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Chloé frowned upon her husband’s sudden announcement. An inspired disapproval gnawed on the tip of her tongue to learn that an expected friend was to spend a couple of weeks at their respected estate.
With much of the dull leaves beginning to come back to life, the shamrock grass peeked under the melted white blanket as the bitter and merciless wind died down. The lively and vibrant sky she had last seen four months back; its brightness shattered through the gloomy veil, rays of sunshine shimmered through stirred the hibernated vegetation and critters amidst their dens.
The desertion of her winter coat, fur muffs, hats, and gloves, she craved for the warm weather. Perhaps she and Luka would have gone to visit Marinette up north. But in hopes of reuniting with her dear friend and enjoying a period of solitude, it quickly squished like a bug beneath a hefty boot when Luka informed her about his companion.
Jason Todd was one she heard of but never seen. Though two years older than her husband, he was nonetheless a close friend that stuck with Luka. Their mutual bond for music playing established a familiar comradeship. Unlike her spouse who properly succeeded in his occupation as a famous composer, Jason was an English teacher. She didn’t have the knowledge regarding the profession’s salary; yet, she certainly knew it wasn’t excessive.
An insensible image formed in her mind despite the lack of intelligence she obtained of him. Chloé visioned him stout, scrupulous, senile; with eyeglasses and a stiff bow tie; however, her words flew back at her consequent to the first day she met him. Jason was tall, taller than Luka even. Neither did he wear eyeglasses nor carry on with a bow tie strapped around his neck. The plump pelvis she imagined fractured at the sight of his well-built stature. He surely appeared as a man that all females would jump out of their skirts for. Broad shoulders, strong jawline, and that flat cap of his terribly failed to settle down his ebony thick hair which brought out his olympic crystal eyes.
She was not fond of him.
Entirely impudent and irrational to arrive at such a brisk conclusion, Chloé came to odds. Mother’s ceaseless warnings to avoid his kind sparked inside her pretty little head — never mingle around a commoner — or maybe she only recalled the specific memory to find a desperate excuse for her strange behavior.
Over the past few days, the skeptical female observed him. Chloé attempted to make him feel at home disregarding her inexplicable disfavor towards the innocent man. While she presented herself with an extroverted façade to please her guest, Jason intently listened to her subtle, nervous prattle and spoke a few commentaries here and there. The hostess quietly laughed to herself, embarrassed. For her nimble babble about the decors of the mansion: the tasteful draperies enclosed at the spotless windows, blinding white paint glossed the whole inside of the residence, the impressive garden with water fountains greeted at the gates, and their new set of Chinese porcelain — he must’ve thought she was a boaster!
Chloé sighed at herself. Luka chuckled and kissed her forehead as a reward for her adorable effort to make his friend feel eased. Still faintly flustered, she believed Jason didn’t look bothered by her falters at least.
When their guest did make himself comfortable, he seemed to like sitting on their balcony. She would briefly glance outside, noting her husband’s and his old friend’s pleasant conversation. The woman caught herself with a petite smile. They would grin, laugh, nudge each other at ebullient memories in their younger years and seal it with a clink of booze to celebrate their reunion.
Asides from the merry atmosphere, she came to learn a few things about him. Four years ahead of her, his twenty-four-year-old self had gone through an extensive duration in the service academy. Though leisure was hard to come by, he did in fact like to read a good novel in the afternoon at the park or strummed his guitar strings. Along with his entertainment to interact with mother-nature, Jason enjoyed all sorts of physical activity from playing baseball to rock climbing, which explained his sun-kissed skin compared to her pearly milk hue.
“When is he going — your friend?” the wife asked.
The scribbling of his fountain pen ceased its restless dance. Without sparing a glimpse at the distressed female, he responded, “Not for a week, dear. Why, does he tire you?”
She remained silent. Her gaze locked on the glass panes that overlooked their porch — and unsurprisingly stood the subject of their topic, who seemed to be admiring the intricate patterns of the fluffy pillows amongst the cerulean sky.
His tone shared a subtle upset. “I can’t understand; he gives you no trouble.”
“Except for my duty to provide for his comfort and amusement.”
Her lover laughed gingerly, and his hands cupped her face to witness the disturbed blue eyes on her lovely face. The pads of his thumbs brushed her soft skin as she cuddled into his gentle warmth to subdue her anxiety.
