Dinner had been served and now I stared at the one named Duo from across the living room. He was splayed out on the sofa and I was sitting in the recliner, my legs crossed. I rocked back and forth nervously, twiddling my thumbs, trying to dig deep into my mind on how to grasp the notion that I once loved this clown. A smile appeared on my face, and he looked up just in time to see it. He smiled and slowly mouthed, "Take your time."
My smile widened and I knew just then that I had loved, and still love, this man. He was perfect. Yes, he seemed a clown, but he could be serious, he could fight, and he cared. How I knew all of these things, I still could not make the connection, but I knew. Oh yes, I knew.
Trieze Khushrenada had came over and he looked just as familiar, but in a different way. He and Lady Une were sitting together on the love seat, their eyes either concentrated on the movie they were watching or fixed upon each other. I sighed.
Lady Une hummed softly as she began to mix the cookie batter she had prepared. She knew it was Hilde's favorite, as well. Chocolate chip cookies with a secret ingredient that made them just a tad bit better. Footsteps caught her offguard and she looked up to see the purple-haired girl perched on the last step, a new light in her eyes.
"Good morning!" I said cheerfully, hiding something to myself. My eyes were lightened with a new life and my step was spunkier than the last two weeks. I watched Lady begin to make the cookies and I touched her arm, shaking my head teasingly, "Tsk, tsk! How could you forget the "secret ingredient"? Two spoonfuls of brown sugar!" I stood back and waited--waited for her reaction.
She slowly set her spatula down and swiveled her head toward me. Wild, brown bangs fell in her eyes, which were wide and dripping with tears, "Hilde?" Her voice was but a whisper.
"Who else?" I demanded sharply, extending my arms. Lady hugged me and we rocked side-to-side. "I was so lost! Forgive me, Lady. I thought I would never find my way out of the darkness." I sobbed into her shoulder, glad to know who was near me again or who I was in that matter.
"It is okay, Schibi. You are back, that is all that matters. Wait until Duo finds out!" The glazed expression I gave her at the would of his name caused her voice to dip to a more quiet tone. "Hilde, what is wrong?"
"He was not there. I was so afraid." I whispered, my eyes set upon the refrigerator, my mind lost in space.
The door in front of us swung open and Duo swept in, a goofy smile plastered on his face. He saw Lady's watering eyes and saw how I was standing, slumped against the counter, a fresh glass of milk in my right hand. He knew right then that something had changed. Again, he glanced at Lady and she dimpled and took her leave, knowing it was time for her to leave the two alone. I could not even count the number of emotions that passed across those midnight blue eyes.
Duo ran to me and stopped just before me, his eyes expressing the one question that seemed to hang unanswered in the air, though the answer was obvious. "Hilde? My Hilde?" His gaze slid to the glass of milk and he quirked an eyebrow, a lopsided grin pulling at the corners of his mouth.
"Call me milk 'cause I do a body good!" I said in a rushed tone and he slammed into me, putting us chest-to-chest, his arms snaking around my torso like a stray jacket. A possessive one, at that.
I could not help but laugh as my glass was set down on the counter and he swooped me up completely in his arms, putting an arm at my lower back and the other behind my knees, and spun around in circles. Our laughter echoed through the establishment as he continued to spin and spin, the silken strands of my hair whipping around my face and sliding over Duo's arm and hand, sending shivers up his spine. As he twirled me around, he splayed butterfly kisses all along my neck. I could not rebel against him now, it felt too good to be in his arms, to actually feel teh sorcery and magic that coursed through my veins as he kissed me.
"You are all right!" He continued to repeat, spinning me around and around. "Welcome back, my love." I could not decide if I was dizzy from the spinning in circles, the emotions that swamped me along with the memories that I shared with this clown, or both.
