NOTE: We don't know much about Diane's past, so I came up with this idea. And It turned out to be a multi-chapter! This takes place a few days after she proposed to Kurt.
Kurt had never been in her apartment before. They have known each other for four years, with their on and off relationship and during this time, they have always managed to meet either at his farm or at the hotels he was staying. Sure he knew where she lived, he had even picked her up once or twice.
On that day specifically, he had promised her to be there at eight sharp. This was after all their first official dinner as an engaged couple and he was obviously thinking about it the whole day. After two long tiring depositions in court, he had to go to the farm and make a few tests with the allegedly defective gun again. Their dinner was the only thing he was looking forward to. When he spoke to her earlier that morning, just to confirm the time and the place, he pointed it out more than once that this was a very special dinner, so she couldn't and wouldn't have any excuses to be late or worst, to cancel their date.
He loved to see her all dressed up. He had never mentioned it to her, but he knew she knew it. She could read him like a book, if her funny side smile after seeing him was any indication of it. And he didn't care a bit. He couldn't believe his luck, how she had fallen for a guy like him was beyond his imagination. She walked, dressed, talked, held herself like a queen. He was just a simple guy from the country, as she once mentioned herself.
That was how he found himself in front of the door of her apartment for the first time. He rang the bell once and immediately heard a dog barking. He chuckled when he remember the first time she told him about Justice. What a great name for her dog.
"Come on in, I'm almost finished," he heard her shouting, after the door opened. She run upstairs before he had a glimpse of her.
"Make yourself at home. And by the way, this is Justice". She shouted once again, which made him smile.
"Hey, you are already two minutes late," he shouted back at her, because he just couldn't resist teasing her.
It was then that he noticed her white terrier seated, staring at him, wagging its tail. He chuckled when she started pawing at his legs and crouched down. She was sure enjoying all the petting he was doing behind her ear.
Diane's apartment was definitely made for her. Very elegant and feminine - the tables, chairs, pillows, the carpets, the lighting and the pairings on the wall. There were also flowers and plants everywhere. He saw a kitchen in the far back, and the stairs, where he guessed was the way to the bedrooms. Everything around him had her touch.
Behind him, he saw shelves full of books. He knew she was an avid reader and was curious about her collection. There were classic novels, history books, romances even. But mostly were historical books and biographies - Churchill, Truman, Kennedy, Roosevelt (Teddy and Franklin), Gandhi, Lincoln, all stories figures, all great leaders. And, of course, there were the women's bios as well: Margaret Thatcher, Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton, Queen Elizabeth I, Gloria Steinem and, of course, Sarah Palin. His gift was there for everybody to see. He chuckled, making a mental note to tease her about it later.
Many portraits decorated the top of her piano. The gallery was quite big. All pictures had beautiful frames, each one chosen carefully he was sure, just like everything else in her apartment.
He saw a black and white picture of a little girl, probably at the age of 3 or 4 with a boy on her side slightly older than the girl, both smiling broadly. They were dressed for a special occasion, probably a birthday, since both were wearing special hats. There was a picture of the same boy and girl with two adults. He guessed they were their parents. The man was carrying the little girl and kissing her cheek, while the woman was holding the boy's hand. The parents looked very proud of their children. The little girl was obviously Diane, he could recognize that smile anywhere. The only thing Kurt didn't know was that she obviously had a brother.
There was a photograph with Diane and her father on the day of her graduation. She was holding a diploma and her father again was kissing her cheek. It sees she was her daddy's girl.
He picked up to take a closer look on a recent picture of Diane and an old lady, who had the same wicked smile on the corner of the mouth and the same blue eyes. She didn't look like her mother though. He wondered who she was.
There were pictures of her with her classmates, all throwing their hats up in the air, a recent picture of her and a couple smiling at the picture, making V signs with their fingers, in what he guessed was an event for the Democratic Party. Another portrait had Diane with 5 other girls, in their teenage years, all dressed up for a party. There were pictures of her with her brother, her mother and father in various times, all smiling broadly. A copy of her picture with Hillary, the one she kept very proudly at her office, was also in display.
There were also a few pictures with Will, at work and in various events. There were others with the Lockhart/Gardner staff and even one with Stern that looked like at least 10 years old. The best one had Diane holding a mic with Alicia and Eli, reading what obviously looked like the lyrics of a song. All wearing Santa's hat. That one made him chuckle.
On the far back corner, there was one picture in particular called his attention. In a specially decorated silver frame, Diane on her early twenties was arm in arm with some handsome tall blond guy, who looked like a Hollywood star.
He picked it up to take a further look. Both were dressed up - he was in a black suit and she was wearing a beautiful navy blue dress, a pearl necklace and earrings. Her hair had a white ribbon on it, holding it back. The blond guy had his other hand on her arm and was smiling back at her. They looked like a very elegant and handsome couple.
Who was that guy? He was aware that she had love affairs before him, that she probably had loved other men before as much as she loved him. But seeing that look so openly on her face, the one he knew it so well, was unnerving.
For the first time since he had entered Diane's apartment he felt out of place. He also felt something cold running down his spine. He was afraid to even wonder about the possibilities.
What the hell am I doing? Kurt thought. He had no right to snoop around her things, invading her privacy that way. He shook his head dismissively and put the picture back on its place, carefully. That thing felt like fire, burning his fingers.
Kurt took a moment to see those portraits again, his fiancée's life right in front of him. He told himself to avoid looking at the one on the far back corner, but it seemed that his eyes had a mind of their own. It had somehow taken away the peace he had found since Diane had agreed to marry him. He sighed, nervously running a hand through his hair. It was ridiculous of him to feel jealous for someone who seemed to have a thing with her, probably 30/40 years ago. He had lost her so many times, he was still afraid of losing her again.
He was so taken away with all those images that he didn't hear her approaching him. He almost jumped when he felt a hand on his right shoulder.
PS: Reviews are welcome!