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Cassandra pulled away from Harmonie a little and said with a smile, "Sometimes I forget that you, like your daughter, can be very demanding."

Harmonie looked at her blankly, then gently removed her arms, but Cassandra stopped her by taking her hands and placing them back on her lower back, then moving closer to Harmonie, wrapping her arms around her neck.

"That's a compliment. I love to be needed," she whispered in her ear, then straightened up, ", especially by you, my love, and of course by our daughter. I'm sorry, my love, sometimes I forget that you are a very touchy soul by nature and that you need a lot of affection and physical contact since it has become so natural for me to be with you."

Harmonie looked at her with an expression in her eyes that Cassandra could hardly decipher, but she knew it was sadness. And she felt her heart tighten.

She lowered her head, brought her lips closer to Harmonie's, and kissed her. She savored every moment of the slow kiss.

Her eyes still closed and her forehead against Harmonie's, she said in a whisper, "Don't give me that look, my love, it hurts me to know that you are suffering, and I can't do anything to help you."

Then she kissed Harmonie again and walked away without looking at her, heading towards Grace and Sylvia, who had Adelaide with them.

—------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She did not try to hide their relationship, even though they had implicitly decided to keep it to themselves at the beginning, without saying anything.

And Harmonie, having realized this, had an even more complex expression to decipher as she watched Cassandra walk away. She wanted to stop her, but she couldn't say anything, couldn't move a muscle, she just stood there.

Cassandra walked away to play with the others with the two floaties in her hand, but without realizing it, she had created a new problem for Harmonie to face alone.

She was jolted out of her thoughts by water being splashed on her, she turned to see that it was Chloe, Corine, and Cassidy who were back with water guns, Cassidy had a grin on her face as did Chloe.

"Give me mine," she finally said, but she felt a small constriction in her throat, a sign that her emotions were getting the better of her, but she managed.

Each with their water guns and the balloons Hazel had prepared for them; a water fight began.

Corine ran off with Harmonie on her tail. Chloe and Cassidy had hidden behind the trees.

Off to their side, Sylvia and Cassandra were playing in the water with Adelaide in their arms.

After gradually introducing the little one to the water, although she was scared at first but with Cassandra's encouragement and gentle words, the little one, who clung to Cassandra like a koala, was now a little more comfortable in the water, but still within Cassandra's arms, and she didn't want to let go.

Hazel and Valerie were sunbathing on their towels with sunglasses on their noses. Their silhouettes attracted a lot of attention, but that didn't stop them from enjoying the moment.

Marc and Grace, wrapped in a towel after returning from their swim, were talking on the blanket in the shade of the trees.

Suddenly Hazel and Valerie were splashed with water, they exclaimed, then removed their glasses and saw the four girls running away, some of them laughing.

The two young women looked at each other, then picked up their pistols' water that was lying next to them and ran after them.

They continued to play, going into the water from time to time. Several hours later it was time to leave. Each of them got into the car with their assigned driver and left.

...

In the car

Harmonie hummed the song that was playing on the radio and when she saw that the road in front of and behind her was clear for overtaking, she put on her blinker and started to drive past. When she was on the same level as the car in front of her, she gave Chloe, the driver, a quick mocking smile and finished her maneuver.

Then she heard a car honk, looked in her rearview mirror at the car behind her, and smiled slightly.

"'There's our daughter in the back, I'll have you know," Cassandra reminded her with a smile, and she saw Chloe's car pass them again.

Harmonie took a quick look at her, smiled with her eyes, and then concentrated on the road.

When the time came, the cars separated and went in different directions.

They arrived in front of Cassandra's house.

After parking and getting out of the car, Cassandra carried Adelaide, who was asleep, and Harmonie carried their bags.

They entered the elevator of the underground parking lot and Harmonie pressed the number 3.

Ding.

The elevator doors opened, and they stepped out of the elevator in silence, exhaustion showing on their faces.

Cassandra entered the code for her door and opened it, Harmonie put the bags on the floor, took a pair of slippers, and helped Cassandra take off her sandals and put on the slippers.

"Are you staying with us?" Cassandra asked quietly, the little one asleep in her arms.

Harmonie looked at her, pursed her lips, and then said quietly, "I can't, I have to take care of something. Tomorrow after school we can go buy what Adelaide needs here, okay?"

Cassandra nodded, then placed her free hand on her cheek, "Fine."

Then her fingers traced her lips, then she looked at Harmonie, her eyes glaring, and Harmonie understood that it was a warning about what had happened this afternoon.

