Platonic Love - Ch. 4 - Accidents Happen
Posted: Fri Jan 30, 2004 8:52 pm
Platonic Love ? Chapter Four ? Accidents Happen
By Kilmeny
Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs or quotes belong to their authors listed with them. This story is not being used to make a profit.
Author?s Notes: I?m so sorry about the long wait, but the good news is that this story is finished. There are seven chapters with an epilogue coming up. I?ll post them over the next few days. I?ve decided not to put in any more lyrics, but I?ll keep with the quotes since some of you said you enjoyed them. Please read and review, and check out my other stories on Fanfiction.net or Aishiteru if you like this one. Thanks!
**********
Chapter Four ? Accidents Happen
?Aw, they?re so cute together,? cooed Lorelei, who was leaning gracefully against a counter as she watched Duo working on a car.
Duo immediately stilled his work and looked over at Hilde, who was presently turning to lay her cheek against Blake?s chest. Uncharacteristically, Duo made no sound except a grunt. He had no words to describe their relationship, but if he did, the words wouldn?t exactly include the term ?cute.?
?So, Duo, I?ve kind of been wondering,? Lorelei said carefully, ?Why do you and Hilde live together??
Duo continued working and replied, ?Because we have this business together, and it was just easier for us to get started from one place. Neither one of us could afford a house on our own.?
?It looks like you guys are probably well off by now, what with the success of the salvage yard.?
?Yeah, but you know we?ve got our tuition to pay. Even with my extra cash from Preventers missions, we still have to watch our money sometimes.? Duo stepped away from the car and closed the hood, his gaze involuntarily traveling over to where Blake and Hilde stood.
Hilde?s voice was beginning to rise in volume and Duo caught a few words: ?What do you think is wrong with me??
Frowning deeply, he gave Lorelei a pointed look. ??Cute,? huh? Sounds like things aren?t going so well . . . he better not hurt her,? Duo said darkly in response to the protective urges swelling within him. His fists were clenched at his sides as he turned to glare in the couple?s direction, where Blake was now pulling Hilde into her office.
Lorelei pressed her lips together before saying, ?I?m sure it?s nothing serious, Duo. Don?t worry about it.?
?He better not be telling her there?s something wrong with her. He doesn?t realize how that hurts her. There is nothing wrong with Hilde,? Duo said, accentuating his statement by throwing his wrench into the toolbox.
?Of course not, and I doubt that is what Blake?s saying,? soothed Lorelei, kissing Duo lightly on the cheek.
But Duo was visibly distracted and ruffled. He turned away, taking a few steps while running his fingers through his hair. ?I can?t explain it, Lorelei, but something just doesn?t feel right. Hilde?s . . . been different lately.?
Lorelei chewed her lip, watching warily as a crane began to carry its load right over Duo?s head. Suddenly, a piece came loose, and she watched, horror-stricken, as the whole load began to fall. She opened her mouth to warn Duo, but nothing came out. The first piece glanced off the side of his head and hit his shoulder roughly, and he fell backward to the ground. When the rest of the load landed on his leg, there was a sickening sound of breaking bone, and Lorelei finally let out an ear-piercing scream.
Blake and Hilde came running from the office as Lorelei fell down at Duo?s side, checking for a pulse. Duo lay unconscious while a couple of the workers moved the parts off of his leg.
?Don?t move him! Blake, call an ambulance!? cried Hilde as she threw herself down at Duo?s other side. Her face was white and panic-stricken. Blake hesitated a split-second before running back to the office for the phone. ?Oh, Duo,? she murmured, feeling his neck herself and finding a pulse. ?What happened??
Lorelei explained, ?The pieces broke free from the crane and fell on him. I- I- couldn?t even warn him.?
At that point, Max crept up, his head low and his doleful eyes looking even more worried than usual. He lay next to Hilde with his head on her knee, offering what little comfort a puppy could, which was more than most humans could do, and Hilde was grateful. As they waited for the ambulance, she could only stroke Duo?s cheek and thank God that he had not been killed.
