Sorry this took me so long. I am stuying hard. Maybe anotehr chapter might come along during the night ;) Special thanks to @Belle who'll always gonna be my fav editor :)
Just to help আপনি remember....
Previously on December/December:
"Hugh looked far away from knowing what he was doing. He was a frightening mix of depression and hiper-excitement tonight and that shade of resolution in his eyes, even if he was being very careful in hiding it from him, wasn’t reassuring at all.
“Hugh, I just want to be sure you….”But they had run out of time already. Lisa was pushing her way through the crowd heading in their direction, coming from behind Hugh’s back. He sighed, nodding in her direction “Right there behind you”
Hugh turned to see Lisa making her way through the crowd; now and then, she would smile politely at the people she stumbled into, but she didn’t seem to have noticed them yet. She was wearing a black long taffeta gown-dress, with some jewelled embroidery sewed on the front going all around the neckline: it lightened her features like a fine garland of little diamonds.
He spotted her, finally lifting her eyes in their direction. He swept to Rob’s side, scratching his nose. He always did like that when he felt uncomfortable: touching his face, playing with his hands, rocking his body…He truly was a hopeless case. He put his hands back in his pockets. Whatever he would try, he wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off her long enough anyway. He let his eyes run along her figure once more: her dress was simply cut, no sleeves. Maybe a little ball-like, he thought, but it tightened around her waist with such a grace that it was impossible not to find it lovely on her.
At last, she covered the মহাকাশ between them, but he didn’t feel ready yet. Hasn’t he be waiting for a real chance to talk to her? “Now talk for the প্রণয় of God…”
Her eyes slipped on him. Then on Robert. Then on him again until they shied away. Her face was totally glowing and it was just as painful as staring right into one bright light. Only that light wasn’t his anymore.
“Here আপনি are!!” she finally ব্যক্ত “Thanks a lot for taking the wraps off me, দ্বারা the way Robert!” she sounded good-humoured and also a little warmed up maybe, which made her even beautiful than he could recall her having ever been. Nevertheless, there was something off about her. But maybe it was just him and the fact that her casual manners and detachment weren’t something he was sure to understand অথবা be ready to accept.
“My pleasure, Liz” Robert didn’t miss the occasion to make fun of her in his usual gentlemanly manner “I could have NEVER stolen আপনি the scene, that would be a horrible, HORRIBLE crime”
Lisa rolled her eyes grinning. She hadn’t looked at him yet “Are আপনি teasing me?”
“I am not, I swear. I am not as wonderfully glamorous and photogenic as you, we both know that…and besides, I was actually starting to get used to this little cosy, crowded tent…What do আপনি think Hugh?”
“Absolutely, I want one in my housed one day….you know, people included. I can’t wait to have an Oprah Winfrey, real size silhouette decorating my living room” This kind of nonsense humour was one of the few things that came naturally to him. A good way to procrastinate.
“Oh shut up আপনি two!” the amused exasperation in her voice recalled him of good old times “Why do I always get the feeling I am the only one around here who ACTUALLY cares about promotion?!” she uttered a snort, but she wasn’t really annoyed “Pff, আপনি men are such children…”
“And proud to be” Robert added.
She giggled lightly finally meeting his eyes for a বিভক্ত করা second. There was a warm light inside them, but even that, tonight, seemed to have the bewitching power to cast deep discomfort on him.
“Hi, দ্বারা the way”
“Hi” Maybe if he worked on it, he could come up with something a little bit আরো eloquent than that.
“You just arrived?” She sounded a little breathless, as if she were grasping for air. Maybe her ankle was bothering her. Where the hell was Jess দ্বারা the way, wasn’t he supposed to help her?
“Sort of…you know how much I am madly FOND of these LOVELY reunions”
Secretly, he had been waiting for this, the moment she would smile to one of his misanthropic remarks and her face would light up just like that, but even her smiles looked different tonight. It felt like she was miles away from him, escaping his endless attempt to grab her hand. He tried to reach for her.
