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- Chimera of Life -
Story One: Mutual Conquest
~*~
“Duo! Duo guess what!” Hilde
barged into his office with a wide smile on her face and a letter, being waved
high in the air.
He couldn’t help but smile
at her excitement. “Well… I don’t think there’s any fire… a bomb threat?”
“No, silly!” Hilde ran to
him and nearly made him fall when she dropped her weight on his body in a
spontaneous embrace. “We have it! We’re invited!”
Duo tried to catch his
breath first then followed the waving letter around. “What? Where?”
“Look!” She pressed the
letter in front of his face and Duo had to place his hands on her shoulder to
still her.
“Hilde, angel, calm down and
let me take a look, okay?”
With a wide smile on her
face, Hilde tried to sit still on his knees and let go of the white, gold
trimmed letter. “Just imagine! If we get this deal…! We wouldn’t have to take
another project for the next two years!”
Duo quickly read through the
invitation with a frown, curious, though the emblem letterhead was already a
huge tip.
“Remember? They’re going to
choose from forty already selected companies and we’re one of them!!!” Hilde
squealed from Duo’s lap and hugged him again. “Can you believe it!? Our
company! I thought we’d never get in when I filled out that form!”
“Yes… yes… it’s all great…”
Something on the letter blinked red at him.
Hilde’s excitement toned
down a little as she noticed Duo’s frown. “You… you don’t look excited at all…”
“Hilde, I don’t care if our
company wasn’t one of the best.” Duo placed the letter on his table. “I don’t
care if we were never invited to these things. If I know that our employees
were all having fun and that we please our customers, that is what I consider
best.”
“Alright…” Hilde stood up
from Duo’s lap and he instantly missed her weight. “Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Hilde, I think you forgot
about our acquisition meeting on one of the days during that five day
invitation, and the plant inspection the day before that.”
Her lips turned into an ‘o’
before one of her hands covered it then she reached for the letter to check the
date. “Oh… Oh no…”
“And remember, Taggert
specifically said that it was the only day he’s open. Plus, we already set the
date with the plant a month ago.” He saw the flicker of disappointment in her
eyes and he stood up, walked behind her, and started massaging her
shoulders. “Hey, you okay?”
“I… I wanted to go… I wanted
to show them that MS Industries was-”
Duo turned her around then
placed his hand over her lips. “Hilde, we don’t have to prove to anyone that
we’re the best. They just have to look at our records.”
She nodded, but he could be
blind and he would still see that regret in her eyes… He knew how much she
wanted to get into this convention since the day Arche had announced that small
opening in their closed market. He’s just happy that the convention was going
to be held in a free zone.
“Tell you what… How about
you go to this thing,” Duo reached for the invitation and placed it in Hilde’s
hands. “And I will go to the meetings.”
Hilde bit her lower lip. Two
things on two of the days…
“Hey, this is why there’s
two of us here. This was one of the things we decided on a long time ago.” He
tipped her chin up to make her look at him in the eyes. “Besides, You’re gonna
knock ‘em dead and take home that contract without even trying.”
She couldn’t stop the smile
on her face. “Thanks…” She closed the distance between them and hugged him. He
understood how much she wanted to get Arche’s market. Who wouldn’t be thankful
for such a wonderful partner?
Duo looked at her, his hands
in the air, on either side of him, unable to decide whether to hug her or not.
Then, he sighed, gave up to the inevitable, and hugged her. “Hey, how about if
we celebrate, huh? I mean, I’m probably going to get that deal with Taggert,
and Arche invited you because of your beautiful portfolio...”
“Hmmm… I could wear that one
dress Relena and I bought with your money…” She rubbed her face on his chest
and breathed in his cologne. He smells so good!
Duo closed his eyes and
counted to ten while he willed his body to stay calm. “What? You’re hoarding
one more dress in that closet of yours?”
Hilde laughed. “Yep.”
“So… how about that
exclusive club down the Heights? Dinner and dance?”
“Sounds good.” She pulled
away from him for her sake, and so he could make the reservations.
Duo thanked and cursed at
the same time. He didn’t want to let go of Hilde, but he knew he had to. His
fingers flew over their phone, and he focused on the screen to check the
numbers that appeared and disappeared. He finally pressed stop and the dial
button.
His call was promptly
answered. “Hi there. Reservations for two, tonight please.”
Hilde sat on the edge of
Duo’s desk to look at the monitor.