**********
A light breeze ruffled Hilde?s short hair as she sat on Duo?s and her favorite bench at the park, her knees tucked up to her chest. She had escaped at the soonest opportunity so that she could come here to think upon what Blake had said. Earlier that day, Lorelei, Blake, and she had brought Duo home from the hospital after having his broken leg put in a cast and his head stitched. It had been Lorelei who had stepped up to take care of him, and Hilde had uttered no contradicting word. He was hers now, she?d thought glumly.
The only words Hilde had said to Duo were ?Are you going to be all right?? He had smiled wanly and replied that he certainly would be as long as the drugs were kept close at hand. Hilde did not follow them back into his bedroom, even when Max turned his head and looked back at her expectantly. She had sadly shaken her head at him before turning to Blake, shifting uneasily in the awkward silence.
He?d given her shoulder a gentle squeeze and left after telling her to call him when she was ready. When she was ready to what? She wondered now. Ready to date him again? Ready to break up with him? Ready to admit that what he had said about her was true? Did she really have feelings for Duo? She did have reason to. It was true that he had always taken care of her, and she had been there for him. There were marriages that didn?t even come near this kind of give-and-take relationship, yet she had this with Duo. But did that mean they were in love?
Not necessarily. Any good friendship should be based on sharing. Marriages were simply the bonds of two best friends, but they required romance to hold them together, right? There was no romance between the two of them, Hilde knew. Duo had never looked in her eyes the way he had Lorelei, and Hilde felt no desire to dine on French gourmet food with Duo the way she did with Blake. Burgers and fries were good enough for Duo and her to talk over.
Besides, Duo was infatuated with Lorelei. No other woman had held so much of his respect or adoration, and Hilde had felt the same about Blake. She had felt that way, but now she just didn?t know. She and Blake had never really had any chemistry. She had wondered a dozen times before why her body hadn?t felt the same thing when Blake kissed her as it had with Duo, but she had always pushed the thought away. Well now it was time to confront that thought and similar thoughts along with it.
First and foremost in her mind were the feelings that had squeezed an imaginary hand around her heart when she had seen Duo?s body crumpled on the floor across the garage. It was the same terror that had caused her to risk her life on the Libra and the same terror that sometimes kept her awake at night when Duo was away on a Preventers mission. To think that he might be killed and leave her alone! It was frightening, and presently cold fingers of dread crept up her spine just thinking about it. She knew that her life would not be the same without him in it.
And what credible explanation could she give for the obvious jealousy she felt towards Lorelei? Duo may have been spending more time with the woman, but he still came to Hilde for important things. He always held her opinions in very high regard. But it was Lorelei that Duo went to for affection and company. After all wasn?t it Lorelei who was at that very moment nursing him back to health? Hilde wanted to be the one bringing him meals, checking on him during the night, and keeping him laughing. One of her fondest memories was of her singing him ?Brahms? Lullaby? in German during his very bad case of the flu several months before. Either she get over her possessiveness now, or she would have to confess that she wanted to take Lorelei?s place in more ways than one.
At this thought an unbidden vision of Duo taking her in his arms and kissing her quite thoroughly flashed vividly in her mind. Hilde bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut more tightly. She shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of the thought. What kind of person thought these kinds of things about their friend? What would Duo say if he could read her thoughts? Briefly, she entertained the hope that the reason Duo had begun to deepen their first and only kiss together was because he had enjoyed it as much as she had. But then again, she knew better than to harbor a hope as unlikely as that. When had a guy ever chosen her over another girl?
It was with a bitterness unsuited to her age that she viewed her likelihood of finding love. Maybe this was because it was one of her dearest dreams, and she?d been denied even a glimpse of it?until Blake, that is. Since the age of 14, despite her metamorphosis from civilian to soldier, she was a girly girl at heart. She wanted a husband and kids and a beautiful house with a white picket fence. But she had watched in pain and loneliness as all of her friends had experienced romance after romance; some even found their special someone. Yet now that she was finally in her first romantic relationship, it wasn?t all she?d imagined it would be. She couldn?t see herself in that beautiful house with Blake, rearing children and growing old together. Why couldn?t she have that with him? Blake had a lot to offer. He was handsome and smart and kind . . .
