The eyes of eons. [Slow Editing]

Chapter 12

     In Elizabeth I parted with Roberta and took my train to Manhattan. I didn’t know how Alexandre will accept my early return, but found no reason why wouldn’t he be pleased to see me. At least, I could think of nothing that might cause his anger. 

     Still functioning on Vermont waves, I noted that a regular city hustle irritated me. I didn’t feel like to be jammed into a moving train, moreover, I craved isolation from people. And so, from the Penn Station I took a taxicab. It wasn’t a better choice in terms of speed, but it brought me peacefully to the doorsteps of my final destination.

     The driver stopped the car in the middle of the street, as some vehicle blocked the whole driveway to the entrance. I’ve jumped out of the salon and from the trunk picked up my suitcase. Then I walked around the limo with absolutely no see through windows, and before to pass through the threshold, I eyed the building up and down. All the equanimity, I was hoping to gain during the trip home, hasn’t really affected me. I was stuck in contradiction. Maybe, I was just nervous to be back, or was anticipating the moment of reunion with Alexandre. But truth to be told, I was scared of the effect, he will produce on me. I glanced around...I’ve already arrived. It was too late to pedal back. Firmly, I grabbed the handle, pulled the door open and marched inside. 

     Instead of Dominique there stood another concierge at the reception desk, and I haven’t paused to chirp, only cheerfully dropped my greetings and passed to the elevator. In the cage I started hyperventilating and it took me the whole ride to bring myself to a calm state. I took a deep breath and inevitable had happened. I’ve reached the seventh floor. The doors slid open and I had to walk out of the elevator. 

     “What am I doing?” I slapped my own cheeks and determinately pulled my keys out of my purse and  inserted them into the keyhole. The lock softly clicked, and lightly I let myself into the apartment. 

     As I made it into the front parlor, the conversation in the living room cut off. Three man turned their heads in my direction - all of them with confused expressions on their faces. I found Alexandre’s eyes and blinked realizing that I came back at the wrong moment. The very wrong moment. One face turned sour. It was Nick. And another, that wasn’t familiar, shifted with curiosity and surprise.

     “Excuse me. I didn’t mean to intrude,” I finally mumbled.

     “And who are you...exactly?” The man obviously of power asked me before, I could say hello to Alex.

     Alexandre cleared his throat and I knew that he was annoyed with me. “Alexandra, this is my brother Victor.”

     Victor gave his brother a special look and stretched a little smile. “Alexandra...”

     “Pleased to meet you,” I left my suitcase in the corridor and with stretched arm to shake advanced to Victor. “Alexandra Bright, a friend of Alex.”

     Gently, gallantly he bowed. “Victor Dark. Pleasure is all mine.”

     “Well, I apologize for interrupting,” I retrieved back and grabbing my belongings hurried to my room.

      I flew into my bedroom and when shut the door behind me, I wrinkled my nose and bumped my fist by the wall. I came into such the wrong moment, and intuitively I knew it. 

     First what came to my mind was to gather my things and run away, saying that my mother wanted me back home as she found out about my misfortunes. Imagining the cold treatment I’ll receive later on, this decision seemed like a life saving act. I calculated that I had not that much stuff left in the closet and if I would call the taxi from downstairs, I would remove all of my items in one pull.