Midnight, The Stars & You

41.

Summer 2018
Monaco

Ginny woke up the next morning feeling... new. She had shared a part of her soul and heart with Pierre and he'd done the same. She couldn't help but blush as she turned over in the silk sheets. She didn't regret anything, but there was a silly part of her that felt a little guilty... like she'd given up on her childhood self. But everyone grew up.

Everyone changed.

It was life.

But she knew her love for Pierre would not change.

Pierre was sleeping, with his long lashes turned down and his skin looking soft and glowy. His hair was really messy. Ginny stifled a giggle. She reached out and ran her fingers through his wavy strands, settling them down. He didn't budge. He slept soundly.

Ginny heard a creak outside Pierre's bedroom and she panicked. They had slept all night, but were the adults home?

When did they get back?

Was Timmy back?

What time was it?

Ginny knew her mom and dad wouldn't check on her like they used too, but the idea of getting caught in Pierre's bed was a little... scary. Especially by her parents.

Would they think less of her?

She'd witnessed how her mom reacted walking in on Pauline and a boy... and Ginny definitely didn't want to live through that. She stole one last glance at Pierre, smiling to herself knowing that he was all hers, and grabbed her clothes. She got dressed quickly and carefully left her etoilé's room.

Sunlight was peeking through the windows, but from the angle, it must've been really early. Ginny heard that same creak and snapped her head in the direction, towards the stairs, but no one was there. She peeked over the railing, narrowing her gaze on the hardwood far below.

She cocked her head to the side, wondering what could have made that noise. She was about to dart into her room and take a shower, but another noise erupted that was definite this time. She stopped in her tracks at the top of the stairs, hearing a voice that made her heart drop.

"You're being ridiculous, Nicole! You're always so hysterical!" Marc's voice was furious and cold and made Ginny feel like a little girl with tears in her eyes.

Her parents were fighting. She automatically changed when her parents fought, unlike her siblings. She felt small and like she was maybe out of her body. Back in New York, she'd sink to the floor of her room because somehow that made her feel safe, with her back against the door, listening to whether or not her mom was crying or not. Timothée said they shouldn't worry about their parents, 'Their adults, Ginny, they can handle their own problems.'

But her room was beside her parents'. And she sometimes heard Nicole cry until her lungs gave out. Pauline never talked about their parents, and even if she was home when they fought, she probably wouldn't interfere. Ginny wanted to jump in. She wanted to defend her mom. She wanted to fight her dad... and she'd never felt like that before.

Was that how Pierre felt?

How Max felt?

Ginny had stopped using her birthday wishes for Pierre to be kind all the time and to ask her out and started using those candles as a way to wish for her parents healing journey. She didn't understand how two people could love each other and then all of a sudden... stop... not when they'd said they'd love each other through death.

She was still frozen on the staircase, holding her breath in order to hear. Her mom's voice was shaky and it was hard to tell where they were in the house. "I don't understand! I don't understand you, Marc! I love you! What can I do? Please, I'll do anything!"