A Twist Of Time

twenty two

The door opened, revealing the white walls of the guest room lit by the candles hanging by the chandelier. Something about the atmosphere made it seem more than just a spare room. It was like something was telling me, this is home.

"I guess you won't have any trouble putting yourself to sleep, then," he joked, taking my hand and walking me to my bed.

"I won't. And I won't try to escape either."

There was a silence as I sat down on my bed, him standing up with his hands behind his back. I haven't seen him this nervous since his inauguration. "Valerie, you do know that the kiss was more than just a kiss, right?"

I smiled. "Of course I do."

"Good, good." He sounded relieved then touched the covers of my bed. "Go to sleep. I'll get in trouble if Margaux finds out I didn't sleep early."

I chuckled and smiled. "Okay, Mr. President. Just try not to get caught."

"Alright."

I put my body down and buried it under the covers, hiding my face on my pillow. I wasn't sleeping. Something told me not to.

I could hear him walking to the threshold and holding the doorknob. His footsteps paused for a minute, then he quickly ran to where I was laying and bent down.

He kissed my forehead.

"Good night, Valerie."

And he left. The door quickly closed and I was left alone, with blood rushing up to my face and my body feeling some sort of warmth I've felt when I was four and some kid gave me a flower in the playground.

To say that I was excited for the coming day was an understatement. I jumped up and ran downstairs, not caring if I looked like a walking disaster. I was still in the clothes I wore last night and my hair, which was tied in a neat braid by Margaux yesterday, was puffy. Speaking of which, Margaux was sitting on a chair by the lobby, sipping her daily cup of coffee.

"Mar!" I exclaimed. She turned around with the cup in her hands, and a wide smile was immediately on her face.

"Good morning! You seem happy."

I tried fighting back my grin. I sat on the chair beside her. "Yes I am. Very."

"Hey, for your information, I know what happened last night. Sergio knocked on my door at midnight to tell me all about it," she said with a smirk.

"He did?"

"Yes, and he was very excited about it. Like some sort of child who got a piece of candy. Want coffee?" she asked when the small chef passed by.

"Nah, I'll have hot chocolate, please." I returned my attention to Margaux, the chef leaving with a nod.

"Sorry if you wanted to keep it between yourselves, the way he just told me was so cheesy that I couldn't say no to the story."

"It's fine. You're his daughter, you'll have to know someday."

She put her cup down and her eyes widened. "Wait, does that mean that you're my stepmom now?"

I laughed. "No. I'm still your friend, duh. Besides, 'stepmom' just sounds like a weird term."

She joined in my laughter, her eye catching the sight of an envelope dropping by the doorway. My eyes switched to it too. "Oh, the mail." Margaux stood up and got it, then returned. "Huh. Nothing for anyone else but Sergio. Usual business letters, formal ones, and complaints," she said while flicking her fingers from letter to letter. "This seems new. 'A Reading from YOURS TRULY!'" she read aloud.