Chapter 2

Chapter 2.

"So what will you cook?"

"Omelet is okay for you?"

She laughed.

"Omelet is perfect."

He lived in an apartment, not to large, enough for someone who lived alone. Cagalli had been there before, a few times.

It was very clean for a single man. He was very organized, the opposite of her.

He led her to the kitchen.

"I am starving, after that very exciting reunion." Cagalli said, ironic, while Athrun placed the ingredients on a desk.

"Yep. We have a meeting with Lacus on two days, right?"

"Yeah. I had forgotten that you will escort me as my ambassador."

She went to help him and they end up making the omelet together.

They ate in the living room, talking about trivialities.

"You said you would cook for me, not with me!" She complained in the end of the dinner.

"I am sorry. I owe you a dinner, so."

"Yeah, you do."

They stood in silence, just observing each other.

"Cagalli…"

"What?"

"Alice is coming on the weekend, right?"

"Yeah. Right."

"Good." He smiled, hesitant.

She looked at him, confused. So it was about this she was afraid. Why in the hell everything has to be so complicated?

They kept in silence for a while. That was a delicate matter.

"What?" He asked.

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me."

"I am not."

He stretched his hands, and touched her cheek.

"I missed you." He finally said what he was urging to say all the night.

But in his eyes, Cagalli could see that there were some things he didn't dare to say. But those were the thing that needed to be said. They couldn't hold off this for ever… she couldn't.

"I know. I missed you too." She answered.

With no more word, he bent and kissed her. She corresponded.

The kiss grew deeper. They lips, theirs hands, their bodies had missed each other. Badly.

Urgency. Hast. Desire. Passion. Love.

An eddy of emotions and feelings.

There was no past to worry about that night. No future. Just they, just the present, and the moments they shared.

Late at night, Cagalli went back to the hotel. She left Athrun sleeping.

It wasn't what she wanted to do. But it was what she knew she should. She had a meeting in the mourning.

Besides, she knew that she stayed any further, she may not want to leave at all, and then, it would hurt… more…

He woke up in the mourning feeling dizzy, she wasn't there. Everything could have been just a dream. The proofs were only the acid smell of her perfume in the pillow, and the dirty dishes in his table.

Nothing more.

­

The three days that followed went full of meetings and reunions, and visits, and speeches, like it was planed, nor more or less. It was Friday, and the itinerary was almost complete.

To Cagalli it meant that the acting would soon over, even if just for a while. She loved politics that was a fact, but for her that trips weren't about politics, were about construct a public image for Orb and for herself. That was indeed important, but she preferred to be in her office solving real problems, not chatting with the Chairman of PLANTs about things that were in the essence, trivialities.

Yes, of course, in one of those meetings, they showed the intentions from both side to increase the commerce between the PLANTs and Orb…

"The Foreign Minister of PLANTs asked to change the meeting tomorrow from 4h to 5h on the afternoon." said Maria, her assessor.

"Our minister agreed with that?

"Yes." She answered.

"So it's settled?"

"Not if you disagree."

It would cause a bad impression…

"I don't you should disagree ma'am, he asked politely and you are the visitor…" said Nick, another of her assessor.

"Yes, that's right. Inform him that I accept the change."

"Yes ma'am."

Shit. Now who will get Alice in the airport? I promised her that I wouldn't send some driver. She hates it… Shit… I was hoping I could do it…

"Excuse me I have to go to the bathroom." Cagalli said, and left the room.

Instead of going to the bathroom she went to some emptied part of the hotel. And then she took her cell phone.

I am really going to do that…

"Cagalli?" A voice answered in the other side of the line.

"Are you alone?"

"Yeah. If I wasn't I wouldn't say your name aloud."

"I need to ask you something."

"What?"

"Can you get Alice in the airport tomorrow by 6:30?"

"Yes. Of course I can."

"Listen, she will come in my personal plane, Mana will be with her but she will just let her here and come back to Orb, so you don't need to worry about her.

"OK"

"Her luggage is going to be sent to the hotel so no need to worry about this too."

"Right."