“They really must have overworked আপনি on that carpet tonight”
“What?” She even looked distracted ”What do আপনি mean?”
And then, she locked eyes with him; অথবা maybe she didn’t and their eyes just met for another বিভক্ত করা second, but it was a সেকেন্ড that might as well have lasted decades this time. The black glazed fabric of her dress was totally bringing out their shade. A pair of wide, perfectly round, pale and grey circles which, he had often got the feeling, were amazingly able to read into his soul as noone else’s could
Lisa prompted gently for an answer, with a teasing, tentative tone “Are you…going to answer me or…are আপনি planning on playing the mysterious English gentleman all night?”
He smirked “Just meant that আপনি soundout out of breath”
“Oh…well yes…I guess….uh…” she blushed lightly “What about the others Robert? I left them with you, haven’t I…”
He wasn’t sure he had caught the hidden unspoken meaning of that deflection. Slowly, a tiny little smile started creeping on his lips.
“What do আপনি mean, I guess?! Either আপনি know that অথবা আপনি don’t? What were you? Sleepwalking?” he taunted, interrupting her.
She just pretended to ignore him, pursing her lips and slightly narrowing her eyes obstinately fixed on Robert “Ehm…so….where are the others? I can’t see them around…”
“I thought আপনি had already asked that?” He had no intention to let it go, because there had always been just….something about her that stirred him আরো than he could possibly explain. She turned, pointing her eyes at him: this time they look like being glittering with shiny, little sparks. He sighed a deep breath: it was difficult not to get হারিয়ে গেছে in there….
“He didn’t get the chance to answer me….since আপনি keep অভিনয় as an annoying little child tonight” In so saying, she faintly dropped her jaw as she usually did when she pretended to find him annoying. His smirk grew lager.
“I was indeed thinking…” Rob interrupted “…maybe it’s my duty as the senior, most mature member of this group…”
Hugh coughed “Excuse me, but I claim the শিরোনাম here”
“Well…I meant both body and BRAIN, my friend,” he ব্যক্ত clapping over his shoulder “It would be like sending…I don’t know…Pinocchio for Lucifer. আপনি won’t probably get back with a clean soul”
“Ah ah, you’re very, VERY funny tonight. Such a doll”
Robert sneered, “My pleasure, once again…so I was saying, maybe I should go looking for Omar and Jess, really”
“Haven’t আপনি all come together, oh Great Wise?” He looked down sideways at Lisa, unconsciously checking on her response. This was another bad habit. His humour didn’t seem to make any sense to him without an audience: and she has always been his favourite. His chest flood with a warm, familiar feeling: she was stifling laughs.
“Yes, we did…but আপনি know how kids are. They see something they like and they just…” he gestured widening his eyes eloquently “want to…well have it…”
Hugh started scratching his chin, as if he were pondering something, keeping on with his private প্রদর্শনী “That doesn’t sound good, does it?” he made a funny puzzled face, frowning his eyebrows “I wonder what that might possibly mean?”
“Meaning…Last time I saw them, Jess had already spotted their পরবর্তি victim: some poor, random, beautiful girl he was planning to stalk all night…buying her drinks and yada yada…you know how it works”
“Yeah, POOR her. Jess stalking her all night? Phew…I do pity her.”
Obviously. She wouldn’t be herself if she had missed the opportunity chance to reply in kind to something like that. His smile faded, but his eyes softened. God...he missed her.
“Ok we get it, lucky her” Rob cut off “I’ll go and rescue her, anyway. Wait for us”
He was already disappearing into the crowd when Hugh answered “Meaning, you’re going to bring us the girl in exchange for “pretty face” and “cool boy”?! Excellent” he ব্যক্ত mimicking a টোস্ট “More gorgeous women and less competition around!”
