Stop, look and choose
"Take the bag, Jack. I can't carry it."
The actor nodded as Karen was looking back at April moving in her arms, against her chest. She had changed a lot within a week; they all had changed as a matter of fact. The baby had imposed another rhythm, a more peaceful one and time seemed to have been suspended with the first cries. Infinite details of a disturbing routine had been put aside and the single most important things had remained. Love, care, joy; it was like a rainbow of feelings that had wrapped up their hearts in a moving motion.
Will looked at the millionaire, unaware of Grace's gaze on him. She was in the living-room with Jack, a few steps away; taking care of the new-born. She had learned fast, spending an impressive amount of time reading books, chasing articles on the Web and now her gestures were precise and confident. It had nothing to do with the day of the birth or the awkward behavior she had used to adopt before motherhood until then. Something had been stirred up in her heart, a subconscious realization that from time to time, she could show to some people that she might be like everyone.
The interior designer bit her lower lip and observed the floor absent-mindedly. Had Karen spoken to Will? Why was he so quiet, why did he not dare to go towards the dark-haired woman when obviously he was dying to do it? It had hurt her, somehow; at one moment. But she cared way too much about them to let incertitude float above their heads. They deserved happiness and if it had to be a mutual one then she would do her best not to ruin it all for a couple of selfish intentions. She had called Jack. The taping had made them get closer and she was glad to have someone to share it with. It made things easier, more bearable. Her curiosity simply pushed her to wonder how their two friends may have come to such a situation.
"I won't come back to the office for four months. I want to take advantage of April as much as I can."
The attorney nodded, still studying the millionaire. She was kissing the baby's nose, smiling brightly.
"Who is going to substitute you?"
His question had been thrown indifferently in the conversation but it's only when he got the answer that he turned around and stared at Grace properly.
"Karen; Karen is going to run the office."
He could have burst out laughing, highlighting the craziness of such idea but he simply raised his eyebrow; then nodded.
"She's a very smart businesswoman; good choice."
The red-haired woman smirked and looked back at Jack who was now dancing all around her daughter in a bad impersonation of Cher.
"I know she is. She also knows that I like it when she's lazy."
She left the table and headed to the kitchen area where Will was preparing the dinner. Jack was still lost in the contemplation of April who was now resting on her mother's lap. Grace caught up the dark-haired woman's gaze and smiled. A burning sensation went straight to Karen's cheeks and she hurried out.
Both women hadn't spoken about it again. It had stayed trapped in the narrow bedroom of the hospital between the confession of well-known lies and the troubling reasons, still so blurry, over the way everything had come out to the light for Grace. Did Jack know about it too, since when?
She cleared her voice; he turned around and smiled. She grabbed a bottle of water and started playing with it nervously, observing the dish. April's birth had perturbed their schedule and she hadn't seen him for the whole week; hadn't called him. He hadn't done it either.
"Do I have a chance to see you soon?"
She bit the inside of her mouth and rolled her eyes, hating herself for sounding less confident in front of him. She looked like a ridiculous teenager when all she wanted to get was the heat of his body between her legs.
He put down a spoon and came closer to her before passing a hand on her waist. She froze, completely taken aback by his sudden gesture. They were always so careful while not being alone. She listened to the voices of their friends in the background, apparently still in the other room. She locked her eyes with his and the machine set off again. A mischievous smile played on her lips as her leg slightly pressed against his inner thigh. He pushed her against him and murmured against her lips.
"I kind of missed the boldness of our nocturne activities… It's definitely not the same when you're not here."
Her fingers got intertwined with his. She looked at them.
"You're pretty good with your hands though…"
"But definitely not as talented as your lips are on me."
He put an end to the discussion in a deep and hungry kiss. She didn't try to escape from it; no matter that Jack and Grace were in the room next door. She felt way too fine in his embrace. It sounded perfect.
They didn't wait for very long before finding themselve in the creepy hotel room and the intensity of their sighs in the gloomy light of the lamps; just a few hours after the dinner with their friends. They hailed a cab together from The Upper West Side and the sweet caresses of each other's ankles finally joined the relieving contact of their bare flesh as soon as they passed the door of The blue lagoon.
Life was going on, twirling around; adopting new shades. Their own mentalities were evolving, adapting themselves to the passing of time but their closeness remained. She kissed him deeply in his last thrusts, trying to feed her heart his breath; then closed her eyes.
Love was addicting.