"I'm sorry." She said with an expression in her eyes full of tenderness for Cassandra. "I'll be more careful."

Cassandra smiled, satisfied, then kissed her as she pulled Harmonie closer, her fingers on Harmonie's chin. She rose slightly and saw Harmonie's eyes full of emotion, and she knew hers should be, too.

"You are my oxygen," Harmonie whispered with deep eyes.

Cassandra smiled even more, "It's been a long time since I've heard you call me that."

...

Chloe parked in front of Sylvia's house and turned to her after unbuckling her seatbelt.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly, looking at her with emotions of sadness and incomprehension. Sylvia looked at her as if to ask what she was talking about.

"You haven't spoken to me all day and you've been avoiding me. Don't think I haven't noticed."

Sylvia remained silent as she looked at her.

When Sylvia didn't answer, Chloe took her hand. Sylvia tried to pull away, but Chloe tightened her grip.

"Is this because of what happened today?" Sylvia still didn't answer.

"Is it because I went to talk to the lady?"

Sylvia finally looked at Chloe and scoffed, "You didn't call that talking to Cassidy earlier."

Chloe's eyes widened, "But we were just talking to the lady. Because like I said, I really do have a soft-"

Sylvia interrupted, "That's not the issue. I have no problem with you talking to anyone."

She turned and looked Chloe straight in the eye again, "The problem is that you're saying loud and clear that you're going to hit on someone. How would you like it if one day I decided to tell you that I was going to pick someone up, even if they were young or old?"

Chloe lowered her head in the silence and finally answered, "No-"

"I can understand that it was a joke between you and the others, but I didn't like it at all when I heard it from Corine. Especially since we'd discussed that we were interested in each other. I felt ridiculed, defiled by your words, and most of all -... I felt that you were playing with my feelings for you." Sylvia's voice cracked then she finished her sentence and quickly got out of the car after getting rid of Chloe's hand, who was shocked by what Sylvia had just said. It was the first time she'd ever talked to her about her feelings.

Chloe's eyes went wide and then panic set in, and she called out to her to stop her, but Sylvia, who was determined to leave, didn't turn around and Chloe, who had gotten out of the car late, ran to catch her, but to no avail.

...

Chloe entered the house with a sigh after putting on her slippers and headed for the living room.

She saw Harmonie sitting cross-legged on the sofa, a computer on a cushion resting on her legs.

She was concentrating on what she was doing and hadn't noticed Chloe's arrival. On the screen, Chloe noticed some kind of graph but was too far away to know what it was.

Chloé sat down next to her and noticed that it was a graph of the company's evolution.

Harmonie lifted her head to look at it, then finished what she was doing on her computer, closed it, put it down next to her, and crossed her legs.

She picked up the TV remote on the coffee table and flipped through the channels until she found one showing a cartoon about a yellow square sponge. Then she turned up the sound on the TV, which she'd turned down completely earlier.

She took the pillow in her arms and rested her head on it, her eyes glued to the television.

Chloe, for her part, knew that her friend was ready to listen as soon as she closed her computer.

"Is Adelaide with Cassandra?" she asked, her eyes also glued to the TV, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Harmonie nod.

"Yes, I think they need to stay together right now, especially Cassandra."

"You and Cassandra are back together?"

Chloe turned her head when she didn't wait for an answer and saw that Harmonie had a thoughtful look on her face, then she leaned back on the sofa and rested her head on her hand with her elbow on the top of the sofa.

"The way we act towards each other suggests that we do... it's not like we're trying to hide anything," she began, still looking thoughtful.

"But I think, yes, it's safe to say that we're back together."

"Why aren't you sure?"

"It's not that I'm not sure, it's just that she doesn't want to be my girlfriend. But yeah, I guess you could say we're back together."

Chloe looked at her quizzically, "Explain."

"Bah, it's like I told you. She doesn't want to be my girlfriend, but we're together."

"You're confusing me here. What are you guys? Married people?" said Chloe, joking despite her lack of understanding.

Harmonie said nothing and smiled, Chloe's smile froze, "No? Seriously? You've got to be kidding me."

Harmonie took the cushion from her legs and placed it on the sofa beside her.

"Why don't you answer me?

"This woman, who's been wanting to make me her own ever since she decided to make me hers three years ago, needs to feel more secure again after her insecurities have increased tenfold. So she wants me to be all hers, which doesn't displease me. Of course, she hasn't said anything to me about it, but it's not hard to guess. And I don't want to lie to you, I'm afraid that if she asks me..."