He pecked her lips and smiled. “As expected I will never be able to foretell how you are going to behave under given conditions, darling.”
Head on his chest, she felt the lighthearted bubble in him when he caressed the top of her hair.
“Mrs. Chloé,” he went on with a teasing chant, “overexcited on Jason’’s arrival and causing a clamor, something he would not wish nor expect.”
There was an offended gasp and she snapped up to look at him. “Clamor?!” the blonde hotly denied. “Don’t be ridiculous! How can you even utter such a thing?”
“Why would I not?”
“Because,” she started, exasperated, “it is utter nonsense for you to surmise that I am making a big fuss over some visitor.”
He pretended to agree with her, slightly nodding before mentioning to the contradictory, “Your words may speak honesty, but your resonance and posture say otherwise.”
The woman blew a raspberry, not caring if it was unladylike, stubborn to acknowledge her defeat. “Why is he even here anyway?”
“Now that the school year has ended, kids are due for harvesting. He must have been run down by overwork, so I encouraged him to come here for break.”
“Well I anticipated for him to be interesting at least,” she lied, unappeased. Chest puffed out in addition to an exhale, she prepared to lift her skirts. “In the morning I’ll be gone to have my spring gowns fitted. If you need me, I'll be at Aunt Pontellier’s.” Her pretty eyes flashed down to Jason once more prior to breaking away from Luka, leaving the office room with an unpleasant knot twisting in her stomach for notions undiscussed.
As his vacation pulled closer to an end, Chloé wasted no time in preparation for his dismissal. She directed the maids back and forth: dusting off any dirt, replacing the still-clean curtains, a cycle of laundry washing, and letting all the doors and closed windows of her home break out to draw in the warm sunlight.
Mrs. Chloé certainly was in a merry mood that morning.
She hummed and arranged the basket of food she planned to give to him for his journey back home. After its completion, she let out a relieved smile and turned around to store it for later until she collided into the familiar arms of her husband.
“Oh!” she squealed. “Luka!”
He kissed the top of her head. “Good morning to you, too, darling.” He noticed the trug in her hands. “A basket?”
She sweetly smiled. “It’s for Jason when he leaves in the evening.”
Her husband paused to stare at her. His body pivoted to study the maids fulfilling their duties, which was normal, yet there was something about it that felt different. His eyes roamed the changed drapes, the washed porcelain despite it never being filthy in the beginning, and a new fresh scent of aroma that must’ve been lighted by a candle. When he reverted his attention back to his wife, he knew the cause for her overly good mood this morning.
“Darling, what is the reason for this massive cleaning?”
She swatted a hand. “Don’t be silly, we clean every week.”
“I well understand, but...” he trailed off, speechless on what to say due to the heavy glimmer in his wife’s eyes and grin that didn't waver. “You seem awfully happy today.”
“Is that worrisome?”
“No!” denied Luka. He sighed. “I mean that you seem awfully happy now that Jason will be departing.”
Her smile still hadn’t flinched. “What’s wrong with that? Now that he’s leaving, we may be able to go up north and spend time together like we originally hoped.”
She recognized that the two men were friends, however, she did not grasp why he questioned her behavior. In her defense, there should be nothing wrong in wishing to spend time with her spouse, and now that the root of their problem was going away, what was the issue with her being happy? And why couldn’t he get that?
He pursed his lips, eyebrows pulled together. “Chloé, it troubles me. For the past few weeks, I cannot think of any logical thought. Jason might be reckless, but he is a genuine man. I doubt he brought you any inconvenience, and if he had, certainly he would make up for it. Spare me, did he do anything to you?”
“...He has not.”
“Then, why?”
“Why what?”
“Why do you dislike Jason?”
Her smile finally cracked. The question gave Chloé an absent look and mind of bareness. The jumbled words and phrases refused to form nor was her brain running to discover a possible excuse. In other words, she had no clue. Sure, she could have used the fact that he practically stole time away from her and husband to be together or how he slept, ate, showered here for no cost. But she knew he helped around the house, fixed her precious vanity when she had never asked to, and even kept her company whenever Luka went to work. The time he had spent here, he had made sure to pay back with intention and sincerity.
The question haunted her for the remaining hours before the sunset so that she stormed out to breathe the fresh air to clear out her turmoil. Her eyes shut, hands gripped her forearms from the chilly temperature.
