No Ordinary Love

Chapter 5

*****NOT EDITED******

"Come on Zayra, seriously you don't want a party?" Maite didn't understand her sister sometimes. She was strange.

"I'm serious." her eyes narrowing for her to drop the subject.

"Ay Zayra, it would be nice to have you a little something, don't you agree Lucia?" Dona Lourdes asked her mother.

"I think so." Lucia said softly.

"Well I do appreciate it, it's just I don't want to have a party." she looked at them knowing they wanted an excuse to have people over.

"How about a dinner then?" her mother asked.

She looked at the four women staring at her with anticipation. "Fine." she huffed. "A small dinner." she grated. Her anger was starting to surface at the pressure.

"Good. I'll arrange everything, with your help of course." Lourdes turned to Lucia. "You'll help too Marina?" she looked at her sister in law.

"Of course I will." she smiled at Zayra with kind eyes.

"This is going to be fun!" Maite beamed.

They had been at Don Xavier's home for almost three months now. School had started and yet they stood back. Zayra didn't mind. She loved it here, her father wasn't here to torment them. The only reason she had agreed was to keep her mother busy. Lately she had been noticing that forlorn look she would at times get. She hoped by helping with Zayra's birthday dinner she'd be distracted enough not to think about her father.

Zayra would be 16 in a couple of weeks. Time was flying. She couldn't believe how fast time flew here. At her home, time stood still. Slowly ticking the seconds that felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours and so on. It was so different, her body wasn't on guard at all times. Waiting for her father's next attack or her mothers drug induced stupor.

After Aida's birthday party, Roman had gone to apologize to his father, godfather, Aunt Yolanda and her husband Antonio. He gave Carlos a lame apology, he just smiled, stuck his hand out saying there were no hard feelings.

Roman had returned to France where he needed to stay for a few weeks of training. He wasn't due back for another week. He had stopped at Zayra's room, early morning just to tell her he was leaving. She had thought it odd. He could have easily called, either way she would have found out through his family that he was gone. She didn't see a reason why he had to stop by.

Lately Zayra had began to sleep longer, her insomnia slowly ebbing away. She was awake when he slowly rapped at her door. Now that her mother was feeling better, Lily was staying with her mother. She opened it quick, thinking it was one of her siblings or her mother. She frowned when she saw his face in the dark. She opened the door for him to come in thinking something was wrong.

"What is it Roman?" she asked a little urgent. His face contorting into something unfamiliar.

"I'm leaving to France today."

"Okay." she nodded expecting him to go on.

"I wont be back for a few weeks."

Roman sat on the edge of her bed. She stood staring at him, his dark gaze on her face.

"Okay." was all she could say to him.

He bit his lip as he struggled with his words. "Will you still be here when I come back?" she saw the fear in his eyes.

"I think so." she nodded.

He lifted his hand, grabbed her right hand and pulled her to him. She stood standing between his legs. Her breathing coming in shallow breaths at his proximity. She felt like pulling away and retreating from his vulnerable gaze. It was too much for her. He noticed her unease and slowly rubbed tiny circles in her hand a gentle caress, easing her anxiety.