polaroid. (h. ransom drysdale) |UNDER REVISION|

Huit (8) ~ The Alibi

"  Oh, will wonders ever cease?
Blessed be the mystery of love "
~ Mystery of love, Sulfjan Stevens

When Ransom opened his eyes, he could be sure that's the life he wanted. He always thought the same thing whenever Antoinette woke up by his side, which was pretty much all of the time.

Last week, the date had been incredible for both parties. Ransom felt he could finally start over with her and Antoinette felt like she got all the answers she needed to finally trust him again. It was relief for both of them. It felt like they both got the answers to the mysteries of love.

Ransom laid there, taking a deep breath to fill his nostrils with the scent of the freshly grind coffee and whatever breakfast Antoinette was making him.

He looked up to observe the clear sky that faced him from the balcony. They took an impulsive trip, a quick, romantic getaway to Italy. Ransom caught her speaking with her brother, who recently had been in the country they found themselves in and he obviously recognized the melancholy in her voice. Harlan was happy to give Antoinette a few days off, with the condition they would be back just in time for his birthday, happening in less than than 2 days. The past four days have passed in a sunlight daze, passionate kisses by the pool and motorcycle adrenaline as Sicily was still in its golden glory, despite the cold temperatures the end of October provided in most parts of the world.

Ransom got up and walked around the old building, letting his feet guide his tired self over to the kitchen. Antoinette smiled when she felt strong arms engulf her waist and a chin resting on her bony shoulder, while a pair of lips peppered kisses over her neck, jawline and cheeks.

"Good morning to you too, belle au dormant " Sleeping beauty, Antoinette had called him as she laughed, turning around and wrapping her arms around her lover.

"You know I love it when you talk French to me" Ransom commented groggily, holding her closer. He leaned in for a sweet kiss, which Antoinette reciprocated with the same amount of love. "Do you think we could stay here? I don't want to leave tonight" Ransom complained, making Antoinette shook her head while she guided him towards the small breakfast table that stood near the wooden doors that guided to the patio.

" Mon chéri, we promised Harlan we would come back for his birthday. Also, I have to bake the cake and help prepare some of the food" Antoinette spoke sweetly, kissing his forehead and brushing his hair, watching the strands comb through her fingers.

"I'm going to miss watching you tan topless and wear silky things. The weather back home isn't ideal for such things" He mumbled, his head resting on her clothed chest.

"Yeah, I know. But it's not like we're never going to come back" Antoinette hummed. She walked away from him, half smiling at his complaints. She served the omelette along with some toast and some coffee. " Bon appétit " She smiled, watching how his eyes lighted up, meaning he was awake and ready to eat. Ransom found the plate to be looking quite delicious, the smells made his heart swell with happiness and his stomach roar with hunger. "Want me to stay? I already had breakfast earlier, I wanted to start packing around this time"

Ransom couldn't avoid smiling. She was such an organized person; there was no doubt that was the exact opposite of him. "It's fine. You can go. We made a mess over the few days, I'll help you pick it all up later" Ransom nodded and she smiled, heading off to the bedroom.
Being so selfless wasn't exactly his regular behavior. It came from one sleepless night he stared at the person who was sleeping next to him and who might be the love of his life and decided some very important things, being selfless and admitting a relationship needed effort from the two people was one of them. It was a miracle he even thought of such mature things; if he was with literally anyone else, he wouldn't do so under any circumstances.

After he finished his breakfast, Ransom washed his plate and headed up the middle aged stairs, coming up quietly to his and Antoinette's bedroom, observing her hum along a song while picking up the room.

"Ransom, dear, could you pick out the clothes you're leaving in? Remember it's really cold back out there" Antoinette said, turning to him, her brows lowering into a frown with a smile that didn't desert her face. Ransom was still watching her from the doorway, examining her every move with a smile. "What?"

"Nothing, you're just really pretty" Ransom commented nonchalantly, beaming at her increasing blush. He headed up to her and kissed her temple before helping to finish packing and organize the house.

— — —

"What did you find out?" Ransom asked, annoyed, looking around the busy airport, his eyes under the sunglasses expressing concern. Ransom was somehow fond with his grandpa, but not so much with his family. But he wanted to make an effort to get there on time for his birthday, since he didn't want to disappoint Antoinette in any way possible since she was more close to Harlan than he could ever be.

"Protests" Antoinette spoke as he settled by his side, her accent thickening because of the nervousness "These happen regularly and mostly close to the airport. According to the lady I talked to, it's pretty bad this time. We'll see if the airport says—"

A voice over the PA interrupted her ramble. She raised her head a little and prepared herself to use the decent amount of italian she knew. As the message played, her expression dropped more with each word.

"What's wrong? What does it mean?" Ransom asked, his face expressing his concern.

"Airport is closed due to violent threats from the protests. No one goes in or out and flights all have been moved for tomorrow" Antoinette spoke, her eyes displaying the hopelessness she felt at the moment. All Ransom could do was embrace her and caress her hair.

Ransom broke away the hug and held her face between his hands, his eyes making her melt away into his touch. "We'll be fine, okay? You can text Marta and tell her the situation and how they can manage without us tomorrow. I'll call my grandpa"

As they sat on a couch with their luggage on the VIP lounge of the airport, watching other people argue to the poor people sitting behind the front desk, Antoinette couldn't stop to wonder why she had a feeling she needed to be there tomorrow night. For now, all they could settle with was a facetime call to give Harlan their best wishes.