He saw Robert giving him a frowned sideways glance, because remark like that was usual of him to say the least, but whatever had got into him tonight, despite of everything, it was working: Lisa was giggling and shaking her head in disbelief, half shocked, half amused.
“You’re laughing” he pointed out “That’s a good sign. Means আপনি don’t hate me that much”
“I don’t hate you! আপনি know that” there was something apologetic about her look, though, that darkened his mood “Don’t ever dare say something like that…”
“I was kidding. But it’s nice to see আপনি still care for me”
“I always will”
They both breathed a deep breath, turning their eyes off each other simultaneously. An uneasy silence followed, as Lisa started giving uneasy looks around, clearly trying to figure out something else to say. He studied her. All about the way she was standing there, right in front of him...all about her smiles and glances was telling him something was bugging her, but he hadn’t the slightest idea on what it might be. Things have been so different between the two of them for so long, that he was no longer sure of anything anymore. Well he was sure of himself and had he had the right sense of humour this would turn out to be kind of funny: he had been struggling against this for so long and now that he felt ready….
“Just tell me what’s on your mind, please”
She shook her head, picking up instantly what he meant. For one thing, she still had this scary capacity to read his mind.“Nothing really there’s just something about you. I can’t…” and once again, he believed to see something into her eyes he wasn’t quite sure he liked. অথবা could stand. “Nothing, really…I am just…happy to see you’re ok”
The words “happy” and “ok” kept echoing inside his head, tearing him up in tiny little pieces as he assessed the possibility she might be meaning exactly what she was saying. No hidden message whatsoever: she was happy to see he was ok. Period.
His phone rang in his pocket. Text message.
“It’s Robert. We need to get in. They are starting, already. Bloody hell…”
“What now?”
“We are in the front row…I hate the front row. We have no privacy” he quickly reconsidered it might not be the right time to point out he’d like some “Sorry. Old, bad habits. Front row is perfect”
“Don’t be” another of those looks he couldn’t decipher the meaning of tonight “I prefer the back ones too. It’s gonna be a long night without our usual chit-chatting…”
Her smile didn’t win him over.
Just to help আপনি remember....
Previously on December/December:
"Hugh looked far away from knowing what he was doing. He was a frightening mix of depression and hiper-excitement tonight and that shade of resolution in his eyes, even if he was being very careful in hiding it from him, wasn’t reassuring at all.
“Hugh, I just want to be sure you….”But they had run out of time already. Lisa was pushing her way through the crowd heading in their direction, coming from behind Hugh’s back. He sighed, nodding in her direction “Right there behind you”
Hugh turned to see Lisa making her way through the crowd; now and then, she would smile politely at the people she stumbled into, but she didn’t seem to have noticed them yet. She was wearing a black long taffeta gown-dress, with some jewelled embroidery sewed on the front going all around the neckline: it lightened her features like a fine garland of little diamonds.
He spotted her, finally lifting her eyes in their direction. He swept to Rob’s side, scratching his nose. He always did like that when he felt uncomfortable: touching his face, playing with his hands, rocking his body…He truly was a hopeless case. He put his hands back in his pockets. Whatever he would try, he wouldn’t be able to take his eyes off her long enough anyway. He let his eyes run along her figure once more: her dress was simply cut, no sleeves. Maybe a little ball-like, he thought, but it tightened around her waist with such a grace that it was impossible not to find it lovely on her.
At last, she covered the মহাকাশ between them, but he didn’t feel ready yet. Hasn’t he be waiting for a real chance to talk to her? “Now talk for the প্রণয় of God…”
Her eyes slipped on him. Then on Robert. Then on him again until they shied away. Her face was totally glowing and it was just as painful as staring right into one bright light. Only that light wasn’t his anymore.
“Here আপনি are!!” she finally ব্যক্ত “Thanks a lot for taking the wraps off me, দ্বারা the way Robert!” she sounded good-humoured and also a little warmed up maybe, which made her even beautiful than he could recall her having ever been. Nevertheless, there was something off about her. But maybe it was just him and the fact that her casual manners and detachment weren’t something he was sure to understand অথবা be ready to accept.
