The eternity dragged on as both women stared at each other. Annie opened her mouth to utter something, but before anything came out, she closed it again. Giselle's lips pressed into a thin line, her usual response to frustration and helplessness. She hurried past Annie, up the stairs, leaving a puddle of water where she had stood to stare.

Annie just looked at her, uncertain, but definitely not hostile or angry. Finally when both were on the same step, words left her mouth. Barely more than a whisper, "Hi Giselle...".

The voice made the brunette remember and her body tremble. The laughs they shared flashed through her mind. Yet she didn't give in to the yearning, she didn't stop, not even steal a glance. Instead she steeled herself toward what was about to come her way once inside her apartment.

With shaking hands she fumbled the key into its lock, turned it and pushed inside. Footsteps echoed through the stairwell when Annie hurried down the stairs again. Then her back pushed the door shut from the inside and she stayed there, held her breath and stared into the living room. "Shit", she muttered to herself. "Shit shit shit...", she repeated and felt tears flood her eyes. Her stomach twisted and together with her memories and the yearning for them to repeat themselves, hate and anger grew alongside. It made her feel awful. Yet she couldn't shake it. It engulfed her completely and drowned her in a sea of despair. She dropped down to the floor and couldn't hold herself together. Her crying and sobbing held her captured for minutes.

When Giselle entered a state of emptiness and her vision barely recognized the apartment through the haze, her phone rang. "Oh c'mon", she whispered after looking at the display and then threw a very annoyed glance towards the ceiling to raise a complaint with whoever was watching. The display read Ian, in green, vibrant letters. "Why would he call now? What the fuck...", she sighed and took a deep breath when her finger swiped up to accept that incoming phone call.

"Hi Giselle", said a familiar voice on the other end. Giselle responded as composed as she could remotely manage, "Hey Ian". It came out better than she expected.

"Sam talked me into calling you. So I did, I guess", he admitted. She wiped across her wet cheeks with the back of her hand. Half of the wetness came down from her soaked hair. She had completely forgotten about changing out of her wet clothes. "Sounds like him. We did phone the other day, too", she responded. Her voice was quite shaky. "What's wrong? You don't sound like yourself", Ian wondered compassionately. "Yeah well, I'm a mess", she said while keeping quiet about her run-in with Annie. It was almost like an angel and a devil manifested in her head, fighting for how honest she should be. Afraid of causing another incident, she sided with her devil and her angel facepalmed and went up in smoke like a vanishing ninja.

Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

"So, how...", Ian started to talk, but Giselle interrupted him, "I'm sorry Ian. I'm so sorry. I should've told you about Annie and I feel bad how this exploded in my face. Our faces. I wish I could turn back time".

Ian fell silent and while she heard his breathing just fine, eventually she said, "Ian?". He quickly answered, "I'm here. Guess I overreacted a little, and all. I'm sorry, too". His voice was far less certain than she had hoped, but she'd take it. She'd take anything to end this roller coaster ride.

Her encounter with Annie just now made her realize that she couldn't jeopardize her marriage for the slim possibility of something better arriving. She needed to deal with her emotions. Once she had, Ian didn't need to know about them. It was the decision she had pushed to the future repeatedly. And she was glad she finally made a decision. A weak smile played across her lips.

"How's the couch? I remember it as quite the monstrous thing, that took up half the living room", Giselle said playfully. It probably came across forced anyway. Ian didn't mind and said, "Oh, it is, and it's too fluffy. I already have back pain. Can you imagine that!". Both gave it a weak laugh, after which her husband continued, "And he offered me his spare covers. They are green and have The Hulk on it. When I asked him about it, he shrugged and pointed at his bookshelf. Can you believe that!". But Giselle didn't get it, "What's on that bookshelf?".

"About 100 issues of The Hulk! It's like he's 12 again! Giselle, I miss my James Bond Blu-Rays", he sighed and she chuckled, "He has 100 issues of comic books? Your family sure has peculiar hobbies".

The banter made her forget about the dread she had faced after seeing Annie. And after seeing Celestine leave.

Ian grumbled playfully, "Oh sod off, you have a wardrobe that can dress a whole village easily". Giselle sighed. He was right, well, he was right about her wardrobe being quite large, not about the village.

Before this went on too long and she feared it'd be too late to tell him, she said, "When are you coming home, sweetheart? Oh, there's something I should tell you, probably". Her husband ignored the question and sighed, "What's it this time, Giselle? Are you sleeping with Laury?". His voice had changed to reflect his annoyance.

"Ah, no. I need you to know in case you run into them. Yesterday morning I saw Celestine leave together with Annie...", the brunette explained in a low voice. Ian stayed silent again until he complained in frustration, "What's with that neighbor? She does that on purpose, right? Is she going to bed my teenage crush next? What the actual fuck?".