane was missing.

Iris got up and tiptoed until the door of the bedroom, gluing her ear against the wood, she eavesdropped. His quiet steps were heard along the hallway and then she heard the door of his bedroom closing. Her heart was speeding, no longer quiet. His presence disrupted her, confused her. She did not know what to do or how to act. Once he was there, she was lost again, insecure. She turned around and leaned with her back against the door, burying her face in her hands. She wanted to yell aloud that very instant. All calmness gone. She was restless again. Her mind asking her for something she did not know what it was, but it was there... taunting her... Iris decided to shake it all away and went to the bathroom for a shower before bed.

Stone entered his bedroom and sat at the edge of the bed, elbows on his knees and head down. Eyes set on his feet, hearing the rain tap wildly on the window. He made sure he was out the whole day so he just did not have to face her. He wandered the Parisian wet streets on his own just fighting his thoughts and his heart. He knew it was going to be hard to face her but it was even harder than he thought. It was crossing the line of unbearable. To face her and feel nothing was impossible when in fact he felt everything. Just with the streetlight illuminating his space, he got up and undressed, changing to a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. Despite the exhaustion, he would not be able to sleep. Stone opened the door of the bedroom quietly and peeked. Everything was dark and silent. He tiptoed along the hallway and then stopped in front of her bedroom's door. He fought the will to eavesdrop, but it was not even a few seconds after that he was leaning against her door trying to listen to some signs of life coming from inside. Nothing though. Complete silence. Stone walked away thinking they were all sleeping and he was the only one awake which gave him a sense of relief in a way. Facing her, having to talk to her was incredibly difficult. He walked towards the kitchen and opened the fridge. He smiled as he saw the bottles of white Chardonnay sitting there. Her favorite wine. Stone grabbed a bottle and opened a random drawer looking for a corkscrew. He found it on the second attempt. From the upper cabinet, he grabbed a wine glass, poured some, and then went to the large window of the living room watching the rainy street.