AN: Hola :)
The Wife – June 19th – Larchmont
Rain battered the metal roof of the cab, pouring in heavy sheets that had forced the driver down to a ten-mile per hour crawl on an empty highway. They were currently navigating through suburbia, toward a home she'd only ever visited in daylight, and Riza peered through the windows in search of familiar landmarks. An already dampened umbrella waited in one hand, and she slung the bag's strap across her chest to simplify her exit, removing cash from a pocket.
She leaned forward to hand over the money, and pointed through the windshield at a driveway, the end of which was flanked by neatly manicured Japanese lilacs. "It's that one. I'll just get out here."
"You sure, miss?" he asked, slowing uncertainly. "I can take you up to the house."
"It's not far." She unfurled the umbrella through the open door and stepped out, adding as she swung it shut, "Thanks, have a good night."
Riza rushed through the torrent, following the slick and largely unlit drive to the best of her ability. It was paved, the edges lined with strips of gravel, and the surface occasionally caught the glare of passing headlights. She held the bag close to her stomach, hoping to keep the contents as dry as possible, and finally found the short walk that led to the front steps. Knocking on the plain black door, she grinned when it was opened by a young redhead and said, "Hey, Sheska."
"Hi, Riza. Come on in." The green-eyed woman smiled and pulled the door further inward. "I'm so sorry you had to come out in this weather."
"It's no problem." She left her umbrella on the front mat to dry, hanging her partially soaked coat on the nearby rack. "Where should I set up?"
"Ah...the kitchen might be easiest." Sheska locked the door, and her expression turned apologetic. "Mr. Mustang isn't back yet, but I really should leave. I'm sorry to ask this, but..."
Riza held up a hand to stop her, drying her hair with a towel on her way to the kitchen. "It's fine, really. He explained the situation." She smiled and set her bag on a chair, placing a hand on the other woman's arm. "You're on vacation. Get going. We'll be alright for a little while."
"Thank you…seriously. We're driving to Rhode Island to visit my parents, and my boyfriend's waiting with a packed car." The brunette lifted a clipboard from the counter, pointing at the top section. "Dinner's taken care of, she's had all her meds...overall it was a pretty quiet day. She wasn't lucid, but she was calm. She's been in her studio for the last hour, editing old photos." Sheska checked her watch, reaching for her purse, and added, "My temporary replacement will be here at seven tomorrow. Thanks again, Riza."
"Have fun." She put the kettle on the stove, and searched around the spacious kitchen for mugs and whatever tea they might have. She'd met Silaris Mustang once before and for some reason, since the odds were excellent that the woman would not remember her, she preferred not to meet her empty-handed. Even if she just brought tea.
While waiting for the water to boil she nipped upstairs to check on her, before returning to fill the mugs and arrange them on a tray. Riza took a moment to slide her phone into her pocket and climbed the stairs once more, gently rapping a knuckle on the door frame. The brunette at the desk glanced up with a smile, and asked, "Are you here for the proofs? I'm not quite done yet." Silaris tucked a lock of long, wavy black hair behind her ear, and returned her attention to the computer, resuming alterations to the digital image displayed. She'd been a professional photographer before illness struck, namely, two slow-growing and inoperable meningiomas, for which she had received extensive treatment with limited success.
She stepped into the room and set the tray on a worktable, picking up both mugs. "I work with your husband, he asked me to stop by...and I thought you might be thirsty." Setting one cup on the desk, she pulled up a chair and added, "I'm Riza, by the way."
"It's great to meet you, Riza." The woman graced her with another friendly smile. "I'm Silaris...and thanks for the tea. It smells fantastic."
"You're welcome." She leaned back to unobtrusively watch her work, admiring the picture on the screen, which depicted a pretty redheaded model in a picturesque meadow of wild flowers. She curiously scanned the room, gaze moving from the various prints on the walls to the door of a now dismantled dark room.
Her initial thought upon meeting Mustang's wife was that she had to be one of the most beautiful women she'd ever seen. She had the flowing dark hair some ladies dream about, and her eyes were this unreal shade of blue that took on an almost purple hue in some lights. Her grin was sincere and, at least when they'd last met, she seemed like the nicest person on the face of the planet. Granted, she had not experienced any of the woman's more difficult days, but it was clear that Silaris Mustang was fundamentally incredible.