But he wasn?t Duo.
Oh, no, this couldn?t mean what she thought it meant. She had to suppress this. For her sanity?s sake! This was all one giant, hideous, horrendous accident. She hadn?t meant to do it. She really, seriously, never ever had any intention of falling in love with her best friend. Honestly, it was an accident!
**********
Duo had not seen Hilde for an entire day, not since he had been brought back from the hospital. This irked him a little; she had left Lorelei to take care of him while she went out and did who-knew-what with Blake. At least, he presumed that she was with Blake. Of course she could be working, but why hadn?t she come to see how he was doing?
?Are you going to be alright?? she had asked, and that had been all she?d asked before leaving him. There had been no sticking around to settle him into bed, no true concern over his welfare whatsoever. If their roles had been reversed, he most certainly would have been at her side, Lorelei or no Lorelei. Hadn?t he been there when she had awoken from her injuries after the war? He had promised never to leave her . . . but she had made no such promise to him.
?Duo . . . Duo?? called Lorelei, interrupting his reverie. ?I?ve brought you your lunch,? she said as she set his tray down on his night table.
?Did you see Hilde out there??
Lorelei tossed her golden mane, appearing a little irritated. ?No, she must have left this morning, and she hasn?t been back since. Now will you please eat??
Grumpily, Duo turned to his soup and ate as sullenly as he could get away with. Lorelei rolled her eyes and turned on the TV. When he was finished, she asked if there was anything more she could do for him.
Smirking, Duo replied, ?You could hop in and keep me company.? He was a little surprised when Lorelei readily slipped off her shoes and slid in beside him. He had actually been kidding, but he wasn?t going to kick a beautiful woman out of his bed, so he settled back and allowed Lorelei to lay her head on his chest. Now this is the life, he congratulated himself, no work, no interruptions, and a gorgeous woman lying beside me. If Hilde can have a good time while I?m all banged up, then so can I.
Lorelei turned the lamp and the TV off, leaving the room in semidarkness; then she curled her arm across his chest and pressed herself against him, closing her eyes to sleep. Strangely enough, Duo found it hard to fall asleep. Hilde?s presence was just like an extra, albeit extra comfortable, pillow on his bed, but Lorelei was a well-endowed, curvaceous, long-legged goddess using his chest as her pillow.
?Uh, Lorelei?? he said in a higher voice than usual, ?I?m having a little trouble falling asleep.? Oh, if his buddies ever found out that he only wanted to sleep with Lorelei in his bed, they would rag on him mercilessly. But he was tired, and he wanted comfort over curves.
?Well what does Hilde do when you can?t sleep?? asked Lorelei, her words mildly sardonic.
?Oh, um,? said Duo, thinking for a bit, then laughing, ?well, last November when I was sick with the flu, she sang me ?Brahms? Lullaby? in German.?
?How precious!? Lorelei exclaimed, ?Do you remember any of it?? She pulled away and leaned her head on her hand, watching him with interest in her warm eyes.
Still laughing, he did his best: ?Guten Abend, gute Nacht, Mit Rosen bedacht,? he trailed off into a hum, then said sheepishly, ?That?s all I remember.?
?Oh, wow,? giggled Lorelei, ?you really butchered the language.?
?Well, at least I got the melody right.?
?Yeah, I?ll give you that much.?
Yawning, Duo let his eyes close as he remembered that November night, and the memory of Hilde?s sweet voice and tender touch gently pulled him into slumber.
**********
The house was dark upon Hilde?s entrance that night, but her eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness during her walk. The only sound was that of Max?s rhythmic breathing as he slept, sprawled out much like Duo on the couch, the roundness of his puppy belly prominent even in the dark. She assumed that Lorelei must be gone. Whew, I?ll just fix myself a sandwich and check in on Duo before going to bed, she thought. But while she was sitting at the table eating her sandwich, Lorelei stepped into the room.
?Oh, hi, Hilde. You?re finally home.?
