Succulents on the Window Sill

Chapter 28

A horse galloped across the stretch of rolling hills, coming to a sharp stop beneath an oak tree. It was as thick as the horse was long.

The rain was thundering down so heavily that the horse's rider couldn't see. The rain created a grey mist across the lands. North could very well have been south.

The rider, a messenger boy, -who looked more like a grown man to Corinne- had his long black hair stuck to his face with the rain. He looked kinda cute, in that rough bad boy way.

His wools were black, as was the leather vest he wore over them. Why was it that the bad guy was always dressed in black, whilst the good were in a simple dark grey or brown? It was like a uniform. How characters couldn't spot a villain from a mile away, Corinne didn't know.

She watched as he swung off his horse, leaving it to nibble at some grass as he pulled out a map. What use was looking at a map though, when he couldn't even see his finger in front of him? Corinne rolled her eyes at the scene on Zach's phone.

He had brought her home from the bakery, and had immediately led her upstairs as soon as the front door was closed behind them. Once in the bedroom, Corinne's clothes had been gently pulled off, before her pyjamas had been pulled on. Zach had ordered for her to get into bed, and had carefully tucked her in beneath the covers. His phone, with his tv subscription, had been placed in her hands. With a single kiss, he had then left her.

He had barely spoken a word throughout it. None of Corinne's questions had been answered, and no holes in their relationship had been patched. The drive home in his car had been in silence, their eyes too focused on a minor car crash, and the two fighting drivers, to have time for their own problems.

Corinne was left alone in the bedroom with a heavy heart, a troubled mind, and Game of Thrones. The episode that Zach had watched on Sunday morning without her, to be precise.

She couldn't get into it though, not when the messenger boy looked about thirty, and his horse was currently pulling a funny face. Not when her mind was interrupting the flow of the story, preventing her from even trying to keep up with the events.

Corinne continued to watch though, for there was little else to do. Something in Zach's actions told her to stay here where he had left her. She hadn't the energy to fight, to get up and try to go downstairs even if she wanted to.

Corinne was wrecked with exhaustion. Her tears may have dried, her breath returned, but she the ache in her chest had stuck with her. She felt terrible, emotionally, and physically. The idea of doing anything for the rest of the day but sit here, it filled her with dread.

The messenger boy climbed back onto his horse, kicking the yawning beast into a hard gallop. The scene changed to one in a grand castle, with a dark lit room. There was a bed, dressed in rich silks and velvets, a naked woman was laying on top of it. The door opened and Zach walked in. Corinne hit the pause button.

She placed the phone down on the bedside table, noticing the tray that he was carrying in his hands. She didn't even know that they owned a tray, and she realised they didn't when it was placed on her lap. It was nothing more than a strip of heavy cardboard. Moving house meant gathering up whatever boxes they could, then never using them again, until now of course. She had to admire his creative thinking.

There was a bowl of soup within the makeshift tray, along with a glass of apple juice. Zach had made her lunch.

"Thanks, babe." Corinne hadn't ate any breakfast that morning, and her lunch had been spent sobbing in the staff bathroom. She was starving, and more than grateful for this.

"I thought you might be hungry."

She nodded in reply, grabbing for the spoon and tucking in immediately. Between mouthfuls, Corinne managed to ask the question coming to the forefront of her mind. "Did you know that I skipped lunch?"