Happy ever ... after

Chapter 10

Emily spent the next few days at Olivier's. He wanted to be with her as much as possible, and as he didn't live very far from her office, she enjoyed the convenience of going straight to his after work. She had not brought with her much to change into and quickly ran out of clothes to wear. Time to go back home. When she told him, he looked very disappointed but after a long conversation, reluctantly agreed to let her go.

She arrived at her place happy and light-hearted. Afar, she could see the neighbour busy with his car. She hoped he would not lift his head and see her. She realised she could have returned home with Olivier if she had asked him. Strangely, the thought never came to her.

After a quick meal, and without following any methodology, she filled a suitcase with a handful of underwear and a couple of outfits. She ended her evening in steam and soapy bubbles, looking forward to returning to Olivier's the next day.

***

In the morning, she took extra care not to make any noise on the stairs. It was still early enough, and she hoped not to encounter the neighbour on her way. But her efforts were in vain, as he was there. He had parked right by the door of the building and was putting a big suitcase in the car. She was too late to avoid him. He saw her as soon as she opened the door, almost as if he had been waiting for her.

'Good morning.'

She ignored him and walked forward with her head down.

'Are you going on a trip?'

'No, I'm going to my boyfriend's. He's an officer in the army.'

She had decided to give Sarah's idea a try.

'Well, have a good trip.' He flashed a short smile, turned his head and went back to whatever he was doing.

What was that? Last time we met, I shouted at him, and now he plays Mr Polite? She decided she'd talk to Martha about him soon when she was back. But when would that be? She had no idea how long she would stay at Olivier's. It was like going on a holiday without a return ticket.

***

The burgeoning couple quickly established their routine. Staying with him all the time helped her forget other things. Soon he was going to meet her friends. Emily was nervously looking forward to the evening. She was confident he would impress them, as would she with all the changes she'd recently been through.

Olivier crossed the city to join her. A little nervous, he knew the stakes. He had to impress the friends of his girlfriend and more importantly, he had to impress Sarah. He already knew what was in store, and that was even more frightening. What he did not realise was how much tonight would try Emily as well.

As she walked towards the revolving door, she saw him waiting outside and smiling. She smiled too. He gave her strength. Outside, she let herself be kissed greedily. It seemed like she was losing her shyness – the public displays of affection hardly bothered her anymore, and she had even come to long for them.

They were not going far, within walking distance. His grip on her hand was a bit tighter than usual; was he nervous? She felt mostly reassured, pushing away some nagging notion from her mind. At each pedestrian crossing, she noted his indomitable gaze turning to her. Receiving his attention was nice, but he didn't say a word. Had he noticed the changes she made? She had spent enough time getting ready. He would not be aware of course, but during this past month, she had exposed her legs more than she had in the previous eight years altogether. She had also started wearing makeup in recent weeks. It had started simply, with a bit of mascara, some foundation... then colour was added, lipstick, eyeshadow, blush. She was enjoying it more every day.