"Take her to Lacus, I will meet you there. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am…" he said, ironic "Calm down Cagalli."

"They've changed the time of my meeting tomorrow and this mess up with all my plans." She complained.

"Don't worry; I will get her for you."

"Thanks."

"Are you free tonight?"

"In less than one hour, I guess. I call you later to confirm."

"Done."

That was a tough mission; arrange time to see him in the middle of a business trip. But it was always like this. Even if they both were exhausted they would seize all the opportunities they had to see each other, even if they were very few, like this time.

She came back to the room, and to the reunion.

"I am on the airport." He answered the phone.

"You don't need to bring her straight away here, you know? Why don't you take her to some place or…?"

"She should be tired, and hungry, besides I would ruin your dinner if I took her to eat at some place."

"Don't worry about it! I just made the cake, the rest was my cook. So no, I won't be disappointed."

"Cagalli will be mad."

"Uau, Zala! How many excuses can you make? You are afraid, aren't you?"

"No Lacus, I am not."

"Liar! Take her to the shopping mall, eat an ice cream… improvise. Good luck!" And then she turned off the phone.

Lacus is right, is just a eleven year's old girl…

He felt like when he was adolescent and wanted to cause a good impression.

It had been four months since he saw her, and he was terrified; at least until he saw her, and Mana, entering in the hall of the airport.

Then, for some reason, he relaxed and smiled at the sight of the blond girl. She looked a lot like the mother.

He walked towards they, calm, something, some internal voice was telling him that there wasn't anything to be afraid of.

She saw him, and smiled.

"Athrun-san!" She said, and ran for him.

He bent and hugged her.

"You mother couldn't come…"

"Yeah. She said. She's a workaholic."

We all are, he thought, referring to him, Cagalli, Lacus and Kira.

"Don't you say such a thing about your mother, Alice!" Mana replied the girl before he could.

"Sorry" Alice said, looking regretted.

He turned to Mana and they faced each other for a moment. She smiled, gave him a few recommendations about Alice, answered his questions about her back trip, and finally seemed ready o come back.

"So. I am done here. I am coming back to Orb." she said, looking from Alice to Athrun.

She said goodbye and turn around, to came back to the gate that she had came.

"So. What you want to do?"

"I thought we were going to Lacus-san and Kira-san house, from here."

"We have time. Your mother will go only by 7h30."

"Ok, then. There is a mall around here?"

"I believe so."

"Can we go there? I need to find a book"

"Aren't you hungry?"

"No. I ate sandwich in the plane. Unless it's for an ice cream, then I am hungry." She smiled to him.

He laughed.

"So, let's have an ice cream. I think there is a mall over here where we can find a really good ice cream."

"And a bookstore?"

"And a bookstore. Have you finished Harry Potter yet, the last time we saw you were in the fourth, weren't you?"

"Yeah. Now I am in the five. But I saw all the movies then I already know what is going to happen… But the book is cooler than the movie."

He smiled to her while they walked to the parking.

Like always, she peered at the car for a while, with admiration.

"I let you drive, when you get enough age."

"It will long!"

"So, you will have to wait."

"That's not fair!"

She observed the city.

"Do you like living here?" She asked.

"Yes I do."

"Don't you miss anything from Orb?"

Yes, I miss…

"I only lived there for a couple of years… but… I can say that I miss the sunset."

"Here there is no sunset. It's strange."

"Yeah. It is." He said, thinking about it.

"I would miss the sea too."

"Well, I know that isn't the same but there is a big water park somewhere here"

"Really?"

"Yep, really"

"And you've never went there?"

"No…"

"What a waste"

He laughed, she was as sincere as her mother, at al.

"Here we are!" He said, stopping the car.

"Already?"

"I said it was near."

"So, where you want to go first?"

"Eat the ice cream, of course."

She said, smiling.

Athrun observed her while they walked in the mall, like the mother she had no difficult in speaking with people. She was wise. She wanted to know everything, and she observed everything. The girl fascinated him.

Whenever he was with her, he kept smiling.

A soft and sad smile.

The motorist let her in the garden of the mansion. She walked to the door, which was already open.