"Alright," Silaris abruptly said, sitting back with a sigh and rubbing her temples. "I think I need to change gears. Talk to me about something random...like your best vacation."
Riza's smile was surprised. "Ahh...Greece. I visited the ruins of the temple of Poseidon at Sounion. It sits right on this cliff, and it's gorgeous." She took a whiff of peppermint tea before drinking. "You?"
"One year Roy and I went to Argentina, and we traveled down to Cape Horn. It was amazing. Looking out at the Drake Passage makes you feel so small." Her grin was dazzling, eyes narrowed as she searched for another question. "Have you ever been engaged?"
She gave a single shake of the head. "No, but I was asked once."
Silaris pulled her feet up to sit cross-legged on the chair. "Don't tell me you turned the poor guy down."
She took another look at the photo to momentarily avoid the other woman's gaze. "I asked for time, I wasn't ready. And then one night we were in his truck, on the way home from dinner, and a teenager stoned on oxy t-boned us with a semi."
"And your boyfriend took the brunt of it," the brunette finished, a familiar look of sympathy on her face. "And you?"
"I walked away with twenty-six stitches and a scar..." Riza answered, leaning forward and searching her own scalp with her fingertips. "...where my head hit the passenger side window. It feels a little crazy, actually, and..." She turned her head, pausing when she caught sight of Mustang watching her from the doorway, with an expression which soon vanished. Fighting the smile that attempted to spread upon seeing him, and reminding herself that he was married, she said to Silaris, "Apparently we have an audience."
"You're home." The other woman's face brightened instantly. "How's Maes? Forgotten all about us?"
"He's fine." Roy smiled, strolling into the room to take his wife's hand and press his lips to the back of it. "Says he misses you." Evidently he chose not to address the accidentally dropped name, which could very well be someone from his past.
"He always was full of shit," she replied with a laugh.
Riza took that opportunity to stand and grab the tray. "I'll be downstairs. Good luck with your photo, Silaris. It looks great."
"Thank you. Tell them it'll be ready soon."
She paused in the doorway to play along once more. "The deadline was pushed back, so there's plenty of time."
"Then maybe I can stop working tonight," Silaris cheerfully responded, grinning up at her husband. "Wouldn't that be nice?"
With a final glance at Mustang she started down the stairs, left the tray on the kitchen counter, and stepped through the sliding glass door to access the covered deck. The rear of the lot was wooded, the many branches writhing erratically in the storm, and the dull roar of teeming rain filled the air. Depositions for a suit against Hakuro Pharmaceutics waited in her bag, but they were temporarily forgotten, as she was busy contemplating the shit show this could become. She'd grown too familiar, to the point that she was sharing stories with a sliver more truth than she ought, and the well-known urge to disappear was nearly overwhelming. Nearly.
She found herself treading a thin line, that much she could admit, but life as Riza Hawkeye had introduced her to a type of normalcy she'd never hoped to experience. And even as she took the phone from her back pocket, thumb hovering over the digital keypad, she knew she was not yet ready to cut ties. She absolutely should, because of their increasing ability to read each other, and because of the way his voice appealed to her. Instead, she returned the device to her pocket with an exhalation, sipping her tea while his footsteps descended the stairs.
They entered the kitchen simultaneously, and she spread folders over the counter while he filled a mug with coffee. She'd just started perusing one of the many depositions when a glass of water appeared in her field of vision, and she found his gaze with an appreciative smile. "Thanks." Remembering her earlier conversation, she informed him, "Sheska said the temp will be here at seven in the morning."
He nodded and sniffed the coffee hesitantly, as if he were unsure how long it had been sitting out. "Thank you for agreeing to move work here tonight. I didn't have anyone else to stay with her."
"I don't mind," she replied, giving the glass a random turn clockwise, one of her few mindless habits.
"Silaris liked you, by the way." Mustang crossed the kitchen, emptying the coffee maker to brew a fresh pot. "She asked me when the law firm started hiring models."
Riza snorted derisively and redirected her attention to the utterly boring deposition in front of her. "Liar." Still shaking her head, she bit back a smile as the scent of coffee filled the room, and before long they'd fallen into that companionable silence which to them came so easily.
AN: Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, and have a good one!