The silver attired teen
glanced back at them with an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, sir. The club is
booked for the night.”
Duo frowned. “But-” He
stopped as he felt Hilde’s hand on his shoulder. When he looked up, she just
shook her head. With a sigh, he faced the monitor once again. “Fine. Forget
it.”
“Have a nice day, sir.”
The monitor turned black and
Duo twisted in his seat to face her. “Well… they’re booked.”
“Hey, it’s okay. I wouldn’t
care if we celebrated and danced at home.” Hilde shrugged as she stood up. She
really didn’t care. Though she was looking forward to dancing- she
stopped when her hand was suddenly encompassed in his.
“Hey, that ain’t a bad idea.
That is, if you don’t mind.” Duo quickly let her go, when he felt his skin
tingle at her touch.
Hilde frowned. “At home?”
Her frown slowly disappeared, replaced by a smile. “All right, I’ll cook.”
“Nah. I’ll cook. We’re
celebrating because you got that invitation!”
At that announcement Hilde
backtracked and faced Duo with hands on her hips. “Okay. Duo, what is wrong?!”
She needs to get to the bottom of this. It’s becoming too much like a dream! “I
turned a blind eye when you started waking up early, when you started cooking
breakfast, and when you mowed the lawn even though the grass was only an inch
high! You cleaned the roof yesterday and now… volunteering to cook dinner? Is
there something you’re not telling me? I mean… not that you don’t work… but
this is not like you! You’re scaring me!”
Duo blinked a couple of
times in surprise.
“I mean, ‘Oh I’ll do that
Hilde’, or ‘Wake up Hilde’, or ‘I’ll take care of that, Hilde.’” She leaned to
him and reached out to touch his cheek, to cup his suddenly all too worried
face… “If there’s something that’s bothering you… Please tell me. I’ll do
anything to help…”
Duo slightly turned his face
and kissed Hilde’s right palm just because he couldn’t help himself. “Nothing’s
wrong, angel… I’m just… I’m probably just going through a phase…”
Hilde forced herself not to
gasp when his lips touched her palm. “Are you sure? Are you sure you’re all
right?”
Duo nodded and then he
slowly brought her hands down from his face. “I’m fine.”
“Okay.” Hilde sighed and let
her hands hang limply by her side. “Just remember… I’m here for you.”
Duo nodded, the lines on his
face suddenly more pronounced. “I know, Hilde… I know…”
They stared at each other for a few more minutes finally Hilde nodded and turned away. Duo closed his eyes and let his body rest in his chair as if boneless while Hilde didn’t stop walking until she reached her office, closed her door, then leaned against it with a sigh. She’s as bad as Relena, and that, in her book, was hopeless.
…
“Duo! May I come out now? I
really do want to help!” Hilde offered from inside her room.
“No! Just stay there until I
tell you to come ou- ouch!”
She bit her lower lip to
stop a laugh. For a moment, she felt guilty then she shook her head. The loud
clanging sounds of her Teflon pans could probably be heard to the end of the
street! “Are you sure you don’t need me
in there?”
Duo cursed. “I said I’m
going to cook dinner and I will! Now, quit asking!”
Hilde grimaced as she heard
another pan meet whatever it was it met. He’s murdering her kitchen!!! Cooking
bacon, eggs, and hash browns were different from cooking dinner, after all!
He had been acting strange
since she came home… Actually, she came home first, then, an hour later, he
came in and told her to go to her room, with a please, of course. That was
before all the banging, clashing, and chopping sounds started echoing inside
the house.
She sighed. “Well… there’s
nothing to do now but get ready, I suppose…” She pulled out a bag from her last
drawer and spilled the contents onto her dresser. “Now which color…?”
…
She was sitting on the edge
of her bed for God knew how long, with her chin propped on her palm and her
elbow on her knees while she stared at the closed door. The mutter of
expletives had finished about fifteen minutes ago and she heard him go inside
his room. Either he already gave up or… he was getting ready. Either way, she
told herself that she would not look at their kitchen, fearing the worst.
She looked down, at her
dress, and started to feel nervous. Maybe she was a bit overdressed? Maybe she
was revealing too much? What about her make up?
Hilde ran to her dresser and
touched up on her lipstick. Funny… Why was she so nervous when they were just
going to eat inside the house?
…
Duo pulled at the collar of
his black, long sleeved silk shirt, checked his appearance for the last time
then pulled at the first two buttons from his neck.