“My pleasure, Liz” Robert didn’t miss the occasion to make fun of her in his usual gentlemanly manner “I could have NEVER stolen আপনি the scene, that would be a horrible, HORRIBLE crime”
Lisa rolled her eyes grinning. She hadn’t looked at him yet “Are আপনি teasing me?”
“I am not, I swear. I am not as wonderfully glamorous and photogenic as you, we both know that…and besides, I was actually starting to get used to this little cosy, crowded tent…What do আপনি think Hugh?”
“Absolutely, I want one in my housed one day….you know, people included. I can’t wait to have an Oprah Winfrey, real size silhouette decorating my living room” This kind of nonsense humour was one of the few things that came naturally to him. A good way to procrastinate.
“Oh shut up আপনি two!” the amused exasperation in her voice recalled him of good old times “Why do I always get the feeling I am the only one around here who ACTUALLY cares about promotion?!” she uttered a snort, but she wasn’t really annoyed “Pff, আপনি men are such children…”
“And proud to be” Robert added.
She giggled lightly finally meeting his eyes for a বিভক্ত করা second. There was a warm light inside them, but even that, tonight, seemed to have the bewitching power to cast deep discomfort on him.
“Hi, দ্বারা the way”
“Hi” Maybe if he worked on it, he could come up with something a little bit আরো eloquent than that.
“You just arrived?” She sounded a little breathless, as if she were grasping for air. Maybe her ankle was bothering her. Where the hell was Jess দ্বারা the way, wasn’t he supposed to help her?
“Sort of…you know how much I am madly FOND of these LOVELY reunions”
Secretly, he had been waiting for this, the moment she would smile to one of his misanthropic remarks and her face would light up just like that, but even her smiles looked different tonight. It felt like she was miles away from him, escaping his endless attempt to grab her hand. He tried to reach for her.
“They really must have overworked আপনি on that carpet tonight”
“What?” She even looked distracted ”What do আপনি mean?”
And then, she locked eyes with him; অথবা maybe she didn’t and their eyes just met for another বিভক্ত করা second, but it was a সেকেন্ড that might as well have lasted decades this time. The black glazed fabric of her dress was totally bringing out their shade. A pair of wide, perfectly round, pale and grey circles which, he had often got the feeling, were amazingly able to read into his soul as noone else’s could
Lisa prompted gently for an answer, with a teasing, tentative tone “Are you…going to answer me or…are আপনি planning on playing the mysterious English gentleman all night?”
He smirked “Just meant that আপনি soundout out of breath”
“Oh…well yes…I guess….uh…” she blushed lightly “What about the others Robert? I left them with you, haven’t I…”
He wasn’t sure he had caught the hidden unspoken meaning of that deflection. Slowly, a tiny little smile started creeping on his lips.
“What do আপনি mean, I guess?! Either আপনি know that অথবা আপনি don’t? What were you? Sleepwalking?” he taunted, interrupting her.
She just pretended to ignore him, pursing her lips and slightly narrowing her eyes obstinately fixed on Robert “Ehm…so….where are the others? I can’t see them around…”
“I thought আপনি had already asked that?” He had no intention to let it go, because there had always been just….something about her that stirred him আরো than he could possibly explain. She turned, pointing her eyes at him: this time they look like being glittering with shiny, little sparks. He sighed a deep breath: it was difficult not to get হারিয়ে গেছে in there….
“He didn’t get the chance to answer me….since আপনি keep অভিনয় as an annoying little child tonight” In so saying, she faintly dropped her jaw as she usually did when she pretended to find him annoying. His smirk grew lager.
