Keeping friends apart

Antoine went to his home late. He was quite drunk. He was actually with John Riley planning stuff for future. Now with Jerika gone, they had no hurdle in front of them to do the things as pleases to them. Antoine did feel bad for Jerika at first but ambitions and desires did not let the emotions of past friendship and companionship to rule over and so all the bad feelings vanished within a good day. It was better for Jerika too, Antoine thought. She needs to get away from her obsession of Zion and its secrets. It was better for Jerika and best thing for Antoine. He no longer needs to confront her and quite frankly, he was not very much up to see her every day with her questioning attitude and rude remarks. Jerika make sure always that Antoine remembers how she feels about him exactly. It was not good and healthy for Antoine at least but yes, Jerika do get her frustration out by that from time to time.

Antoine was drunk but not too much to need for help while walking. He pressed the bell of entrance gate to his house. There was no response but it had been hardly five seconds when he decided to continue to press the bell until any answer comes from front door. It was not very sober thing to do and so his wife, Isabel, suggested Antoine's drunken state instantly. She was working in kitchen and was busy with some stuff but she could hardly spare any more second to ignore the door bell anymore. She knew exactly that if she did not answer the door that way then the hard core banging and screaming would start and it will not look nice to the neighbor. They just started living in the locality and Isabel was not ready to let others know so quickly that how big unsocial people were they. Isabel practically ran to the door and opened it only to find heavily drunken Antoine who was leaning on the door and taking the door's support to stand, started having a fall. He falls on Isabel and Isabel out of habit balanced herself and to Antoine as well.

"Hey wifey!!!" Antoine said with a smile. He smelled his wife's scent when he was leaning to her. "You smell lovely" Antoine said wrapping his arms around Isabel waist.

Antoine was heavy and wrapping around Isabel actually put all of the weight over Isabel to handle which was a lot and Isabel was hardly able to keep stand straight. "Oh dear Antoine!!!" words escaped from Isabel's mouth when she tried to bear Antoine's weight over her fragile body but this was not the first time it was happening so Isabel was not very startled or inexperienced of the whole situation. "You need to help me here, darling, otherwise we will both fall on the floor and you on me and it will give me sore back" Isabel said through her teeth while trying to help Antoine stand straight.

"I do not think it is a very bad idea to fell on floor or a sore back if we are falling together" Antoine said closing his eyes and burying his face in Isabel's hair. He sniffed from her hair and let the scent took over him completely.

"Stop being a baby and stand still" Isabel complained. She pushed Antoine a little only to let him stand by himself which Antoine did so easily. It was clear that Antoine was doing all that on purpose and he actually did not need support or help in any way. Antoine started walking inside his house. He entered the living room by passing through the corridor from the front gate. Antoine was walking straight and Isabel smiled looking at him. He might be walking straight but he looked funny. He had his both the shoes in his hand and he was picking them through a slight edge and they could fall any second. It looked like he was playing a game with himself. A drunken Antoine does many weird and wild things and it was always fun to watch for Isabel.

Isabel locked the door properly but then she rushed inside when she heard the voice of something breaking. Isabel ran to the living room only to find her vase broken. Antoine stood there scratching his head which was a clear indication that he was indeed a culprit. Isabel raised an eyebrow in question.

"It was an accident" Antoine said giving a justification for his action.

"No it was not. The vase was at the other corner of the room and you are at the other and this thing is only possible if you had threw your shoe to that corner which is completely childish and ridiculous thing to do by a grownup" Isabel scolded Antoine.

Antoine ignored Isabel and fell over the couch behind him. "It was just a vase, nothing special. It is easily replicable" Antoine said. Antoine smelled something funny and then said "What is this smell? Is something burning" Antoine asked looking around the house.

"Oh my god!!! I forget the food, I put on the stove" Isabel exclaimed. She ran to the open kitchen and checked her food which was completely ruined. It could not be used for dinner. She was really working very hard to prepare the dinner but now everything was ruined.

"You were cooking. Why were you cooking? You even opened the door by yourself. Where are servants?" Antoine asked when he found no one around the house.

"No one is at home. I pay them leave for one day. Wait… what you were saying about me opening the door. Who were you planning to lean on when you returned?" Isabel asked Antoine making the latter chuckle.

"It is not funny" Isabel said making an angry face. Antoine went close to Isabel and pulled her closer in his arms. He brought his lips close to hers and said, "It is funny when you try to act angry but miserable fail in it" Antoine said making Isabel smiled widely. Antoine brought his lips together to that of Isabel giving her a peck. He then looked up to see his wife's big blue eyes which were looking at him back with the equal love and compassion as Antoine had for her. Antoine closed his eyes when he moved forward to kiss Isabel again. "Did you meet Jerika?" Isabel asked.

Antoine was no longer having a moment or any desire to go further. When he heard Jerika's name from Isabel's mouth, he instantly knew where this conversation is going to go and it is going to be end up into a foil mood for him. Ever since, he and Isabel had come back to the town, Isabel had been constantly asking about Jerika. She even went to her old house where she (Jerika) used to live but when she could not found her, he asked Antoine to find out about her. It had been difficult to keep Isabel in dark. Isabel and Jerika used to be close friends before the accident but then after the accident, some events transpired against Antoine which led him to leave the town and even country altogether. Naturally, he took Isabel along but that was not very difficult part. The most difficult part was to keep Isabel away from Jerika. Antoine told Isabel about the accident very late but only about the accident and not about the other things as it could easily let him to lose her and he cannot afford that. He can never afford that. After that one excuse led to the other. Firstly, Isabel was told that Jerika is in bad place and need time to come around but later then Antoine was forced to say that she just did not want to keep in touch by choice and had changed her number and everything for the same. Changed house only worked in the favor of Antoine's lie. Isabel was also unaware of Jerika working at Zeon and what Antoine did to Jerika with John Riley was out of question in knowing. It was not very pleasant for Antoine to lie but he felt with no other option left. But… what can he do now when he had returned to this town? How long can he keep Isabel and Jerika to meet each other? Antoine was not very sure how will Jerika react with Isabel when she sees her. It might not be very nice meeting and he was dreading that day if it will ever come and he knows it will come soon and it was matter of few days or few weeks.

Antoine did not wish to use any words so he just nodded his head in no.

Isabel's face fell. She was really hoping that Antoine does come back with some good news but it was not the case. Antoine saw Isabel's upset face and he hated that he was the reason for that.

"Hey… what is wrong?" Antoine asked although he knew perfectly what was wrong.

"Nothing… I just miss her and I worry for her. She had been all alone this time. We should have been with her. I just wish that we should have been better friends" Isabel said sadly. Antoine embraced his wife and said "I know. I wish too"