“Much better…” He nodded his
approval. Good enough for a friendly and casual night out… He turned and eyed the fresh catleya over a
bed of organza inside its plastic container, and grinned. Yep! He’s ready. He’s
gonna give Hilde the time of her life tonight, even if it meant acting like a
gentleman until it kills him.
With the box under his arm,
he quickly walked out of his room, checked the set table in front of their new
brick fireplace, tweaked centerpiece rose he bought after work, checked the
champagne in the silver bucket which he bought along with the silver covers for
the plates and new table napkins and placemats, then grinned his approval.
Now, all that’s left was to
set the mood… He turned on their fireplace, switched off the lights, and the
soft, yellow orange glow from the fire reflected against the silver trays.
Lastly, he walked to the stereo, pressed the programmed music, and turned the
volume knob a few notches down.
Soft violin music filtered
through the air and he knew that everything was ready… All he needed was the
girl… Perfect.
Catleya in hand, Duo walked
to Hilde’s door and knocked. “Hilde? Are you ready?”
She jumped from her bed in
nervous anticipation, smoothed her dress over her hips and breathed in deeply.
“Yes I am. Is it time to come out?”
“Yep.”
“All right… I’m coming out.
Don’t laugh or I’m going to punch you.”
‘Same old Hilde.’ Duo
grinned. “I promise.”
She took another deep breath
then opened the door.
Duo’s grin froze on his
face.
Hilde felt a blush start to
bloom on her cheeks. This handsome man was actually taking her to dinner with
food he had slaved over for nearly three hours. God! She’s nervous and he’s…
magnificent! His silk shirt hinted at the hard muscles underneath and his
opened collar took her breath away.
He blinked a couple of times
more, just to make sure that she wasn’t some vision he made up. No… this was
Hilde, the real Hilde… not a fake one like the ones he had found himself
dreaming of… This was she, with her hair brushed back, wearing an elegant dress
that ended just below her knees. It was enough to accentuate the length of her
legs, and her beautifully curved hips. Elegant, black, strappy high heels, and…
Duo looked up from her feet and gulped once again. Her upper torso looked snug
with that heart shaped cut that hinted at her full breast. A simple silver chain
dangled around her neck- familiar necklace… familiar earrings.
“You’re wearing the present
I gave you last Christmas.” He was finally able to talk and remembered when he
saw the set on Earth. It started showering and he entered the first store in
his path just to keep himself dry. He found himself standing in a jewelry
store. Curious, he started looking around then he saw them. An earrings and
necklace set, star designed diamonds on platinum and he thought of Hilde…
Christmas was just around the corner, he wanted to give her something and it
seemed as if his prayers were answered. He had never seen her wear them until
tonight… It looked beautiful on her.
The blush on her face became
more pronounced. “Yes… I thought that it might… go well with the dress… you know,
platinum and diamonds with a black dress.” Truthfully speaking, when she
received the gift from Duo, she could only stare at it. They were stunning. She
could tell that they had cost him a lot and… she had asked herself why he gave
her the gift. When she couldn’t come up with any answers, she just let it go.
“They… definitely look…” He
wanted to say ‘nice’ but that wasn’t the word that left his lips. “…Beautiful.”
It came out in a half whisper. He was in a complete state of awe!
“Well…” Hilde swallowed and
tried to grasp at the last remaining reason in her mind before she got carried
away. “You look handsome yourself.”
For a moment, Duo just
stared at her then he finally shook himself out of his stupor and remembered
that he was supposed to be a friend. He grinned. “Gee, thanks.” He brought the
orchid in front of Hilde. “This is for you.”
She was touched. It was rare
that she receive gifts such as these. “Duo… This is… lovely.”
‘Not as lovely as you.’ He
smiled. He was able refrain from saying those words! Thank you, Lord!
Hilde took the flower out of
its box, appreciatively examined it, and then looked up at Duo. “Could you…
Would you pin this on for me?” She placed the orchid on top of her left,
one-inch strap and Duo gulped.
“Sure. Easy.” His hand brushed
against her pearly skin and he nearly jumped at the shock. He was having a hard
time trying to control his shaking fingers! “There! All done.” He watched as
she turned her head to the side and smelled the orchid while her eyes closed.
“Thank you, Duo.” She opened
her eyes and gave him a smile. Who wouldn’t smile?
“You’re welcome.” He took a
step forward then offered his arm. “Shall we, Ms. Schebecker?”