The remark was said in a friendly tone. Nonetheless, Hilde felt guilty about her absence. Choosing not to expand on the topic, she asked instead how Duo was faring.
?Alright. He?s asleep now. At first he had trouble falling asleep, but then he sang me a lullaby you had once sang to him and was out soon after that.?
Hilde felt a curious, unpleasant sensation in her chest; it seemed her heart had sunk down further into her body. Why had Duo shared that moment with Lorelei? It was a lullaby Hilde?s mother had sung to her as a child, and she had told Duo that night about how her mother had died and how much she missed her. She thought Duo knew how deeply personal that song was to her. Even if he had only shared the lyrics with Lorelei, she still felt it was an infringement on their memory. Bypassing these thoughts, Hilde asked, ?Why was he singing to you, rather than the other way around??
?I asked him to.?
It was a simple statement, but Hilde became further depressed by it. After a sudden rush of irrationality, she felt sure he would do anything for Lorelei if she asked him to. She was unable and unwilling to say anything as Lorelei emptied a glass of water into the sink, but Lorelei showed no signs of deeming conversation important.
?Well, I guess I?ll go get my stuff from Duo?s room and be on my way then,? commented Lorelei before exiting the kitchen.
Hilde rose slowly and cleaned up the mess she had made before heading down the hallway, expecting to meet Lorelei on her way out of Duo?s room. But instead she heard the couple?s muffled voices and a soft laugh from Duo. Feeling the blood pumping forcefully through her heart, Hilde defied her conscience and left the hall light off so that she could peek into Duo?s doorway unnoticed.
?Will you be able to sleep without me this time?? asked Lorelei.
?I think I?ll get on alright. On one condition, that is,? said Duo.
?Oh? And what?s?? but she was silenced by Duo?s mouth on hers. Hilde quickly turned back around the corner, realizing then that all this time she?d been coveting physical affection not just from any man but specifically from Duo. The sharp sensation in her chest that she was now experiencing had only been produced on occasions when a woman was kissing Duo, not just any man. Not just any man?it had been Duo all this time. How could she have been so blind before? And what was that Lorelei had said, ?Sleep without me this time?? There had been a time before?!
Hilde was so caught up in this emotional agony that she barely had enough time to go back and reenter the hallway before Lorelei came out. On their passing each other, she uttered an automatic adieu before shutting herself into her room, where she distractedly changed for bed. Once she was sure Lorelei was gone and Duo was probably asleep again, she made her way back to his room, leaving the hall light on so that she could look upon him without waking him.
As she suspected, he was asleep again, and so she felt comfortable enough to sit beside him on the bed. His long, dark lashes, almost girlish, fanned against his rounded cheeks. He still had a baby face, and his smile was as boyish as ever, but his body had been mature for awhile, his mind even longer than that. The Gundam pilots had been forced to grow up fast, long before their bodies caught up with them, and now he was a young man worthy of her love. He had always had her respect and admiration, even before she befriended him. She never would have predicted that he would be ?the One? that, ironically, they had discussed together before.
Glancing over at his nightstand, she caught a glimpse of his grin in a picture frame. She picked it up and brought it closer, enabling her to see that it was a picture of him and Lorelei, his arm slipped neatly around her slim waist. They looked like the perfect couple. With a sigh Hilde began to return the frame back to the nightstand but was nearly startled into dropping it when Duo turned in his sleep, mumbling incoherently.
Aware that it might be a nightmare, she listened for any signs of fear in his voice, but in the next moment, Lorelei?s name fell from his lips. Unaware that she had stood up, Hilde stared as Duo pulled his pillow more tightly to him and sighed happily. It would have been cute if it wasn?t so depressing. Backing away, she found herself at the door and hastily closed it behind her. Then she fled to her room, any fragments of hope she?d been holding onto now dashed to the floor?accompanied by the shards of her broken heart.
**********
True Love is but a humble, lowborn thing,
And hath its food served up in earthenware;
It is a thing to walk with, hand in hand,
Through the everydayness of this workday world.
-James Russell Lowell
Love is like a virus. It can happen to anyone at anytime.
