Exams finished !

But I think THIS is my last update before my holidays (So don't kill me for the ending of this one…). I'm going in the Canary Islands for three weeks, and I won't have Internet. So my next chapter will be there in August … Don't give up on me, please !

….

"Sybil, did you read that?"

Anna and Sybil were on the train for home. They were sitting in front of each other, next to the window. Anna gave her magazine to Sybil.

"It's an article about this new kind of hotel. You know, we saw it on TV one morning."

"Yeah, I remember. Oh, this one is in France. North of France. Well, that looks scary, don't you think?"

Anna laughed at her sister.

"Yeah, because it's raining in the picture; however, that looks definitely cold. Where is it? I didn't read it."

"Hmm… Bre… Bretagne. Northwest. And that can't be colder than England. France, even the North, is south for us. But I will ask Mum."

Anna looked up from her own book and smiled.

"Mum doesn't know everything you know…"

Sybil laughed and kicked her sister.

"I know, but she is a travel agent. She could know the climate in Bretagne.

"I'm sure she could."

The two sisters stayed silent, each in her own book. Then, the speakers switched on and told them that they were at their destination. Sybil was the first on her feet.

"Go on; Daddy will be there already.'

She quickly took her bag. She always had been closer to their father, whereas Anna was closer to their mother. But the sisters were close to each other, and that was what mattered.

"Daddy, hmm…"

"Oh, just shut up and move."

Charles had been at the station for 15 minutes. He had a tea in hands when the train stopped. He quickly finished it and tried to find his daughters in the crowd.

"Hello, Dad!" the two sisters screamed at the same time.

"Hi, girls! Oh, I'm so glad to see you!"

Charles took his girls in his arms before he took their suitcases.

"My car is just there. Come this way. How was your trip?"

"Good." Anna answered.

"Shorter than by car…" Sybil added.

Charles put their bags in the car trunk and laughed when he realized that his daughters were playing a game to choose which one of them would sit in the front with him.

"Shit."

"Sybil, don't swear, please." Charles warned.

"Sorry…"

Anna laughed and climbed in the car in the front, next to her father.

"May I switch the radio on?"

"Sure, sweetheart. Do you have any plans for the weekend?"

"No, nothing. We want to relax and sleep 13 hours a night."

Anna laughed at her sister. Sybil modified.

"Well, I want to relax and sleep 13 hours a night."

Charles laughed openly.

During the travel, they talked about nothing and everything. Charles felt peaceful to have his girls here, even if one was missing.

"Hmm… girls? I have something to ask you."

"You look very serious. Is everything okay, Dad?"

Both Sybil and Anna started to panic.

"Yeah! I just… I wondered if… if you two, would like to meet Chloé? I mean not now, but during the weekend, or the next time you come, or…"

Anna looked at her sister in the rear-view mirror to check if Sybil had the same opinion that she did. Sybil smiled at her. Charles had his eyes stuck on the road.

Anna answered: "Yes, why not?"

"If it's important to you, we will be glad to meet her." Sybil added.

Charles wanted to say that no, it was not really important to him, that he didn't mind if Chloé would not meet them. But because his mouth had said something that his mind hadn't yet thought about, he had to make sure that his daughters would be okay about meeting his girlfriend. Girlfriend! Even to him it was a teenager's word.

"But when you have sex with someone without being in love, you're a teenager, right? A teenager or an asshole." Charles thought.

But Charles knew that Chloé wasn't in love with him.

"Just friends with benefits."

Charles had heard his daughters talked about it once and had been shocked about the notion behind it. But now that he was in this situation, he realized that, well, it could happen sometimes.

"As long as the two agree."

"Dad, you're still here?"

"Yes, yes, sorry. And thank you sweethearts."

Charles parked his car in front of Elsie's house.

"Okay, here you go. Do you want me to help you with your bags?" Charles asked.

Both girls nodded. He climbed out of his car, and opened Sybil's door, while Anna was searching for her mother's keys in her purse.

Charles looked at the house in front of him. It was small.

"So much smaller than ours when we were married. Well, it was helping when we were avoiding each other." He sighed to himself.

"Do you want to come in?" Sybil asked when she noticed how her father was looking hopefully at the door.

"No, no. I don't want to disturb you. I'm sure you'll have lots to say to each other. Okay, so, call me when you have a bit of free time. Right?"

Charles kissed his daughters goodbye and started walking in the direction of his car.

"Daddy, wait!"

Sybil ran into her father's arms.

"We will call you, I promise. And she is probably not home."

"I know sweetheart. Don't worry. I'm glad you're both here."

He wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed the top of her head. Sybil looked up at him. Charles looked Anna and gave her a big smile. She responded with a smile and put her hand on her sister's back when she returned near her. Charles climbed back in his car, smiled at them one last time, and drive home.

Anna turned the lock open.

"Mum?" Sybil asked.

Elsie ran out of her office and hugged both Anna and Sybil close.

"Hello, my girls! I'm sorry I didn't hear you coming. I had music on. Did you make it okay?"

"Yeah, it was fine." Anna answered.

"Is your father parking his car?"

Elsie took her daughter's bags while she asked, so she didn't see the look between the sisters.

"No, actually. He left. He knew that we would have a lot to tell so he didn't want to disturb us." Anna answered.

Elsie almost dropped the bags. Since their divorce, well, since they were well in their divorce, Charles always stopped for a tea when he left their daughters at her home.

"Why is this time different from the others?"

Each time, she would open the door and say hello, ask him to come in for a minute. He would refuse. She would insist. He would say yes. And, for the time of an hour, it would be just like before, talking about anything and everything. Laughing about Anna's stories at school; and Sybil's at the hospital. No divorce, no lawyers, no tears and shouting.

Then, Elsie realized:

"I wasn't there to greet them. He thought he wasn't welcome today. He thought… no, no,no… he thought I didn't want to see him anymore. Oh, but Charles how wrong you are…"