Solitude & Storms

7.

Rayan's room was nothing like what Isabelle imagined. She'd thought it wouldbe shrouded in darkness, maybe dust and cobwebs everywhere. The spookiest thingshe could've imagined.

It appeared that she hadn't given Raphael enough credit.

As soon as he'd opened the door, bright light greeted her. It was a largeroom, definitely a new addition to the house. Large windows let in a softbreeze, gently moving the long white curtains gathered at opposite ends of thecurtain rails. The child's bed was Queen sized, covered in a thick Hulk themed duvet. Everything her eyes landed on lookedexpensive.  From the silky curtains tothe smooth curves of the thick wood supporting the bed. The child wassurrounded in high quality, basking in the wealth of the Sauvage home.

There was a rug on the floor between the bed and the walk in closet, a fewtoys scattered across it. On the window pane sat the plate Raphael had broughtin earlier. It was empty.

Silently, he looked at her and she met his gaze, smiling.

Everything they saw was evidence of the child's presence but Rayan himselfwas nowhere to be seen.

She was looking cluelessly around then noticed Raphael staring at the bed.When Isabelle looked closer at the thick piles of duvet, she noticed the tinybulge huddled in the centre of the mattress.

She pouted, suddenly sad to see him hiding.

Awkwardly, Raphael scratched his head and clutched his hands together. Isabellenudged his shoulder and he looked down at her with a mild glare.

"Go on," she whispered.

"It's not that easy!" he whispered back, his expression taut with stress.

She rolled her eyes. "He's a six year old boy, how hard can it be?"

He met her gaze, a look of indignation painted on his face. "How hard can itbe? You clearly know nothing. I'm Raphael Sauvage, I've built companies fromthe ground up, I've conquered finance wars in the business world, but this..." He sighedgravely. "This is the greatest challenge I've ever faced. And you ask me howhard it could be?!"

She stared flatly at him. "You've become very dramatic in your old age,Raphael."

The look he gave her was dark enough to wither a flower but Isabelle smiledangelically and petted his arm, escaping his fury. "Watch this."

He clenched his jaw as she skipped away towards the bed. How dare she mockhim? Did she think it was easy, just because she'd gotten the child to speakafter an entire year? Fine. He would stand aside and watch her experience thechallenges that came with trying too hard to get Rayan out of his shell.

Grabbing a few toys, Isabelle silently went over to the bed and sat on theedge. With a glance over at Rayan, she cleared her throat and raised a trickylooking toy , inspecting it closely.

"Wow," she said loudly. "What a cool toy!"

Raphael rolled his eyes. That was her game plan? He was anxious for nothing.If he, Rayan's only family, couldn't get through to him, how on earth wouldIsabelle?

"I wonder what it is," she continued, putting on a one woman show. "Is it acar? A truck? I just don't know."

The little bulge under the duvet moved a little but showed no otherresponse.

Raphael stared at Isabelle and she met his gaze with a smile.

What on earth was she smiling about? Wasn't her plan blatantly failing?

"I don't even know how to use it!" she complained with as much misery as shecould inject into her voice. A sigh followed and she sadly put the toy down,poking at it dejectedly. "I wish someone could show me how to use this car."