-Maya Angelou
**********
To Be Continued
By Kilmeny
Disclaimers: Gundam Wing belongs to Sunrise. Any songs or quotes belong to their authors listed with them. This story is not being used to make a profit.
Author?s Notes: I?m so sorry about the long wait, but the good news is that this story is finished. There are seven chapters with an epilogue coming up. I?ll post them over the next few days. I?ve decided not to put in any more lyrics, but I?ll keep with the quotes since some of you said you enjoyed them. Please read and review, and check out my other stories on Fanfiction.net or Aishiteru if you like this one. Thanks!
**********
Chapter Four ? Accidents Happen
?Aw, they?re so cute together,? cooed Lorelei, who was leaning gracefully against a counter as she watched Duo working on a car.
Duo immediately stilled his work and looked over at Hilde, who was presently turning to lay her cheek against Blake?s chest. Uncharacteristically, Duo made no sound except a grunt. He had no words to describe their relationship, but if he did, the words wouldn?t exactly include the term ?cute.?
?So, Duo, I?ve kind of been wondering,? Lorelei said carefully, ?Why do you and Hilde live together??
Duo continued working and replied, ?Because we have this business together, and it was just easier for us to get started from one place. Neither one of us could afford a house on our own.?
?It looks like you guys are probably well off by now, what with the success of the salvage yard.?
?Yeah, but you know we?ve got our tuition to pay. Even with my extra cash from Preventers missions, we still have to watch our money sometimes.? Duo stepped away from the car and closed the hood, his gaze involuntarily traveling over to where Blake and Hilde stood.
Hilde?s voice was beginning to rise in volume and Duo caught a few words: ?What do you think is wrong with me??
Frowning deeply, he gave Lorelei a pointed look. ??Cute,? huh? Sounds like things aren?t going so well . . . he better not hurt her,? Duo said darkly in response to the protective urges swelling within him. His fists were clenched at his sides as he turned to glare in the couple?s direction, where Blake was now pulling Hilde into her office.
Lorelei pressed her lips together before saying, ?I?m sure it?s nothing serious, Duo. Don?t worry about it.?
?He better not be telling her there?s something wrong with her. He doesn?t realize how that hurts her. There is nothing wrong with Hilde,? Duo said, accentuating his statement by throwing his wrench into the toolbox.
?Of course not, and I doubt that is what Blake?s saying,? soothed Lorelei, kissing Duo lightly on the cheek.
But Duo was visibly distracted and ruffled. He turned away, taking a few steps while running his fingers through his hair. ?I can?t explain it, Lorelei, but something just doesn?t feel right. Hilde?s . . . been different lately.?
Lorelei chewed her lip, watching warily as a crane began to carry its load right over Duo?s head. Suddenly, a piece came loose, and she watched, horror-stricken, as the whole load began to fall. She opened her mouth to warn Duo, but nothing came out. The first piece glanced off the side of his head and hit his shoulder roughly, and he fell backward to the ground. When the rest of the load landed on his leg, there was a sickening sound of breaking bone, and Lorelei finally let out an ear-piercing scream.
Blake and Hilde came running from the office as Lorelei fell down at Duo?s side, checking for a pulse. Duo lay unconscious while a couple of the workers moved the parts off of his leg.
?Don?t move him! Blake, call an ambulance!? cried Hilde as she threw herself down at Duo?s other side. Her face was white and panic-stricken. Blake hesitated a split-second before running back to the office for the phone. ?Oh, Duo,? she murmured, feeling his neck herself and finding a pulse. ?What happened??
Lorelei explained, ?The pieces broke free from the crane and fell on him. I- I- couldn?t even warn him.?
At that point, Max crept up, his head low and his doleful eyes looking even more worried than usual. He lay next to Hilde with his head on her knee, offering what little comfort a puppy could, which was more than most humans could do, and Hilde was grateful. As they waited for the ambulance, she could only stroke Duo?s cheek and thank God that he had not been killed.