How long she stood there in front of the sunset she wasn’t sure, but she knew it must’ve been a while from her trembling cold body.
In the midst of her inner conflict, a warm fabric wrapped around her shoulders, and her eyes snapped open. When the familiar scent rose her nostrils — wood, musk, and a hint of mint — she stared beside her to find Jason admiring the landscape ahead of them.
He said, “It wouldn’t do you any good to continue staying out here.”
Annoyance spiraled through her. “And what are you insinuating? I am not allowed to do as I please?” She didn’t mean to sound rude, but the consequences of her tired thinking propelled her to.
Jason was unfazed. “I only meant that I don’t want you to be sick. Pardon me, I didn’t mean to offend you in any way. It might be spring now, but some days like these are still chilly.” His features softened. “I can bring you another coat - ”
“I’m fine,” she sniffled.
For a few moments, he peered at her before asking, “May I?”
Her breath tangled in her throat when he stepped forward to fix the collar of his coat enveloped around her, bringing it closer to enclose any cold from crawling in. Stunned, she rotated her attention to distract herself from the pits of her stomach spiraling in a frenzy.
Jason smirked and proceeded to stuff his hands back into the pockets of his trousers.
She quietly scoffed at his arrogance and hugged her (his) coat tighter.
“How delicate a man’s ego is, but I know better than to nourish a fool. I make out nothing to praise.”
It was only meant for herself to dwell until she realized her spoken thoughts aloud.
Jason chucked his head back; an emerging laugh broke the silence. “Then perhaps I really am a fool.”
She wrinkled her lips. A scowl on her face.
“Because all I see is allure.” The subtle mischief in the depths of his eyes when he gazed at her was something triggering in her that Chloé did not dare to accommodate.
Vain simpleton , her mind echoed forthwith. She conjured up a sum of slanders to condemn him, but for reasons unidentified, her mouth refused her the ability to tell as if the physical parts of her very own existence have already known something she did not.
To her reluctance, she inhaled in his lingering scent and watched how he cherished the blowing air and the nature around him. It tousled his hair and ruffled the unbuttoned collar shirt he wore underneath his suspenders. And if she pried just a bit more she would’ve caught his chiseled chest along with any other unbecoming secrets hidden behind the flimsy shirt, but his attractive looks were hardly what she paid attention to. His cheeks rose high and lively. A lasting wave of excitement and vehemence clouded over him. His whole presence and aura didn’t seem to match up with his profession, but it did, to her at least. She couldn’t explain it, but she thought how great of a teacher he must've been.
His expression at peace, Chloé couldn’t quite take her eyes off of him. No man she had ever encountered presented such versatility and engrossment; it made her wonder about every little thing about him.
“I wished to thank you for your hospitality. My apologies if I caused any trouble. It was likely tiring having to deal with me. I don’t blame you; I would have been tired of myself, to be frank,” the man joked.
She didn't respond. Her feet remained glued to the ground, unsettled by the arousing sparkes from the particular male she disliked.
“I bought you a little gift.”
A small box appeared in front of her. Neatly wrapped with a cute bowtie on top.
“I still haven’t given Luka his gift yet, but hopefully I can before I leave.”
Foreign to him, the way he rubbed the back of his neck spoke of someone almost bashful. “It’s not the prettiest gift out there, but I thought it'll look better on you.”
After he left and waved his goodbye, Chloé opened the box later that day to reveal a hair-clip. It was a vintage antique-like peacock feather. Silver and aegean jewels embellished the spiral curves of the crest. It was probably something he bought at a cheap jewelry store, but it held a strange beauty Chloé found herself drawn to. It was no diamond nor could it compare to her opulent accessories, yet without thought, she began to wear it every day.
“The hair-clip looks beautiful on you, darling,” noticed Luka one day when they were eating breakfast.
“Thank you. Jason bought it for me.”
“He made a wonderful choice!”
A few months passed, and she hadn’t seen Jason since then. She wondered where he was or how he was doing. Whenever she looked outside to watch the sunset, she imagined he was staring at it just as she was.
The married couple carried on with their lives. For a brief period, Chloé considered writing to Jason, but threw the idea far off the distance, for she knew the consequences of what it would do to her heart.
There were some things Chloé still couldn’t fully understand, or rather admit, on why she disliked Jason Todd, but there was one thing she did understand — her life wouldn’t have been the same if she had only met him first.
fin.