"I know I am late!" She said to Kira, by the time she put his eyes on him. And then she hugged him tight.

"As you said you are late, the food is cold, and it's everybody waiting for you."

"Alice is here, right?"

"No, actually, Athrun ran away with her."

"WHAT??"

"Just kidding!! I don't believe you fall in there!"

"Not funny Kira, neither a bit funny."

"For me was."

They talked while he led her inside, to the garden in the back of the house where were everybody. A desk had been placed there.

She hugged Lacus.

"Alice is inside playing video game with Athrun." Lacus said.

"Sorry for coming one hour late… but the Minister didn't finish his speech…"

"Believe me, we all know how it is." Said Lacus, with a meaningful face.

Cagalli smiled back, and went to see her daughter, who stopped the game to hug her. She asked about the trip, and all the usual questionnaire of the mothers.

And then looked to Athrun, he was looking at then. She greeted him, and so did him, and kept looking at each other for a few seconds.

"Who is wining?"

Alice kept quiet. That meant that wasn't she.

"I am."

"For just five points!"

"But I am wining!"

"Not for too long." She said, coming back to play with him.

Cagalli looked one last time to then, and came back to the garden.

"So, how are you?" She asked Lacus and Kira.

"Fine."

"Any news?"

"No." Kira answered. "Unless you want to talk about politics."

"No thank you. I am done with politics for today."

"I guess so." Kira said. "Want to dinner? Alice already ate."

"I am going to call Athrun." said Laucs.

"So, how are you two doing?" Kira asked.

"As usual."

"And that is supposed to mean that you both will keep seeing each other about four times a year?"

"I think so."

Kira sighed, looking a little bit angry with her.

"And you and Lacus? Aren't you going to have a baby?"

"Not for now, not while she is at the Council."

"I see."

"And don't try to change the subject." Kira said. "It won't work."

She looked at him and smiled.

"Things are complicated. Very complicated."

"I know." He ended the arguing. There was no point in insisting with her. She was too stubborn, and she wouldn't listen.

Then Lacus and Athrun arrived, and the four went to dinner.

By the end of the night, they were drinking and talking about trivialities.

"It's getting late." Cagalli commented. "Where is Alice?"

"I will check her." said Athrun, and before Cagalli could protest, he stood up and went inside the house.

The silence then went uneasy, with Kira peering at Cagalli who ignored and Lacus just watching not knowing what to do.

"I'll get more wine." said Lacus.

"I'll help." said Cagalli, only to escape of Kira. She could swear he would insist in the converse they had sooner.

They went to the kitchen, but by the door, Cagalli could observe Athrun covering Alice, who was sleeping in the sofa, he caressed her head while playing softly with her hair.

"I know isn't easy..." Lacus started.

"You too? You know, you and Kira really match!"

"I am not trying to give you a moral lesson. I am not the best person to do it." she said, with a sad voice.

"Is it everything fine, Lacus?" Cagalli asked.

"Yes. It is."

"Now you are the liar."

She just smiled, and even if Cagalli knew that anything wasn't fine with her, she knew too that Lacus wouldn't talk about it, being as stubborn as herself. The difference was that Lacus wouldn't talk because she didn't want to throw her problems in someone else, while herself wouldn't talk because she was afraid, because she had been hurt enough. They all had.

"We are getting old, aren't we?" asked Lacus.

"Are we?" she asked. She didn't feel old, even if Lacus was right.

"I am going to 31 years."

"Me too."

"It's weird, isn't it?"

"Indeed."

"Let me guess, you don't give a damn, and never came closer to one anti-aging cream."

"Not exactly." She said a little bit shy.

"Really, do you use one?"

"Actually, more than one."

Lacus Laughed.

"You know, I have one rack filled up with this kind of cream" Lacus said.

"I have some."

"Some?"

"A few…" said Cagalli, still shy.

"I see."

"But I won't paint my hair!" said Cagalli to strength her moral.

"No?"

"No. I think white will combine with me."

Lacus laughed

"Just you Cagalli!"

N/A. Hi

I decided to update sooner XD.

Enjoy