Lili had just returned from a trip with the Dunns, and Mr. Cavalier picked her up himself. He met her at the airport with a bouquet of flowers and a longing kiss, then he asked, her if she was too tired for a surprise. Liliana didn't refuse, she was never too tired for Frantz. Frantz drove them to his house, where he had dinner prepared, and he cooked it himself. As she ate the delicious meal, she often caught Frantz looking at her. Lili had giggled and asked, him what happened, but instead of giving a direct answer, he simply shrugged and told her to wait until after dinner.
He asked, her about her trip and created causal conversation until they were both done with dinner. Then he led her to sit in the living room. Until then, Liliana's nerves continued to build up. She could barely sit still and wait for his surprise, and almost jumped up to ask him what the surprise was. When Frantz noticed her knee began to bounce, and she started biting her lips in anticipation, he laughed and finally excused himself. He returned with a black photo album, and sat next to Liliana, telling her that he needed to show her something.
*Flashback*
Liliana-
"What is it?" I asked, giggling nervously, and Frantz looked at me with a smile as he sighed and explained, "I've never shown this to anyone before."
"Is it a picture of you as a naked baby?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood, though I could feel the intensity from his eyes boiling in my abdomen.
"Well there are plenty of those," He laughed, but then he added, "but that's not the main reason why I'm showing you this," then he began flipping through a few pages until he found the desired section.
He drew a deep breath, then released it in a shaky, nervous manner.
Unsure of what he was feeling, I placed my hand on his, and squeezed it, hoping it was comforting, and he looked at me and smiled before he cleared his throat and said, "um, I'd like you to meet my brother." Then he showed me the picture.
In this small photo, baby Frantz with a head full of curly hair, sat while a smaller boy, with a similar face and hair sat on baby Frantz's lap, while baby Frantz cradled him in his arms.
The boys looked so happy in the picture. They were both smiling from ear to ear, with their white shirts and shorts. The next picture, baby Frantz and his brother were in a boat with Mr. Cavalier. The boys were bathed in sunscreen, and Frantz laughed when I pointed at his facial expression in the photo. Then the next picture displayed Mariella embracing both boys as they all smiled towards the camera.
"This was our last photo taken together." Frantz explained, then he sniffled, his eyes becoming red as he explained, "I barely remember the details, but the next day he woke up with a fever, by the evening he was worse, pale, throwing up. My parents brought him to the hospital, and he never returned."
I watched him with a sorrowful frown. A lone tear had escaped his eyes, but I wiped it away quickly as I said, "I'm sorry."
He chuckled with a short sob, then shook his head as he grabbed my hand and kissed it, "It's okay."
He kissed my hand again, and I brought my lips to his left cheek which was now also wet. He held me close, and I intertwined our fingers together. He closed his eyes, his final tears shedding, and I continued to leave soft kisses against his cheek. When I pulled away, I wiped his face with my hands, then I held his face and brought his eyes to mine.
"What was his name?" I asked, knowing he needed this release, and he sighed shakily, blinking his beautiful brown eyes and long eyelashes which I envied, as he declared, "Franco, his name was Franco." He exhaled, and I nodded as I said, "Okay," Then I kissed him.
I kissed him as if my life depended on it.
In that moment, as I squeezed his face, and his tears met mine, I knew it.
I had fallen in love with Mr. Cavalier.
*End of Flashback*
Liliana-
From that moment, I had tried to find the right opportunity to tell him, but no time ever felt right. And now, out of fear of losing him, I said, it recklessly, with desperation. But I didn't feel any relief. In fact, my fear had now tripled.
What if I scared him away? I wanted to face palm myself over and over again. Or maybe knock my forehead against a hard surface until skin bruised. I was actually in pain. Deep, in the darkest pits of my chest where my heart thrummed beneath my skin, the pain pulsed and throbbed. But I didn't notice that my tears had ran dry, until I felt my eyes burning every time I attempted to blink. Oh, I was a fool alright.
Narrator-
Across town, Frantz now sat in bed, perplexed and bewildered all at once. He blinked multiple times though his eyes focused on nothing in particular. And aside for the echoing thud of his heart, all he heard was Liliana's voice in his ears.
Liliana said, she loved him. She loved him.
It had been a while since he heard those words from a woman. Heck the last woman he heard that from, aside from his mother, betrayed him.
How many times had Christina declared those exact same words, yet it didn't stop her from betraying him.
Frantz felt that he needed to be careful now. He knew that he had shared some secrets with Liliana, which meant that their relationship had entered a new phase. But if he figured if anyone was going to proclaim their love first, it was going to be him. He never expected Liliana to make the first move. And now that she did... he didn't know how to handle it.
Now fully awake, Frantz wasn't sure what to do. So as if second nature, he threw on a shirt, then hurried out of his suite. He knew that Armagio was sleeping at this hour and didn't bother to wake him. Instead Frantz headed to the underground garage where he chose one of his cars and drove out into the night, needing to clear his head, with no real destination in mind. Frantz would just let his thoughts lead him.
When Mariella heard the front door close, but she noted her husband sleeping soundly next to her, she was fully alert. The entire staff should've been asleep by now, so Mariella couldn't imagine who would be at the door at this hour. Nonetheless, curiosity got the best of her, and unless she figured out who the culprit was, she wasn't going back to sleep, so she quietly left the bed, making sure to not disturb her husband, and slipping on her slippers, she quietly made her way out of the room and down the stairs.
She appeared at the top banister, and looked towards the front door, and it was shut. Not bothering to turn on the lights, she gripped the railing, and began descending the stairs. Once she was downstairs, Mariella noted that the main corridor was dark, except for one light which shone from the kitchen. Taking off one of her slippers, she firmly gripped it in her hand, before securing her robe, and began to make her way towards the kitchen silently. As she got closer, she heard what sounded like a crystal glass hitting the counter, then the sound of pouring liquor, then silence. So having heard enough, with one last step, she entered the kitchen ready to throw her shoe only to find her son leaning against the counter as he gulped back a glass of liquor before placing it down on the counter.
"Frantz? What are you doing?" Mariella breathed out, as she placed her sandal down and wore it on her foot, while breathing in relief, yet slightly apprehensive about her son's unexpected visit.
"Mamma? How did you know I was here? I was so quiet... Did I disturb you?" Frantz asked, his brow furrowing, as his mother began approaching him.
"Frantz you know I'm a light sleeper, any little noise and I'm awake. What I'm wondering is why you're awake? You only landed a few hours ago, I thought you'd be tired and in bed by now." Mariella noted with a frown, as she touched her son's cheek, then his forehead to make sure he was alright. Frantz let her do that without protesting.
"I was," Frantz replied, when Mariella stepped away, pleased that her son appeared well physically, "I mean I am, I just-" Frantz took a breath before he revealed, "she said, she loved me ma."
And Mariella drew in a breath. She didn't have to guess who Frantz was talking about, as she said, "ah," and nodded slowly. Mariella studied her son's posture and noticed the troubled twinkle in his eyes. And she knew, "and you love her too, but you're afraid to say it."
Frantz chose to not reply. Instead he filled his cup again, but before he could gulp it down, Mariella grabbed it from his hand and drank it herself in one gulp, then she looked at her son, "I see. Come, let's talk about it." She invited, placing the glass back on the counter, then she led him to a sitting nook a few steps from the dining area, while Mariella thought in her mind, it was going to be a long night.