NO PLAY

"Hello."

"Hello."

After the storm, came the shyness, the two argued, yet when the Ex-lovers met, the same feeling filled the air; the neighbors couldn't stay away from the other.

"How was your day?" Gregory asked.

"Good."

"And yours?" Xenia returned.

"Same."

Sia, silent, switched her gaze from one to another as they spoke.

"Goodbye, Gregory," Xenia said once in front of her door.

She was polite; Gregory lived next door. They had a story; it was good, and it was over. No matter how hard it was, Xenia had to stick to her resolve.

"Gregory, aren't you coming with us?" The little girl used to have the man join them for dinner asked.

"I don't know if your mom will let me," Gregory knew it was petty to use Sia's question to his advantage, and Xenia probably flared the ploy, but he didn't care.

"She will," Sia hurried to say.

"Sia."

"Mommy stands in front of the door, waiting for you to come."

Xenia laughed in embarrassment, "Sia, don't say things like that," she said, patting her daughter vigorously on the head while hoping she'd stay quiet.

"It's true; mom walks around the house with her phone saying, call me, Gregory."

Xenia shook her head, "I do not, Sia."

"You do."

"I do not," Xenia glared at her daughter before hurrying to open her door and pulling Sia inside, but as she was about to close it, Oasis ran out and began to rub herself against Gregory's legs.

"Traitors, you are all traitors," Xenia mumbled.

Gregory's eyes twitched, betraying his contempt as he picked up Oasis and stretched her out to Xenia.

"Meow."

"What you don't want to come in, Oasis? Fine, stay with him, and don't look at me like that, Gregory," Xenia said in frustration.

Two weeks past and the woman held with her anger playing all the weeping willow repertoires existing.

Gregory was tired of taking the first step. He wanted to know to what extent the woman cared.

Xenia's eyes said all the contrary to what her mouth pronounced. Gregory lost hope she would never take the step. He turned, typed his code, and was about to enter his apartment when he heard the plea.

"Gregory, eat with us," Sia said while she clung to her mother's leg.

"Sorry, Sia. I would love to butㅡ."

"Eat with us," the voice was small, but the words attained the bullseye.

Gregory wanted a step, anything would do coming from Xenia, and she did it with this simple sentence, which probably tortured her like the flames of hell. The man knew how proud the woman was to beg or yield to any concession.

And so the man didn't play cocky by asking Xenia to repeat, "just give me a minute, and I'm coming," the man replied in a monotonous tone instead.

"Oh, take your time. Dinner won't be ready for forty minutes, at least," Xenia's stare fled with embarrassment.

A weak smile sketched on the man's face, "okay, see you in forty minutes."

Xenia quickly entered her apartment; now, she gave Gregory the time; she had to do everything to cook up a meal within Gregory's time frame for the man was a living clock.

Behind his door, the man sighed with relief.

Was this how it felt to be captured by a woman who you loved? You hung on to her words as if it were a lifeboat.

Gregory had to tell Xenia. It was urgent; the woman had the right to know the truth if he desired to see a future in their idle.

XX XY

As expected, forty minutes later and not a minute less, Gregory rang the doorbell. Sia ran to open it.

Xenia became clumsy under the man's observing gaze; it was as though it was the first time she saw him.

Gregory affected her that way. How could she be mad at him?

The scene of them having dinner together felt right because it was. Gregory was kind, gentle; her daughter loved him.

Sia was happy as she looked at both sides of the table. "Vous êtes amoureux [you're in love]," the child said out of the blue.

"Sia," Xenia scolded as her cheekbones rose to blush, "kids."

"Truth only comes out from the mouth of the innocent," Gregory replied.

Xenia lowered her gaze and played with the few rice grains, which were still on her plate.

XY XX

"Gregory, are you okay?" Xenia asked as he entered her, leaving the room after tucking Sia in bed.

"Yes, I'm fine," Gregory replied, but his face displayed the contrary.

Xenia patted the space next to her, and he came to sit.

She took a deep breath and began, the man needed an explanation, and he was going to get a Xenia special, "I'm crazy, I know, Gregory, I shouldn't have attacked you like that. I asked you too much; I'm conscious of that. I'm still sitting on a few stigmas of the past, and I shouldn't throw all my uncertainties at you.

Xenia talked quietly while explaining what she felt was so rare; it was almost odd, and it made Gregory's conscious weigh with guilt.

The woman who camouflaged her pain with a bubbly personality opened up. Here was his chance, the moment to say his truth, but the man let the instant pass by kissing Xenia on her forehead before depositing another on her lips.

Gregory always consoled her that way, forehead plus lips. It was his way of saying everything was okay; I'm here. Xenia wondered why she let herself fall into the limbo of doubts.

Gregory would catch her. Why not fall in love?

They, too, had the right to be happy. Xenia thought as she returned his kisses.

There was something different in the way she gazed into his eyes; Xenia was entrusting Gregory her heart, he could tell.

A few minutes later, they were in her bedroom in the same position they had found themselves before with the same lust, desire, and this silent emotion which they could not pronounce.

It wasn't makeup sex; it was another stage in their relationship—the scene where everything hurt, the good and the bad. Everything from now would pain the couple because that's how love is both pain and remedy.

"Are you thinking about meeting? "Xenia whispered, "I heard Cassie saying that maybe Mr. Ashton might visit our branch."

"Really."

"Umm, everyone is a little tense," Xenia added.

Gregory had to tell her, but he couldn't. Instead, he pulled Xenia closer, her back on his chest, cupping her body in his in a fetal position; he wrapped his arms around her. The fear of losing her was prominent, a few minutes past in this dead silence where only the thump of their hearts could be heard.

"I love you."

Gregory's eyes opened in a flash; this was what he dreaded.

Xenia had said it loud out, the words were a whisper, but Gregory heard, the sentence pounded in his ears as though they came from a loudspeaker. The man's breath shortened.

Why? He thought, why did Xenia have to bring the sentence into this dimension, making it palpable and translatable in all languages.

For Xenia, Gregory was sound asleep, he couldn't hear what she said, and if he did, well, she didn't want to think of it. She loved him and desired him to know.

Even if their story were to end, she would have the peace of mind of having said it out loud at least once. Embarrassed, Xenia closed her eyes and let sleep take over her.

Leaving Gregory the burden of her words, an hour passed.

Gregory sat up on the bed and checked his watch. It was 3 AM; he still had a lot of work left. He got up and started to get dressed.

"Leaving?"

"I have a few files to see."

"It's 3 AM," Xenia replied.

"I'm sorry," he gave her the corresponding gaze to dress the apology.

"It's okay; work is work, right," Xenia grinned and sat up, holding her sheets in front of her as she advanced to the edge of the bed to kiss him.

"Don't tempt me."

"I wouldn't dare," Xenia said while she wrapped her arms around Gregory's neck and letting the sheet fall. She pressed her naked body against his still bare chest.

"This is torture," he whispered, laying her back down on the bed.

At 5 AM, Gregory left for good this time, leaving Xenia sound asleep.