After Eternity

Chapter 36

I.

It was weekend so they stayed at James's place, as he hadn't been at home the entire week. Diana opened her eyes on that Saturday morning to find James passed out by her side. He was sleeping on his stomach, naked, the sheet ruffled around his feet. An arm wrapped around his pillow and breathing heavily. He was fast asleep. Through the blackouts, she could see some rays of light trying to invade the room. Palming the nightstand, she tried to catch her cell to read the time, it read 9 am and then the little envelope of message received blinking caught her attention. She rubbed her eyes still disturbed from her sleep and then pressed read. Jack...

"Oh Fuck..." She whispered and stared at the ceiling as she let fall her hand holding the cell back on the bed. "Really..." She whispered again and then looked at the man by her side, so deep asleep completely unaware of it. A heavy sighed escaped her lips. She didn't reply, she didn't do anything except deleting it without even reading it. Nothing that Jack could have written could be important. Nothing was more important than the one that slept his exhaustion of the week by her side the whole night.

She pulled the sheet away from her and tip toed until the drawer. The drawer on his bedroom's furniture that now kept some of her stuff for the times she stayed over. She opened it and grabbed her bikini and then tip toed until the bathroom. She opened the hot water of the shower and put some toothpaste on her brush and started brushing her teeth while waiting for the water to get warm. She rinsing her mouth after a while and entered the shower for a quick one as she intended to bathe in the sun near the pool for a while. After, she put on her white Brazilian bikini and opened the door of the bathroom gently not to make a noise. James was sleeping on the same position, he hadn't move. Before going away, she stared at his figure and a soft smile crossed her lips. He had worked so hard the entire week that was accusing his tiredness, not even noticing she was no longer in the bed.

Diana then opened the door of the bedroom gently and then closed it without making a sound. She descended the stairs and went straight to the kitchen for she needed a strong coffee. While waiting for the machine to release the miraculous liquid, she looked outside over the window. Everything was quiet. The sun was shining bright. There was not a cloud in the sky. The water in the pool glistening as rays of light magically reflected on it and the trees were so static it all looked like a painting. The beep of the coffee machine made her turn her eyes from the view of the garden to the mug she had left under the electronic device. Diana took it in her hands and opened the door that led outside. Barefoot, she stepped on his side porch and sat on the hammock he had there, and she blew on her coffee a little before she had the first sip.

The realization she had a text from Jack on her phone assaulted her mind. She didn't know what it said for she had deleted without reading it, but she was wondering if she should tell James about it. On one hand, she knew she shouldn't tell him. He had a lawsuit going on because he had punched Jack. On the other hand, they were going to London in a couple of days and it would be easy for him to find out about it. Knowing how insecure James could be about Jack, Diana concluded she should tell him. If he'd find it by another person, he could think she was hiding something from him and that would be even worse.

Having finished her coffee, she walked up to one of the lounge chairs by the pool and poured sunscreen on her body, she put her shades on her face and she lied down. She could have taken a book with her, but she didn't want to. She wanted just that, the warmth of the sun caressing her skin gently and the heavy silence around her to fill in her mind. Nothing could be heard around her except for the twittering of the birds flying around or hiding in the trees. There were no sound of people around James's house. He had neighbors but his property was big enough not to be disturbed with the presence of other people. After and intense week of work, she needed that quietness. She too was tired.