**********
A light breeze ruffled Hilde?s short hair as she sat on Duo?s and her favorite bench at the park, her knees tucked up to her chest. She had escaped at the soonest opportunity so that she could come here to think upon what Blake had said. Earlier that day, Lorelei, Blake, and she had brought Duo home from the hospital after having his broken leg put in a cast and his head stitched. It had been Lorelei who had stepped up to take care of him, and Hilde had uttered no contradicting word. He was hers now, she?d thought glumly.
The only words Hilde had said to Duo were ?Are you going to be all right?? He had smiled wanly and replied that he certainly would be as long as the drugs were kept close at hand. Hilde did not follow them back into his bedroom, even when Max turned his head and looked back at her expectantly. She had sadly shaken her head at him before turning to Blake, shifting uneasily in the awkward silence.
He?d given her shoulder a gentle squeeze and left after telling her to call him when she was ready. When she was ready to what? She wondered now. Ready to date him again? Ready to break up with him? Ready to admit that what he had said about her was true? Did she really have feelings for Duo? She did have reason to. It was true that he had always taken care of her, and she had been there for him. There were marriages that didn?t even come near this kind of give-and-take relationship, yet she had this with Duo. But did that mean they were in love?
Not necessarily. Any good friendship should be based on sharing. Marriages were simply the bonds of two best friends, but they required romance to hold them together, right? There was no romance between the two of them, Hilde knew. Duo had never looked in her eyes the way he had Lorelei, and Hilde felt no desire to dine on French gourmet food with Duo the way she did with Blake. Burgers and fries were good enough for Duo and her to talk over.
Besides, Duo was infatuated with Lorelei. No other woman had held so much of his respect or adoration, and Hilde had felt the same about Blake. She had felt that way, but now she just didn?t know. She and Blake had never really had any chemistry. She had wondered a dozen times before why her body hadn?t felt the same thing when Blake kissed her as it had with Duo, but she had always pushed the thought away. Well now it was time to confront that thought and similar thoughts along with it.
First and foremost in her mind were the feelings that had squeezed an imaginary hand around her heart when she had seen Duo?s body crumpled on the floor across the garage. It was the same terror that had caused her to risk her life on the Libra and the same terror that sometimes kept her awake at night when Duo was away on a Preventers mission. To think that he might be killed and leave her alone! It was frightening, and presently cold fingers of dread crept up her spine just thinking about it. She knew that her life would not be the same without him in it.
And what credible explanation could she give for the obvious jealousy she felt towards Lorelei? Duo may have been spending more time with the woman, but he still came to Hilde for important things. He always held her opinions in very high regard. But it was Lorelei that Duo went to for affection and company. After all wasn?t it Lorelei who was at that very moment nursing him back to health? Hilde wanted to be the one bringing him meals, checking on him during the night, and keeping him laughing. One of her fondest memories was of her singing him ?Brahms? Lullaby? in German during his very bad case of the flu several months before. Either she get over her possessiveness now, or she would have to confess that she wanted to take Lorelei?s place in more ways than one.
At this thought an unbidden vision of Duo taking her in his arms and kissing her quite thoroughly flashed vividly in her mind. Hilde bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut more tightly. She shook her head in an attempt to rid herself of the thought. What kind of person thought these kinds of things about their friend? What would Duo say if he could read her thoughts? Briefly, she entertained the hope that the reason Duo had begun to deepen their first and only kiss together was because he had enjoyed it as much as she had. But then again, she knew better than to harbor a hope as unlikely as that. When had a guy ever chosen her over another girl?
It was with a bitterness unsuited to her age that she viewed her likelihood of finding love. Maybe this was because it was one of her dearest dreams, and she?d been denied even a glimpse of it?until Blake, that is. Since the age of 14, despite her metamorphosis from civilian to soldier, she was a girly girl at heart. She wanted a husband and kids and a beautiful house with a white picket fence. But she had watched in pain and loneliness as all of her friends had experienced romance after romance; some even found their special someone. Yet now that she was finally in her first romantic relationship, it wasn?t all she?d imagined it would be. She couldn?t see herself in that beautiful house with Blake, rearing children and growing old together. Why couldn?t she have that with him? Blake had a lot to offer. He was handsome and smart and kind . . .
