Mary sat contentedly in the living room, her eyes fixed on her phone's screen, when Ambrose walked in. He was slowly loosening his tie and breathing heavily, clearly exhausted.
"Mom, I'm back," he said, his tone reflecting his weariness.
Mary looked up from her phone and stood to greet him, her face lighting up with concern. "Finally, it must have been a tiresome day for you. Your dad left his meetings for you too," she said, patting his cheek affectionately. Ambrose cringed slightly at the gesture, and he took her hand to stop her.
"Mom, I've grown up. You should stop treating me like a child," he said, gently pulling her hand away from his face.
"Gosh, you're drunk!" Mary clicked her tongue in disapproval.
"Yeah, I had a few drinks with the investor at the meeting. Nothing too much. I'm just tired and want to sleep," Ambrose admitted, his tone hinting at the weight of his fatigue.
"Alright, go wash up. I'll get you something to drink," she said, her voice filled with maternal concern.
"No, nothing. I'll just rest. I don't want to be disturbed," he said, shaking his head and heading upstairs.
Mary watched him go, her concern deepening. "Poor thing," she murmured to herself, closing her tongue as she wondered why her husband was burdening Ambrose with his share of work when he was already overwhelmed with his own workload.
Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock. The sound of the clock suddenly caught Maeve's attention, echoing in her brain. She cleared her throat, which felt dry, and tried to ignore the persistent ticking while attempting to fall back asleep. The sound and the dryness wouldn't go away. She was clutching Fleur tightly as she slept.
"Fleur! I'm thirsty!" Maeve muttered in a raspy voice.
"Huh?" Fleur murmured, barely awake. She shifted away from Maeve's arms and rolled to the other side of the bed, her reply mumbled. "I forgot to get the water. Get it from the kitchen."
"No! I don't want to get it. Just get it for me!" Maeve pleaded, but Fleur was already drifting back to sleep. "I don't want to get out of bed." The sheets were so warm and cozy that Maeve hated the idea of leaving them. But the dryness in her throat made sleep uncomfortable. With a heavy sigh, she dragged herself out of bed and shuffled toward the door, feeling every ounce of her reluctance.
Still under the influence of the wine they had downed just three hours ago, Maeve barely saw where she was stepping. After a disorienting journey toward the door, she felt like her head was spinning in another direction. She held her head in one hand and rubbed her eyes to clear the blur before opening the door, closing it behind her, and making her way into the softly lit hallway.
"Ouch, my head!" she hissed, her temples throbbing as she clutched them and walked unsteadily. "Ahm!" She cleared her throat and peered down the stairs, watching them dance as her head spun. "How many are there?" she mumbled in a tipsy voice. Her cheeks were flushed, and her vision was distracted. Watching the stairs move in front of her eyes, she clung to the railing and slowly made her way down.
Fortunately, a maid saw her and stopped her just in time. "Miss, what are you doing?" she asked, concerned.
"Hehe!" Maeve giggled, looking at the maid and then sitting on the stairs, hugging the railing as if it were Fleur. "I'm going to the—" She stopped, slapped her dry lips together, and continued. "I needed water—Fleur told me to get it from the kitchen, so I'm—" She paused again, resting her heavy head on the railing. "I need water!"
"Okay, just sit here and don't move. I'll get you some water," the maid said, trying to make sure Maeve stayed put.
"Yeah! I'll be right here!" Maeve replied, smiling from ear to ear as she watched the maid leave.
After a few minutes, the maid returned with a glass of water and handed it to Maeve. Maeve downed it hurriedly, finishing it in one gulp. She then sucked at the edge of the glass, hoping more water would magically appear. "More!" she said, smacking her lips together, still feeling parched. The maid nodded and went back to get another glass, which Maeve also drank in one go, handing the empty glass back. "Bring me more, a lot of water!" she insisted.
The maid complied, leaving to fetch a large jug of water. When she returned, she found the spot where Maeve had been sitting empty. "Where did she go?" the maid wondered, looking around but finding no sign of Maeve.
"Did she go back already?" the confused maid wondered, searching around the palace before shrugging her shoulders and leaving, not thinking much of it.
Maeve, on the other hand, had risen from the stairs after finishing her second glass of water. She stumbled into the hallway, heading back to the room, eager to return to the warmth of the bed. The place felt too cold for her liking, especially after leaving the cozy embrace of the sheets. "Hmm hm hmm—" she hummed to herself, pushing open the door of the room and closing it slowly behind her.
Yawning deeply, Maeve walked over to the bed, tossing the blanket aside before curling up into the warm bed. She pressed her cold feet against Fleur's and giggled softly, slowly inching closer. Wrapping her arms around Fleur's waist, she snuggled against her skin, feeling the warmth seep back into her body.
"How did you swell up like that all of a sudden? And why is your back so smooth?" Maeve giggled, rubbing her hand across Fleur's bare back. She then pressed her cheek against it, her laughter bubbling up as she nestled closer.