Don't say anything wrong, Ian! Please, let it go. Giselle uttered the words in her mind as she tried to find a good response, now that Ian had already said something. When her mouth opened, her husband was already starting off, "She likes women, so that wasn't her sister, it was Celestine". She could feel him struggle against his emotions. He wanted to say more, but neither Rachel, nor Kamal had any business in this.
To drown any additional questions, the brunette added softly, "We know Celestine from a while back. It's just been a bumpy ride with the two of them". A smile appeared on her lips, showing her pride of this diplomatic masterpiece. Her husband didn't recognize it, instead he grunted a, "Bumpy ride, yeah, that's a good way to put it".
Rachel glanced at them with a questioning look, but didn't inquire further. That was for the best, Giselle figured. Then she directed the conversation away, "Rachel, do you have a workshop for all the work you do?". The redhead shook her head and said, "There's this shared workspace downtown. For a fee they'll let me us the tools and benches. I usually go there". When the guests stayed silent, she added, "Carrying all the materials and byproducts around is heavy!".
That made Giselle nod in agreement, "I can imagine!". The conversation kept its casual nature. They chatted about public transport and living with the lack of a car, about wine and where to get good bottles of it. Every time the conversation turned to Ian, his job, hobbies or his past, he answered briefly. That was it. Ever since the question about Cel, his mood became increasingly sour.
When they walked upstairs after an extended dinner, the brunette told him in a grumpy voice, "You could've at least tried a little!". Inside the apartment he asked her, "Why should I? They brought up Cel". His face turned even more sour. Any more and she feared it'd be permanent.
"They didn't know about Cel! Do you think they hang out much in the LGBTQ communities? You saw their faces!", his wife complained to him and Ian gave in, "Guess not, no. Just felt fucking weird". "Yes, it did! Didn't quite know what to say either", she admitted and went into the bathroom to wash off her make-up.
Her phone beeped and a glance revealed a new message from Rachel. Curiosity made her open the message immediately.
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Rachel: "Hey. Don't know quite how to start this. There seemed to be history with Annie, Celestine and you two. If you need someone to talk, I'm here. Also I'm slightly curious :sweat_smile:"
"As soon as there is drama, everyone wants to be your fucking friend", Giselle mumbled more to herself than anyone else as she shuffled into the bedroom. "What was that?", Ian called from the kitchen. She responded, "Nothing. Rachel is curious about Celestine". Ian's cursing reached into the bedroom sometimes. He was complaining a lot about nosey neighbors and the past coming back to haunt him. He struggled a lot with the place they were in.
On the sofa, she offered an ear to listen, but he refused and went to bed. Despite being tired, she didn't feel like it. Instead her fingers flicked through some of the latest feeds. It got boring after a minute and she scrolled through her text messages. Selecting her mother, Giselle started to compose a message.
Giselle: "Hey mom. I know I haven't been in touch. Guess it's not that easy right now. I'm not sure what to do with that elephant. There are good memories, but what would I do with it now? Why is it that new things are always more exciting than old things, but letting go of the old ones is so hard?"
Without thinking twice she had hit send and was surprised at herself how sentimental this sounded. Luckily her mom didn't know about the fight and Annie.
Scrolling the contact list up and down and back up, she pondered about Rachel's message, what to respond, or whether to respond in the first place. Ian's snoring distracted her. Just when she was about to get up and close the door, a text came in from her mother. And so she stayed on the sofa, in darkness and opened the message.
Mom: "I know you're trying your best, sweetheart. It's alright. But aren't you overthinking what to do with that elephant? Your message makes it sound like you're going to switch jobs, but don't know whether to leave Laureen behind? Anyway. When your heart pulls you forward strong enough, you'll regret clinging to your past and losing the chance you have in front of you. I hope that helps?"
Giselle stared into the dark room. Shadows from the street lanterns outside cast eerie shadows on the ceiling. The building was quiet, except Ian. She pressed her lips together and glanced at Ian's side of the bed. When your heart pulls you forward, huh? "Sometimes you have an interesting choice of words, mom", she whispered and a frown appeared on her forehead.