But he wasn?t Duo.
Oh, no, this couldn?t mean what she thought it meant. She had to suppress this. For her sanity?s sake! This was all one giant, hideous, horrendous accident. She hadn?t meant to do it. She really, seriously, never ever had any intention of falling in love with her best friend. Honestly, it was an accident!
**********
Duo had not seen Hilde for an entire day, not since he had been brought back from the hospital. This irked him a little; she had left Lorelei to take care of him while she went out and did who-knew-what with Blake. At least, he presumed that she was with Blake. Of course she could be working, but why hadn?t she come to see how he was doing?
?Are you going to be alright?? she had asked, and that had been all she?d asked before leaving him. There had been no sticking around to settle him into bed, no true concern over his welfare whatsoever. If their roles had been reversed, he most certainly would have been at her side, Lorelei or no Lorelei. Hadn?t he been there when she had awoken from her injuries after the war? He had promised never to leave her . . . but she had made no such promise to him.
?Duo . . . Duo?? called Lorelei, interrupting his reverie. ?I?ve brought you your lunch,? she said as she set his tray down on his night table.
?Did you see Hilde out there??
Lorelei tossed her golden mane, appearing a little irritated. ?No, she must have left this morning, and she hasn?t been back since. Now will you please eat??
Grumpily, Duo turned to his soup and ate as sullenly as he could get away with. Lorelei rolled her eyes and turned on the TV. When he was finished, she asked if there was anything more she could do for him.
Smirking, Duo replied, ?You could hop in and keep me company.? He was a little surprised when Lorelei readily slipped off her shoes and slid in beside him. He had actually been kidding, but he wasn?t going to kick a beautiful woman out of his bed, so he settled back and allowed Lorelei to lay her head on his chest. Now this is the life, he congratulated himself, no work, no interruptions, and a gorgeous woman lying beside me. If Hilde can have a good time while I?m all banged up, then so can I.
Lorelei turned the lamp and the TV off, leaving the room in semidarkness; then she curled her arm across his chest and pressed herself against him, closing her eyes to sleep. Strangely enough, Duo found it hard to fall asleep. Hilde?s presence was just like an extra, albeit extra comfortable, pillow on his bed, but Lorelei was a well-endowed, curvaceous, long-legged goddess using his chest as her pillow.
?Uh, Lorelei?? he said in a higher voice than usual, ?I?m having a little trouble falling asleep.? Oh, if his buddies ever found out that he only wanted to sleep with Lorelei in his bed, they would rag on him mercilessly. But he was tired, and he wanted comfort over curves.
?Well what does Hilde do when you can?t sleep?? asked Lorelei, her words mildly sardonic.
?Oh, um,? said Duo, thinking for a bit, then laughing, ?well, last November when I was sick with the flu, she sang me ?Brahms? Lullaby? in German.?
?How precious!? Lorelei exclaimed, ?Do you remember any of it?? She pulled away and leaned her head on her hand, watching him with interest in her warm eyes.
Still laughing, he did his best: ?Guten Abend, gute Nacht, Mit Rosen bedacht,? he trailed off into a hum, then said sheepishly, ?That?s all I remember.?
?Oh, wow,? giggled Lorelei, ?you really butchered the language.?
?Well, at least I got the melody right.?
?Yeah, I?ll give you that much.?
Yawning, Duo let his eyes close as he remembered that November night, and the memory of Hilde?s sweet voice and tender touch gently pulled him into slumber.
**********
The house was dark upon Hilde?s entrance that night, but her eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness during her walk. The only sound was that of Max?s rhythmic breathing as he slept, sprawled out much like Duo on the couch, the roundness of his puppy belly prominent even in the dark. She assumed that Lorelei must be gone. Whew, I?ll just fix myself a sandwich and check in on Duo before going to bed, she thought. But while she was sitting at the table eating her sandwich, Lorelei stepped into the room.
?Oh, hi, Hilde. You?re finally home.?
