As night fell, Alex stood by the door to his room and stared at the bed. The room suddenly felt too big and cold, and….quiet. Much too quiet.
He approached the bed, feeling empty inside. Climbing on it, he wondered whether she felt the same or that she was simply too heartless to feel a thing was sleeping soundly already.
"Yeah, she can be quite heartless…" he mused, and a little smile crept up at the corners of his lips. There was no doubt in his heart that she would be sleeping by now.
After spending a few minutes just staring g at the Celine and thinking he should do to melt the ice that has now enshrouded her heart and tear down the wall she raised to hide behind, he realized that he could sleep.
Alex thought about going to the study again, but he decided to work while on his bed. Perhaps he might just fall asleep. But as he was about to pick up his laptop, the screen of his phone lit up, causing a pause in his movements. He picked it up and found it was from none other than Kai.
Kai: "You awak?"
Alex sighed when he saw the message. He massaged his temple and replied.
Alex: "What do you want?"
The message that came had hom furrowing his brows and looking at the door as if he were standing there.
Kai: "Good, you're still awake. I am outside, can you open the door?"
The last he visited Alex late at night and rang the bell, Alex had him punished and he didn't want thay repeatbutsekf and he also felt bad for Mrs Lawson whose precious rest would be disturbed if he did. Thinking of everything now, he wondered why he didn't have a key to this house.
Alex put the phone away and walked out of the room. As he went to open the door. If it was nothing important, then Kai should know what was coming his way.
"Do you realize how late it is?" Alex plopped down on a single sofa while Kai opposite him. "You'd better not waste my time."
"You still lack hospitality as always, I see," Kai muttered, and Alex glared at him. "It won't kill to admit that you miss me or at least show a little gratitude. I am working my a** off for you," Kai ignored the glare from Alex and said his piece.
"I'll be in my room," Alex rose from the sofa, and Kai clicked his tongue.
"Dane is in the city," These five words stopped Alex in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder at Kai, who now leaned backward with a hand over his eyes. His exhaustion could be seen all over him.
"How long?" He sat back down, and his expression hard and unreadable.
"A few minutes ago. Why do you think I am here? I should be in my house sleeping right now. I don't miss you that I would want to spend the night with you," he said. Although his words could be misinterpreted in all the wrong ways, Alex didn't say anything and didn't seem to care about the rest of his words. The only thing that mattered was his first phrase.
Alex wondered how he still had the strength to joke around when he was so exhausted. Looking at him, he looked like he would sleep the moment his eyes drooped closed.
"Do you think he found her already?" Alex asked. He felt to still keep Kai engaged right now but he needed the information.
"I doubt it. I think it has something to do with the banquet the Romanovs are hosting," Kai replied and Alex found himself visibly relaxing.
*
Sara tossed and turned on the bed as sleep eluded her. She had chatted with Jessa and the girls for as long as she could and even though her eyes felt strained and her body tired, sleep was far from. The room felt hot and when she took off the covers, it became too cold.
Her sleeplessness continued like that until the early hours of the morning when her body could no longer take the strain and shut down.
Waking a few hours later, she carried on her morning chores, doing the laundry and taking out the trash but after that, nothing.
"This is annoying…" she muttered. She missed going to work all of a sudden. Saturdays were supposed to be her day of relaxation but right now. It didn't feel like it at all. "...and boring."
She went through the schedule for next week and then came back with nothing to do again. The thought of sleeping in Alex's home and bed invaded her mind and she reprimanded herself.
"Stop thinking about it, Sara. You'll go insane if you doing that," she said as if that would work
"It is Saturday noon,Sara, and you have absolutely no idea what she should do with your day," he nearly screamed at hersef as she lay falt on her atomack and eyes on the television screen.
Then it suddenly crossed her that it had been long since she saw her father, and she hadn't exactly informed him of her breakup with Adam either. Although she doubted he didn't already know about it. Thinking it was the right time to do so, she decided to spend the weekend with him.
The distance to her childhood home was not very far, but it took her a few hours of driving to get there.
Sara felt nostalgic entering the neighborhood again after so long, and her childhood memories were resurfacing. The bookshop she once frequented still looked the same with only a few simple renovations done to keep in good condition. A few other shops around looked the same, but the changes were palpable.
Driving past a playground that was a few blocks away from her house, the memories of herself and her mother playing around there came to mind. She parked the car and watched as parents held the children's hands as they entered or exited the playground.
'The good old days,' she thought.
After spending about five minutes just staring at the playground and reminiscing her past with her mother, she finally drove to the bungalow that house all of her childhood memories.
Standing in frontvof the door, Sara drew in deep breaths as she prepared herself for whatever was to come. She would definitely get an ear full once she breaks the news to her father.
Before she could open the door, it opened from inside and before stood the man she known as her father.