“Of course.” Hilde placed
her hand in the crook of his arm and let him lead her to… A place of dreams!
“Oh… my…”
They stood at the threshold
of their transformed living room. Their sofas were carefully placed on the
sides, while a small table covered with white cloth, adorned the center. The
whole thing was enough to melt the arctic, if arctic had a heart!
Duo bit his lower lips as he
gauged Hilde’s reaction. He usually could read her like a book, but right now,
he was too nervous. “Do… do you like it?”
Hilde turned to him and
couldn’t help but hug him around the waist. “Duo… I… I can’t believe you did this…”
Oh God! She was starting to cry! Duo’s silk shirt… She pushed herself away from
him and quickly turned with her head down while her fingers tried to wipe away
the tears before it could make a trail. “S-something… in my eye…”
‘She’s… crying…!’ A warm feeling
enveloped him. She really liked it! Gently, he touched her shoulder then turned
her around just as he reached for his hanky. He’s not going to ask any
questions… Her sparkling eyes was enough…
“Here…” Tenderly, he patted
just below her eyes. “Do you want me to blow on it? Which one has that thing?”
His hand traveled from her shoulder to her chin to tilt it this way and that,
as if trying to look for- that thing.
Hilde smiled, she knew
exactly what he was doing. No questions… “I think it’s gone.” So… he’s acting
like his usual self… she should, too. Not like a girl in love. She glanced at
the middle of their living room and let the soft music fill her ears. “I wonder
when I’m going to wake up from this dream…”
The whisper reached his ear
and Duo frowned. “What do you mean?”
She hadn’t realized that she
had spoken it out loud! Her eyes widened and she desperately tried to think up
of an excuse. When she couldn’t, she decided to speak her mind. “Well… You. This, cleaning, waking up early…”
She swallowed a lump in her throat. “When I wake up, the whole house would
probably be a mess again. Your shoes would be in front of the door, a magazine
on the sofa. Your perfume soaked jacket in the kitchen-”
Duo pressed a finger on her
lips as he grimaced. “Okay… okay. I get the picture. Have I been that bad?”
Hilde shook her head as
sadness started to catch up with her. “No…” She looked away. “You helped
maintain the house before, but when we started to build the company, we became
busy. Then, after that, the yearly ‘Mr. Bachelors’ and you decided to have fun.
With work and dating other girls… well…” Hilde shrugged and tried to show him
that she didn’t really care, even though it mattered a great deal. “Well, you
just forgot… some of us back here.”
A sinking, gnawing feeling
went through Duo. “I’m sorry…” He apologized for everything he knew he did
wrong, and those he didn’t know.
“No. It’s all right.” Hilde
forced a smile on her face as she faced him. She had reached the ground and
found that hard, leveled, gravity-pulled plane. “You were just living your life
to the fullest. There’s nothing wrong with doing that.”
“But what about you?” His
hands reached for hers, and a satisfying feeling rushed through him at the
touch of her ring. “I rarely see you out of the office… you only go to your
family… no…” Duo stopped a grimace, “… men…”
A small, short laugh escaped
her. She didn’t know what else to do. “Duo, I chose how to live my life a long
time ago. I’m happy just where I am, doing what I’m doing.”
Duo bit his lower lip. She
said it. She’s happy just where she was… but… “Don’t you want more?”
A forlorn smile flitted on
her lips. “Sometimes…”
“How about just for tonight,
I’ll be your man, and you’ll be my girl… and we’re just out for dinner and
dance…?” The words were out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop them,
so he just finished it. It was a bad move…
He could already imagine the ‘no’ coming in loud and clear, along with a
few other words-
“I’d… like that.” If this
was the nearest thing to a date with him… then she’ll take it. Take it and
treasure it.
Duo started, blinked in
surprise then grinned. “Well… uh… okay. Good.” Why did he suddenly feel as if
he was about to go on his first date? He noticed that he was still holding her
hands so he let her go. Consciously, he brushed back his bangs and tugged at
his shirt. Then, with an unplanned shy smile, he held out his hand for her.
“Shall we go to dinner, Hilde?”
Hilde’s heart pounded with
excitement as she placed her hand in his, the words she would never dare say to
him under normal circumstances left her lips. “I’m just waiting for you, Duo.”
Her words made his heart
flip and his hand curled over hers. Their eyes met with a hidden message, then
a slow smile parted their lips as they started to walk to their table.