“I was indeed thinking…” Rob interrupted “…maybe it’s my duty as the senior, most mature member of this group…”
Hugh coughed “Excuse me, but I claim the শিরোনাম here”
“Well…I meant both body and BRAIN, my friend,” he ব্যক্ত clapping over his shoulder “It would be like sending…I don’t know…Pinocchio for Lucifer. আপনি won’t probably get back with a clean soul”
“Ah ah, you’re very, VERY funny tonight. Such a doll”
Robert sneered, “My pleasure, once again…so I was saying, maybe I should go looking for Omar and Jess, really”
“Haven’t আপনি all come together, oh Great Wise?” He looked down sideways at Lisa, unconsciously checking on her response. This was another bad habit. His humour didn’t seem to make any sense to him without an audience: and she has always been his favourite. His chest flood with a warm, familiar feeling: she was stifling laughs.
“Yes, we did…but আপনি know how kids are. They see something they like and they just…” he gestured widening his eyes eloquently “want to…well have it…”
Hugh started scratching his chin, as if he were pondering something, keeping on with his private প্রদর্শনী “That doesn’t sound good, does it?” he made a funny puzzled face, frowning his eyebrows “I wonder what that might possibly mean?”
“Meaning…Last time I saw them, Jess had already spotted their পরবর্তি victim: some poor, random, beautiful girl he was planning to stalk all night…buying her drinks and yada yada…you know how it works”
“Yeah, POOR her. Jess stalking her all night? Phew…I do pity her.”
Obviously. She wouldn’t be herself if she had missed the opportunity chance to reply in kind to something like that. His smile faded, but his eyes softened. God...he missed her.
“Ok we get it, lucky her” Rob cut off “I’ll go and rescue her, anyway. Wait for us”
He was already disappearing into the crowd when Hugh answered “Meaning, you’re going to bring us the girl in exchange for “pretty face” and “cool boy”?! Excellent” he ব্যক্ত mimicking a টোস্ট “More gorgeous women and less competition around!”
He saw Robert giving him a frowned sideways glance, because remark like that was usual of him to say the least, but whatever had got into him tonight, despite of everything, it was working: Lisa was giggling and shaking her head in disbelief, half shocked, half amused.
“You’re laughing” he pointed out “That’s a good sign. Means আপনি don’t hate me that much”
“I don’t hate you! আপনি know that” there was something apologetic about her look, though, that darkened his mood “Don’t ever dare say something like that…”
“I was kidding. But it’s nice to see আপনি still care for me”
“I always will”
They both breathed a deep breath, turning their eyes off each other simultaneously. An uneasy silence followed, as Lisa started giving uneasy looks around, clearly trying to figure out something else to say. He studied her. All about the way she was standing there, right in front of him...all about her smiles and glances was telling him something was bugging her, but he hadn’t the slightest idea on what it might be. Things have been so different between the two of them for so long, that he was no longer sure of anything anymore. Well he was sure of himself and had he had the right sense of humour this would turn out to be kind of funny: he had been struggling against this for so long and now that he felt ready….
“Just tell me what’s on your mind, please”
She shook her head, picking up instantly what he meant. For one thing, she still had this scary capacity to read his mind.“Nothing really there’s just something about you. I can’t…” and once again, he believed to see something into her eyes he wasn’t quite sure he liked. অথবা could stand. “Nothing, really…I am just…happy to see you’re ok”
The words “happy” and “ok” kept echoing inside his head, tearing him up in tiny little pieces as he assessed the possibility she might be meaning exactly what she was saying. No hidden message whatsoever: she was happy to see he was ok. Period.
His phone rang in his pocket. Text message.
“It’s Robert. We need to get in. They are starting, already. Bloody hell…”
“What now?”
“We are in the front row…I hate the front row. We have no privacy” he quickly reconsidered it might not be the right time to point out he’d like some “Sorry. Old, bad habits. Front row is perfect”
“Don’t be” another of those looks he couldn’t decipher the meaning of tonight “I prefer the back ones too. It’s gonna be a long night without our usual chit-chatting…”
Her smile didn’t win him over.
And then her favorite part of the morning...
