Let the drama commence...

We enter the apartment the next day in the afternoon. The sun has started to set, leaving a bright pink glow all over the sky. The skin on my face burns from all the sun I've been getting in Paris. That'll teach me not to forget sunscreen next time.

I drop my bag and run my hands across my shoulders, feeling my baked skin. For some reason, I did not get sun burn, but it hurts like hell nevertheless.

Violet brushes past me with a groan, kicking off her shoes and dragging herself into the living room. The plane journey has taken all the energy out of us. Except for Eric of course.

He picks up the bag I dropped and swings it over his shoulder, carrying that and the two suitcases he has further into the apartment. Some paper work he was doing on our flight is jammed between his teeth and a pen is balanced behind his ear. I take the papers out of his mouth as we go into the bedroom and he mutters a 'thank you'.

I take a second to flick through them but unfortunately I don't understand his language so I rest the papers on his desk. The next time I look at him, he is unpacking my underwear.

"I can do that," I step in. He smirks and straightens up, flexing his neck from side to side.

"What are we having for dinner?" he asks, wrapping his arms around me from behind. I grin, opening my mouth to answer, but Violet cuts me off.

"Daddy, can you make spaghetti?" her eyes land on Eric's hands on my waist. Awkwardly, he let's go.

"You want me to cook?" he asks, holding out his arms which makes the girl leave the doorframe and walk into him. He picks her up. "Why don't we order something? I'm exhausted."

I shut the nearest suitcase, flopping down onto the bed. Violet gives me a weird look over Eric's shoulder. I close my eyes. I can't remember the last time I was this tired. I'm sure we are all tired.

I close my eyes and listen to our dinner plans being negotiated. Whichever decision they come to, I'll support it. I could eat anything.

"Why don't we order spaghetti from that restaurant?" Eric suggests, kissing Violet's forehead. And so, we do.

We manage to eat everything that came in the luxurious paper bag. I am so tired that I decide not to start an argument about how expensive this meal must have been. It's quite pricey ordering from restaurants, and even more pricey if the restaurant does not do take outs and Eric must tip them a further hundred dollars to convince them.

We eat the spaghetti in the kitchen and go straight to bed. Violet falls asleep as soon as her head hits the pillow. I stay up for a while, unpacking and sorting out the countless shit I bought myself from excitement of being in Paris. Eric sits at his desk, typing something on his laptop and taking five-second breaks to rub his eyes.

"Go to bed," I command, receiving a curious look, "It can wait. Just get some sleep."

Strangely, he shuts down his laptop and gets into bed. He listened to me. I raise my eyebrows, not knowing how to react.

"You too," he mutters, hiding his face in a pillow. I nod, hide the suitcases in a cupboard and crawl into bed, shuddering when his warm hands press into my back.

"Are you working tomorrow?" Stupid question. He nods. "Does that mean- "

"Take the day off," he says, "Just take Violet to school," his lips plant a kiss on my forehead, "I don't need a secretary tomorrow, I'm in and out of meetings anyway."

He looks like it kills him to say that. I don't blame him; I wouldn't want to go to meetings jetlagged.

"Okay," I nod, rubbing my nose against his. He falls asleep quite quickly and I'm left with his heavy breathing on my face.

Morning comes soon. Not my morning. Eric's morning. I hear shuffling and clattering of his leather belt while it is still dark. I turn and realize that the whole room is flooding with red light from the early sunset. Crimson. I've never seen it like this before- the skies must be clear.

Through the blood darkness, I make out his figure, already suited and ready to go. Lazily, I reach out my hand and he meets it with his fingers, tickling my palm, "Shh, go to sleep."

I do.

A few hours later I take Violet to school and return home for a nap. The gentle melody of someone ringing the doorbell downstairs wakes me up. I race down the hall and press a button on the device on the wall, "Who is it?"

"It's me! You gonna tell me about Paris or what?"

