Chapter 18: Play with me
It was already 9.30 in the morning when Matthew opened his eyes for the first time that day. He was still holding Kelly the same way he had when he came to her last night. By the rhythm of her breathing he figured she was still sleeping. As slow and silently as possible, he broke loose from her and got up. He decided to make Kelly some breakfast. Both of them were off work today, so they could take their time and catch up with one another. Matt left Kelly's bedroom on tiptoe, he went into the kitchen and opened the fridge. Eggs and milk were enough for him to make some scrambled eggs. He pressed two cups on Kelly's espresso machine, toasted some bread and squeezed some oranges to make fresh juice. When all of this was ready, he put it on a tray with a flower he picked from the bouquet he found on the kitchen's counter and took it to Kelly's bedroom. She hadn't stirred, still curled up, with her back to the door. Matt walked towards the bed and climbed on it, tucked one knee underneath and set the tray down in between him and Kelly. He lowered his head and kissed Kelly's hair. She still didn't stir. Matt grabbed his cup of coffee and took a sip. He rested his head against the headboard and looked at Kelly. It was then her arms moved and her head turned slightly over to his side. Kelly turned around fully, seeing Matthew was already drinking coffee. 'I thought you'd might want something to eat' he said in a hoarse voice. Kelly sat up in the bed, resting her head against the headboard alongside Matt. She took the cup of coffee from him and took a big gulp. 'You know, I've made two cups' he pointed towards the second cup still untouched on the tray. Kelly didn't respond and embraced the cup with both her hands as though it was a precious thing she was holding.
Matt watched her intently. Something had changed in her demeanor since he last saw her. When they said their goodbyes earlier this week, they acted like teenagers experiencing the feeling of love for the first time. Now, they were adults, dealing with life at its toughest. It was hard for him to believe all of this was happening to her. How could her kids have been taken from her? He couldn't even imagine how Kelly must be feeling. Looking at her, and seeing the grey circles around her eyes, her dropped shoulders and the light that had disappeared from her eyes, it made him realize she had hit rock bottom. Matt leaned forward and placed a long soft kiss on the side of Kelly's head, taking in the smell of her hair. Kelly didn't flinch, she closed her eyes for a brief moment during the kiss but went back to staring into the cup of coffee she held in her hands. 'So,' Matt spoke, 'tell me about France' while he handed her a piece of toast. He was happy she took it from him and took a bite. They ate in silence for a moment. Although no words were spoken, they shared the intimacy of sharing a breakfast. Both were still drinking from the same cup, they drank from the same glass and both of them were eating the eggs off the same plate. A feeling of silent intimacy Matt couldn't deny and to him it was enough.
When they had finished eating, Matt put the tray onto the floor on his side of the bed. 'Anything special you want to do today?' he asked Kelly. She shook her head. 'Naah, just staying in'. Matt nodded. 'If you want to go out, you're free to do whatever you like' she said. 'Nope,' Matt answered, 'I'd like to stay with you today.' He propped himself up on his elbow and rested his head onto the palm of his right hand and looked up at Kelly who was still leaning against the headboard of her bed. 'I'm going to take a shower', she said, 'I feel icky from the flight'. Matt nodded and watched her as she got off the bed. Instead of leaving the bedroom, she walked to Matt's side of the bed and sat down by his side. His head now onto his other hand, he watched her intently. Kelly looked right ahead of her, towards the white wooden door of her bedroom. It was as if what she was going to say was written down there somewhere: 'The kids are okay.' She sighed before she continued. 'They made me a welcoming sign that said 'Welcome Super Mama' and we talked a lot about all of this. This entire situation and how they feel about it. We played together on the beach near the house. We built castles in the sand. We walked through the water as our feet got wet. We slept in the same bed every night, just the three of us. It felt so good being with them, you know, just having dinner together, going for walks hours on end along the beach, making drawings, taking baths together before going to sleep...' Matt had started to softly rub her back while she was telling him about her past week. 'They must have been thrilled to have you with them' Matt said. Kelly nodded. 'Helena said she wants to come home, to New York…', Matthew could hear the crack in her voice, indicating she was on the verge of breaking down again. Kelly quickly turned around and kissed the corner of Matt's mouth. 'I'm going to shower now', drifting out of the room. Matt wished there was something he could do to cheer her up.
When Matt entered the bathroom he heard Kelly was still in the shower. He didn't say anything and brushed his teeth. The bathroom was becoming rather steamy. Matt couldn't see himself in the mirror anymore. He sat down on the edge of Kelly's bathtub. When he heard Kelly turn off the water, he took a towel from the shelf and held it open for her. Kelly stepped out of the shower and into Matt's embrace. He rubbed her dry; bound the towel around her slim body and sat her down on the tub next to him. 'What did Hermes say?' Matt asked curiously. Kelly let her head fall and sighed long and loud. 'Hermes likes it there. He loves the beach, the ocean, the weather. His father.' Matt rubbed Kelly's back and said convincingly: 'And his mother!' Kelly looked at Matt and for the first time that day she smiled. Briefly though, it was gone in less than a second. But it was a smile nonetheless. 'He says he misses me. We talked a lot. About things. He's so serious when he's with his father, you know. He didn't even want to play hide and seek with Helena and me because he feels too old. Can you believe that? He's only five. His father never plays with him and Helena. It just breaks my heart to leave them there…' Matt didn't know what to say and just kept stroking her back and massaging her shoulders. 'I want my kids to be kids! Do you understand?' Matt nodded and placed a kiss on her sleep while he got up. He stood in front of her, extended his hands to her. She looked up at him and slowly put her hands in his and he pulled her to her feet in one smooth movement. When they were face to face, Matt looked deeply into Kelly's eyes before lowering his to her lips, he kissed her and bit her lower lip. Delicately. Tasting her. He stepped backwards, still holding Kelly's hands in his and she followed him.
They made their way into Kelly's bedroom, kissing each other tenderly as Matthew made his way towards her bed. He abandoned her lips and kissed a slow trail along her jaw towards her neck. Kelly tilted her head to the left to give him better access. She buried her head in his shoulder and bit it while he aroused her with his kisses. 'I love you, Kel' Matt whispered in between his licks along her neckline. Kelly just sighed loudly. She lifted her head and stepped back. She looked at Matthew with a flushed expression. Her hands went to the knot that held her towel together above her cleavage. She undid it and let it fall to the floor. 'Play with me' she ordered.