Funny how he had told
himself over and over again to try to act like a gentleman with her when right
now… right now, he wasn’t even trying… He wanted her to value tonight… to be
memorable, and that was what kept him going as he pulled out her chair, tenderly
placed the table napkin over her lap, took out the cover from plate with
flourish, and ate with soft voiced conversations and comfortable pauses…
He had gone to so many
restaurants… he had been out with so many women… but never in his entire life did
he ever just wanted to put his elbow over the table and stare at the woman in
front of him while she ate… or sigh and hold her hand the way he was itching to
do so…
He checked her plate and
found that she only had one more bite to go. He bid his time until she patted
her lips with the napkin, then- “Hilde, would you like to dance?” It was an
excuse to have her in his arms and just hoped that she didn’t see through it.
She closed her eyes and
listened to the enchanting melody from their speakers. A part of her whispered
that this was a mistake, but another told her to take a chance, and chance, she
took. When she opened her eyes and she saw his hopeful violet eyes, shadowed by
his dark brown hair, she nodded. “I’d love to.”
She waited for him to reach
her side, to offer his hand that with a slight bow and his braid fell over his
shoulder as she placed her hand in his to let him sweep her off her feet.
His hands were shaking when
he positioned them at the base of her back but after she willingly walked into
his embrace, his nervousness disappeared, replaced by that comfortable feeling
of belonging. She smelled heavenly and he pressed his cheek against her hair
while she leaned against his chest and felt his calm heartbeat.
Nobody said anything… there
wasn’t anything to be said… they just let the music flow like a tranquil stream
until it slowly faded…
They stopped and, against
their wish, parted. They could hear the whirring sounds of the stereo while it
tried to look for a song and Duo knew that the ones he had programmed were
over.
“Well…” Hilde cleared her
throat while her hand nervously tucked back a strand of hair.
He heard the start of a good
bye in her voice… but he didn’t want it to end yet… “I hope you had fun.”
“I did.” It wasn’t an
awkward situation, but they do have work tomorrow and… what was her other
reason…? She mentally shook herself. “Thank you.”
“I’ll walk you to your
room.” It was the only thing he could say when his thoughts strayed to things
one should never say to a best friend. Stay. Let me embrace you. Let me touch
your face. Let me just look at you.
What he said brought a
genuine smile on her face. Usually it’s ‘I’ll walk you to your car’, and then
‘I’ll walk you to your door’, wasn’t it? Never ‘I’ll walk you to your room.’
And then what would happen? ‘I’ll walk you to your bed?’ At that thought,
Hilde’s hands turned cold and her eyes widened. ‘Oh God… ! Did I just…!’
“Hey, are you okay?” Duo
frowned as he felt her tense.
The slight pressure on her
arm made her turn to him and… blush. “Yes. Fine. Just fine. I think… You know,
I’ll take a rain check on that offer.”
“Hilde, you’re pale…” What’s
wrong with her? “You weren’t allergic to the spices on the chicken, were you?”
“No… No! Really. I’m fine.”
She started to edge toward the hallway. She has to get out of there before she
thinks of something more graphic… like the one in her mind right now! “Er…
thanks for dinner. I’ll do the dishes tomorrow.”
She turned but he caught her
hand, and she bit her lower lip and mentally cursed even as she turned to find
her handsome Duo with a concerned look on his face.
“Hilde, you’re pale, you’re
sweating and you’re shaking. You know that I don’t take no for an answer that
easily so, no way I am gonna just let you walk a couple of steps to your door
without me.”
“But-” She wasn’t able to
say more because he was instantly beside her, with an arm embraced around her
waist, smoothly pulling her into the hallway. What else could she do but
comply?
They reached her door when
they heard a click from the speakers and a new song filtered through the air.
They stopped and let a few more bars play then looked at each other and
grinned.
“Do you remember that song?”
He didn’t have to ask. He could tell that she did.
Hilde nodded. “It was
playing when they approved our loan.”
A chuckle left his throat.
“Yep.” Hilde was the one who answered the phone. He was sitting on the couch,
flipping through the television when his braid was suddenly pulled, and Hilde
hit the speaker button. He couldn’t believe his ears! He was going to start a
business… a dream… Hilde had pushed him along and he could finally start it.
The song was playing over the radio. They just looked at each other then… they
embraced… “We paid all of it, didn’t we?”
“Yes, we did.”