"You're afraid that you won't be mentally available for her? You're worried about your mental state," Chloe finished, looking at her.

Harmonie nodded, "Hm... I'm not against us getting married, but I'm really worried about my mental state. I feel like it's getting worse. Of course, her presence, having her by my side - and you too - has obviously helped me, but my dreams still haven't stopped and that worries me."

Chloe moved closer to Harmonie and took her in her arms, stroking her head, "I know that the fact that she hasn't said anything to me suggests that she's not thinking about it, but I know that's not the case. She needs that feeling of security, I know that, and I don't want to disappoint her and Adelaide and especially me... But... Emotionally I'm ready, but mentally I'm not. So I think I'll ask her if we can stay in this nameless relationship for a while, just until I figure myself out.

They pulled away from each other's arms, "You know, I was shocked when I saw you this morning. You were like a family. So stop stressing over nothing. She needs that feeling of security, but she must know that you're not ready, just as you know that she wants it. You should talk."

Harmonie smiled and said nothing, silently agreeing with Chloe.

"Have you given her an explanation for what happened three years ago?"

Harmonie shook her head, "No, there's nothing to explain. I just got scared and ran away without warning her. It's a wonder she still wants me."

Of course, there was more than just fear behind her leaving three years ago, but Chloe knew she didn't want to talk about it.

"When did you two start seeing each other?"

"When we signed the divorce papers."

"Oh yeah! You guys are fast, but it's understandable. You're really lucky. Cassandra is a wonderful woman, really beautiful, inside and out."

Harmonie smiled, "You're lucky too."

Chloe smiled and Harmonie added, "I feel like I'm surrounded by beauties."

Chloe laughed, "Yes, that's true."

"On the other hand, I want to make it clear, I didn't choose Cassandra. She chose me."

"Really?" Harmonie nodded.

"To tell you the truth, when I first met her, I thought she was very beautiful, of course, and also hurt - to this day, I still don't know how she hurt herself - she probably fell. Anyway, it was the first time I'd seen such a beautiful girl. But if it hadn't been for Cassandra making the first move, I never would have realized I was so interested in her."

Chloe looked at Harmonie with a smile and Harmonie said, "I don't know how to love Chloe."

"Of course you do." Harmonie looked at her and Chloe continued smiling, "You didn't know how to love. But now you have plenty of love to give and receive."

"I guess so..." Harmonie replied quietly and then changed the subject, "Now enough about me, why did you come home with a sad expression on your face?"

Chloe had a shocked look on her face again.

Seeing her expression, Harmonie smiled slightly, "You thought I wouldn't notice. I thought you knew me."

Chloe sighed and said, "Yes, sometimes I forget what a keen observer you are."

"Not so much," Harmonie said with a small smile when she saw Chloe's expression.

Chloe ignored her, "She's mad at me."

"For what happened on the beach?"

"The fact that I said I was going to flirt, even though it was a joke. I tried to talk to her, but she slammed the door in my face."

Harmonie smiled softly and said gently, looking at her, "You have to understand her, Chloe.

Yesterday she found out you were a playgirl in Lieme, and today you say you're going to pick someone up, it's like you're confirming the fact that you haven't changed your bad behavior."

"But it was a joke and an old lady." Chloe tried to argue.

"Not everyone can understand that you were joking. To them, you were very serious about hitting on that lady, even though she was old."

Harmonie then remembered Sylvia's expression when Chloe talked about her flings.

"Imagine that one day Sylvia decides to hit on an older lady or gentleman. You wouldn't like that, would you?"

Chloe nodded, wanting to say something, but Harmonie interrupted, "It was a joke to you, but not to her. And even if she was just hitting on them as a joke, you wouldn't like it, would you?" she said, giving her a knowing look.

Chloe lowered her head, ashamed.

"Despite your complicated situation, this woman is genuinely interested in you. I can confirm that. Now it's up to you to wear your balls and take responsibility for your mistakes."

Seeing that Chloé's head was still down, Harmonie sighed and stood up, picking up her computer and turning to Chloé.

"You were wrong. So what are you waiting for, to show her that you're sorry and ask for her forgiveness?"

Chloe straightened her head, her face showing she didn't understand what Harmonie was implying.

"Sometimes you make me want to beat you," Harmonie said with a sigh, rubbing her eyebrows. "Get up and go see her, and don't come back until you've talked with her."

Having finished what she had to say, she turned and went to her room.