The remark was said in a friendly tone. Nonetheless, Hilde felt guilty about her absence. Choosing not to expand on the topic, she asked instead how Duo was faring.
?Alright. He?s asleep now. At first he had trouble falling asleep, but then he sang me a lullaby you had once sang to him and was out soon after that.?
Hilde felt a curious, unpleasant sensation in her chest; it seemed her heart had sunk down further into her body. Why had Duo shared that moment with Lorelei? It was a lullaby Hilde?s mother had sung to her as a child, and she had told Duo that night about how her mother had died and how much she missed her. She thought Duo knew how deeply personal that song was to her. Even if he had only shared the lyrics with Lorelei, she still felt it was an infringement on their memory. Bypassing these thoughts, Hilde asked, ?Why was he singing to you, rather than the other way around??
?I asked him to.?
It was a simple statement, but Hilde became further depressed by it. After a sudden rush of irrationality, she felt sure he would do anything for Lorelei if she asked him to. She was unable and unwilling to say anything as Lorelei emptied a glass of water into the sink, but Lorelei showed no signs of deeming conversation important.
?Well, I guess I?ll go get my stuff from Duo?s room and be on my way then,? commented Lorelei before exiting the kitchen.
Hilde rose slowly and cleaned up the mess she had made before heading down the hallway, expecting to meet Lorelei on her way out of Duo?s room. But instead she heard the couple?s muffled voices and a soft laugh from Duo. Feeling the blood pumping forcefully through her heart, Hilde defied her conscience and left the hall light off so that she could peek into Duo?s doorway unnoticed.
?Will you be able to sleep without me this time?? asked Lorelei.
?I think I?ll get on alright. On one condition, that is,? said Duo.
?Oh? And what?s?? but she was silenced by Duo?s mouth on hers. Hilde quickly turned back around the corner, realizing then that all this time she?d been coveting physical affection not just from any man but specifically from Duo. The sharp sensation in her chest that she was now experiencing had only been produced on occasions when a woman was kissing Duo, not just any man. Not just any man?it had been Duo all this time. How could she have been so blind before? And what was that Lorelei had said, ?Sleep without me this time?? There had been a time before?!
Hilde was so caught up in this emotional agony that she barely had enough time to go back and reenter the hallway before Lorelei came out. On their passing each other, she uttered an automatic adieu before shutting herself into her room, where she distractedly changed for bed. Once she was sure Lorelei was gone and Duo was probably asleep again, she made her way back to his room, leaving the hall light on so that she could look upon him without waking him.
As she suspected, he was asleep again, and so she felt comfortable enough to sit beside him on the bed. His long, dark lashes, almost girlish, fanned against his rounded cheeks. He still had a baby face, and his smile was as boyish as ever, but his body had been mature for awhile, his mind even longer than that. The Gundam pilots had been forced to grow up fast, long before their bodies caught up with them, and now he was a young man worthy of her love. He had always had her respect and admiration, even before she befriended him. She never would have predicted that he would be ?the One? that, ironically, they had discussed together before.
Glancing over at his nightstand, she caught a glimpse of his grin in a picture frame. She picked it up and brought it closer, enabling her to see that it was a picture of him and Lorelei, his arm slipped neatly around her slim waist. They looked like the perfect couple. With a sigh Hilde began to return the frame back to the nightstand but was nearly startled into dropping it when Duo turned in his sleep, mumbling incoherently.
Aware that it might be a nightmare, she listened for any signs of fear in his voice, but in the next moment, Lorelei?s name fell from his lips. Unaware that she had stood up, Hilde stared as Duo pulled his pillow more tightly to him and sighed happily. It would have been cute if it wasn?t so depressing. Backing away, she found herself at the door and hastily closed it behind her. Then she fled to her room, any fragments of hope she?d been holding onto now dashed to the floor?accompanied by the shards of her broken heart.
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True Love is but a humble, lowborn thing,
And hath its food served up in earthenware;
It is a thing to walk with, hand in hand,
Through the everydayness of this workday world.
-James Russell Lowell
Love is like a virus. It can happen to anyone at anytime.
-Maya Angelou
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To Be Continued