She was missing Renee she said but it was the way she hugged her that really showed. Then she looked at me. Those eyes, an intoxicating enigma, had become my obsession from the moment we had met, a canvas reflecting the palette of her deepest desires. Much like a masterful artist, she had painted them with the hues of her moods and the seductive dance of sunlight. Sometimes they had transformed into a stormy gray, turbulent and mysterious, hinting at untold secrets. When she had laughed, they had become a fusion of hazel and green, an intoxicating blend. When the sun had reached its zenith, they had blazed with fiery amber. But when we had made love, her eyes had surrendered, they had become molten pools of honey.

’Hi.’ Tina said taking her seat next to me. I didn’t greet her back with words but held her gaze captive trying to search if she’d meant what she’d said; It’s like, like, I don’t feel married to you. Her eyes were grayish, I couldn’t tell.

The moment was disrupted as Tina shifted her attention, reaching for a piece of Camembert.

’How was your trip Cherie?’ Renee asked and Tina gave her a short summary of the scenes they shot, the problems that had occurred and showed Renee some stills.

’How do you feel?’ My voice held a weight that Renee wouldn’t decipher, but Tina, attuned to my unspoken language, shifted in her chair. Her finger hovered over a still on her phone, a fleeting signal that only I could perceive. A slight shake of her head conveyed her message – not now. She resumed her conversation with Renee.

’I can’t wait to see it on TV.’ Renee remarked enthusiastically, completely engrossed.

Tina’s shoulders hunched. The chair legs scraped over the wooden floor as I got up. ’I’ll fix you a plate.’

In the seclusion of the kitchen I rested my elbows on the counter and buried my head in my hands. I needed just one moment to take a breath, just one, so I could keep on going. In my life there were only two people left that I truly, deeply loved. One was dying and would never see Tina’s series and the other one.. the other one. As her footsteps drew closer, I straightened myself.