HEAL

12 -- WHO LILO ?

Laurent woke up early the next morning, his mind obviously working overtime, letting him know he had an exciting day ahead of him, Larry willing.  As he stretched his long limbs, he groaned at the glorious pleasure the stretch gave him, letting his body relax as he grinned wide, sinking back into the warm and welcoming mattress.

No ...... nope, get up.  Make Larry breakfast, and brown nose until he says yes.  Laurent didn't think he'd say no anyway, but he didn't want to leave it to chance.  He so badly wanted to dance again, really, properly dance, in front of people who would chant his and Larry's name.  He didn't think he could miss it that much, and he felt his face flush with the embarrassment of giving that feeling so much heft, that he kept it so near and dear to his heart, his soul.  He missed the fire that shot through his veins when he was in front of an appreciative crowd.  The constriction in his chest, the breathlessness when he'd finished a routine.  Sublimely happy and oblivious to anything and anyone that wasn't his twin.  Seeing the same look in Larry's eyes reflect back at him in that second's glance when they had finished dancing, when all they could see, all they could feel was one another.  

So, breakfast.  He threw on some sweatpants and padded to the bathroom to pee and take care of some basic hygiene, he would shower later.  As he rounded the corner to the kitchen, he noticed a long, lean, half naked body very similar to his own laying face down on the sofa.  Larry was facing the living room, eyes closed, mouth agape, drooling and snoring softly.  One leg and one arm were hanging off the side of the sofa, and Laurent couldn't imagine how that could possibly be comfortable enough to stay asleep for very long.  But mostly, why was he there at all ?  He guessed Larry might have had a bad dream, and had sat for a minute to calm himself, half a cup of the forbidden coffee on the table in front of the him.  Laurent frowned at the cup, but he was more concerned at what had brought his brother out here in the middle of the night, and in the dark, without feeling the need to wake him up.  Laurent walked quietly over to the sofa and squatted down near Larry's face, but not directly in front of it, he didn't want top scare the living shit out of him as he opened his eyes.  

"Larry"  he stroked his arm gently, speaking just as quietly, "Larry ........ Larry" he shook him gently now too.  Larry's eyelashes fluttered as he smacked his lips together, stirring his legs and frowning at his body's apparent stiffness from being in that position for too long.  He opened his eyes, seeing nothing directly in front of him, but sensing another warm body, another heartbeat close to his.  He turned his head, and saw a shirtless Laurent grinning at him, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled.  Larry couldn't help but smile back.  

Then he remembered why he was on the sofa in the first place. As he tried to swing his legs round to sit up, a similar thought must have crossed Laurent's mind.

"Did you have a bad dream, Lar ?"  Laurent rubbed Larry's thigh in comfort.  He sat up rubbing his eyes, alternately squeezing them shut, then opening them wide, shaking his head hoping it would bring him back to consciousness.   He looked at Laurent then, a nonplussed kind of look, as if he were trying to decipher what his brain was telling him.  

"I keep seeing ...... "  he frowned, he couldn't make sense of it.  "I keep seeing a little girl, with a huge afro like mine, and beautiful dark, almond shaped eyes."  The smile he wore stretched across the width of his face, his eyes crinkled with adoration at the vision in his head, "and a gap in her front teeth"  he finished.  Laurent smiled too, knowing  exactly who Larry was remembering, well, seeing, as it seemed that he didn't remember her, and his heart clenched at the thought.

"Lilo" he mumbled quietly, he thought to himself, but Larry must have heard him.

"Who Lilo ?"  

Laurent and Eleni had kept Lylah and Lilo constantly updated about Larry's condition, his whereabouts, and his achievements along the road of his recovery.  Laurent would spend an hour at a time in conversation with his niece, answering her questions as best he could, just chatting and enjoying their uncle/niece time together.  But she would always end their conversations with the same question --  When can I see my daddy ?  --   Lylah would appear in  the frame when they both got emotional, promising her daughter soon, it would be soon.  Everyone had agreed it was best, less shocking, more settling, if they waited a while for Lilo to see Larry.   And now, as it seemed apparent that he couldn't remember who she was, maybe that was a good decision.  But now Larry was sad that he knew she was someone who should be important to him,  though he didn't know why, and now he needed to know who she was.  Laurent couldn't keep it from him for much longer, nor would he.  He had been waiting for the right time, and that time seemed to be now.  Much like another conversation that needed to be had.  Anyhow .....