I smirk and buzz Christina in. It takes her a couple of seconds to reach the apartment, or maybe that's just what it feels like. I rub the sleep out of my eyes after she nearly knocks me over with her hug.

I see a bottle of wine in her hand and laugh, "Are you crazy? It's not even lunch!"

"So?!" her smile makes me laugh even more. She points to the bottle and I notice Eric's company logo on it, "Look, I made the effort to order it all the way from Paris. Thought we would try it together."

"I've already tried it," I confess, "More than twice."

We both have a glass in the kitchen, and when it hits my brain, I decide to put the bottle away. She is a bad influence.

"Really? It was only released two days ago- "

"And guess who was one of the first to taste it." She tilts her head to the side and tightens her smile.

"Eric needs to give me a discount. His wine costs almost as much as a good quality dildo."

I describe my time in the city and she listens with her chin in the palm of her hand. Then I jump up and hurry to bring her the souvenir I got: a baby pink bath robe with swirls and an Eiffel tower on the back. She gasps and asks me how much it was. I stay quiet.

"I'm so glad one of us is loaded," she states, rubbing her cheek against the fluffy material, "Do you remember when we had to fight over who gets to shower first because the water will always get cold after fifteen minutes?"

It seems like that was years away. Since I have met Eric, everything seemed to change. I wonder if I'd still be living with her if I hadn't applied for that nanny job.

Christina fixes her pink bra strap under the navy-blue vest and leans back in her seat, her eyes scanning the skyline out of the kitchen window.

"Where is Violet?" her eyes dart around the room as if the girl might pop out at any moment.

"At school," I giggle, "It's a weekday."

"Ah," her body rocks backwards and forwards impatiently, "Is she calling you 'mum' yet?"

"Stop," I roll my eyes, "Don't be ridiculous."

Her smile drops, "What, you think she never will?"

I shake my head, "It doesn't matter. It'd be weird to be called 'mum'."

"Well," her smirk turns mischievous as she throws a cashew nut into her mouth, "Maybe it won't be Violet who would call you that first."

An hour later, Christina says that she needs to run to work. She got promoted last week and she does not want to disappoint her boss by being late on her "first big day". I give her the bottle back considering we have dozens in the cupboard behind the living room door. And then I decide to call Eric since I haven't talked to him properly today. He told me he would be in meetings. And this is his lunch hour. So maybe a miracle will happen and he would pick up his phone this once.

I jump onto the kitchen counter as I listen to the dial tone. He picks up on the third 'beep'.

"What?" he asks.

I raise my eyebrows, a bit taken aback by the attitude in his voice, "Um... hi, it's me."

"Oh... hey," he sighs, sounding a little strained, "I can't talk right now, babe. About to walk into a meeting."

I open my mouth to reply when I hear a shrill female voice on the other line, "Would you like some coffee before you go, Mr Coulter?"

I bite my cheek, "Who is that?"

The sound of a soft-shutting drawer and papers being rustled. He is probably squeezing his phone between his cheek and shoulder, "It's Nikki. No, thank you."

"Who the fuck is Nikki?" I rack my brain for that name. Never heard of her. I'm sure she doesn't even work with us.

Eric stays silent for at least two minutes, which makes me extremely irritable. He knows how impatient I am.

"She volunteered to be my secretary today- "

"You said you didn't need me at work- "

"I don't," he almost growls, "I'm hanging up, Tris. You'll make me late."

I hang up for him. Fucking Nikki.

I probably should not even be this angry. I don't know why I am angry. So, he got a new secretary for the day… Maybe he just wants me to take a break. Or maybe that bitch needs a good discipline. Or maybe he does.

I know I am over reacting when I put on my coat and storm out of the apartment. Whoever this Nikki is, she is not replacing me. Not today. Not ever.

I have a week left of university and then I can write until my fingers bleed. Who's excited?

Review and tell me what you thought of this chapter :)