He looked at her now, and
drowned in those midnight blue eyes. “Let’s dance this one more song.”
With a grin, Hilde agreed.
Duo wrapped his hands around her waist and she encircled her arms around his
neck. They danced three more consecutive songs when Duo finally realized that
until she was out of sight, he would never let her go and would continue
finding excuses to keep her in his arms… At the end of the third song, he
unwillingly let her go and opened her door. He wouldn’t dare touch her… if he
does… God knows what could happen. “Good night, Hilde…”
It was over… her wonderful
dream was over and tomorrow, they would wake up and find each other like
before… Pals. That was all. But at least, now, she had tonight… “Good night,
Duo.”
She was about to close the
door when Duo stopped her. Her heart was in her throat as she looked at him
with confused eyes.
He cursed himself. He
shouldn’t have stopped her. He wanted to kiss her but… last time he kissed her,
she punched the heck out of him… of course that was because he was an
ass but… “I… uh… I just wanted to say… that… uh…” What?! What?!
Her eyebrow rose as she
waited. Duo does not usually stutter… why now?
“I’m going to do the
dishes.” An embarrassed smile appeared on his face as he grabbed hold of the
knob. What he really wanted to do was kiss her senseless. “Good night.” He
pulled her door shut.
Hilde blinked in surprise…
‘Well… that was… unusual…’
Slowly, she walked to her
bathroom as she unpinned her catleya, and then brought it to her nose to smell
its velvety petals.
What a memorable night. How
she wished it would be like this forever.
She took her time to get
ready for bed. Made sure that her face was clean of make up and was about to
settle under her covers when she glanced out of her window. She often saw Duo’s
cross… It blinked at her tonight, under his black silk shirt. She was open to
any religion, and though she had her own sometimes she still questioned it. But
right now…
Hilde kneeled on the floor
and placed her entwined hands on the windowsill. “God… if there is a God out
there… I know I had been a good girl… I know I never asked much from you… but
please… I would be happy if he would never marry anyone… except… except me…
but, if it can’t be me… no… I wish to
have him beside me forever… I would be happy just for that… just don’t take him
away from me…” It was selfish of her to ask such a request. God, if real,
probably has his jaw on the ground at her blatant request… but how she wished…
…
Outside her door, Duo slowly
backed against the wall… The cold concrete seeped through his silk shirt but
his stunned face didn’t register anything as he slowly slid down onto the
floor…
Something that was
unconsciously locked away had been turned loose…
“Oh God… I’m stupid…” The
mumbled words were a plea and a curse.
He had done some pretty stupid
things in his life but this… this takes the cake… How could he have not noticed
that… He fell in love with his best friend…! Had been in love with her for the
longest time…!
Duo raked a hand through his
thick mop of hair, pulled half of them as if the pain would awaken him from
this dream but it didn’t.
He started going out with
those other women, who were the exact opposite of Hilde, because… because he
was trying to… to stop himself… he was trying to force himself to love another
but it never worked because when he comes home, he would stop by her door for a
few seconds, listen, then move on… or see her by the couch and carry her to her
bed to tuck her in…
Didn’t he… didn’t he stay by
her bed when they won the war a long time ago? He tried to make excuses… she
was a good friend… she gave him a place to stay… he was grateful, the least he
could do was to make sure she was alright… But those… those were just excuses
to not let himself think of the inevitable.
He had enough money to buy
his own house but he never left… He had dated enough girls who threw themselves
at him, ready to take him to bed, but he never touched them… He wanted someone
else… someone to cherish and to hold… someone he wouldn’t care to sit up and
wait for a fever to break… someone who had been there for him in the middle of
the night to hold him until he fell asleep once again…
Hilde.
Everything was right with
her. Everything he had dreamt of was with her… At first he thought it was
impulse that he would always consider Hilde in any of his plans. ‘Let’s ask
Hilde.’, or ‘I don’t think Hilde would like this.’… Then the mere fact that he
had wanted her to say yes to the marriage thing… But it wasn’t impulse… It
wasn’t habit. He wanted her to stay by his side… He wanted her to love him
more…
‘More than a friend…’
A deep sigh escaped his
lips. The thing was… she never looked at him more than just a friend… and maybe
it was partly his fault…
‘Hey bud.’, ‘How’s my pal?’…
Were those any way to tell the person he loves that he loved her?!
He started to hit the back
of his head against the wall. “Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid,
stupid.”