Chapter 63: I'll do my Best

As soon as Lambert left the apartment, I went straight to bed and laid down face up staring at the ceiling. Sure my body's tired and so is my mind but for some reason I can't fall asleep. Was it because I'm not used to the place just yet? Or is it my body clock adjusting? Probably not both. It was the thought of being in another country away from Yukino knowing that she's dying sooner rather than later. 

My mind was flooded with thoughts such as "Will Yukino be there when I get back home?", "Will I be able to talk to her once more let alone see her?". These thoughts of not being able to part ways properly with her filled up my mind. But what bothers me the most is the thought of "Will I be able to send her off with a smile before she leaves us in this world. Was I able to give her everything that she ever wanted from me? 

After a long time of struggling to find sleep, I eventually did after several hours of staring at the ceiling drowned in endless thoughts of Yukino. 

The very next morning, I went straight to work on my novel. The setup is quite similar back when I was in Japan. I work from home and send it to my editor once I'm done writing new chapters so it wouldn't be that hard to adjust with the workload. However, I still don't know how I would work with my editor. What is he like as an editor? Sure as a person he's a bit weird but in all honesty, I think he's a nice guy. But that would barely answer my question of how he is as an editor. 

I started working from 8 AM until lunch time. I would have cooked my own lunch if my fridge wasn't empty. Doing groceries right now would take time so I stepped out for a bit and searched for restaurants where I can grab a take out food. 

As I walked downtown, I stumbled upon a number of bakeries. I guess pastries really are famous here in France. But what I'm looking for right now is food for lunch so I doubt pastries will make me full. I stumbled upon a food stall selling Cassoulet so I bought it not knowing what it was. 

I went back to my apartment and opened the food package. What greeted me was the fragrant aroma of the food which looked like some beans and meat. I gave it a try and it was surprisingly delicious. I guess French Cuisine is top tier considering how delicious it was. 

As soon as I finished lunch, I started working until late at night and was able to complete a good amount of chapters. At this rate, I might be able to finish this novel next month or even earlier. Considering that I won't stumble upon writer's block. 

I sent it to Lambert for some thoughts but he didn't reply. I waited for a couple of minutes but still no response. I wonder what he's doing? Nakamura-san would always reply to me in less than 10 minutes. With nothing to do, I sat on my bed and read some novels. 

A few minutes later, I heard a knock on my door. I made my way to the peephole and saw Lambert so I quickly opened the door. 

"Lambert?" 

"Let me in. I read everything." 

"Sure? I guess? But what are you doing here?" 

"What else? I'm here for work of course." 

It's already 9 PM dude. I wasn't able to say that out loud since he already made his way to my desk. I guess this is how he works as an editor huh? 

"So you see, the drafts are good, really good. The concept is good but it's lacking something. I think you need to put more emphasis on the environment as well. For example, this one. Yeah they are in the park, but readers would wonder what the park looks like right? You need to be able to portray the exact scene. Every necessary detail, even the vibe of the place. We can make the readers enter our book this way." 

Lambert continued to instruct me on how to improve my writing and construct better sentences. I learned a lot of things through the whole night of editing my drafts. The technicalities he taught me was mind blowing considering how I agreed to everything he said. To be honest, it was surprising that he's this good as an editor considering his laid back personality. 

The session was very educational and it was actually good that he's here talking to me in detail as communication became much easier than communicating online. 

We worked until 12:30 AM and it was fulfilling. We had some real progress and improvements done in one sitting that made us both satisfied.

"Woooh! That's a good amount of work in one night! Good job Aoi!" 

"No, good job to you Lambert. I learned a lot of things in just one sitting." 

"You flatter me. Anyway, How come you're this deep despite being so young?" 

"Well you see, I dated someone who's dying. We broke up though. This girl brought me back to reality after I led a life of lying to myself. She's dying soon and I hope to dedicate this one to her. I just hope that I'll make it in time."

"What you're going through is really hard huh? I'm already amazed how you managed to handle all of these and still write spectacular stories. I wouldn't be able to do it myself if I was in your situation. I would've crumbled already." 

"I am Lambert. In fact, I can barely wake up everyday thinking about it, let alone work. I just want to be with her right now. But I can't just give up right? Knowing that she's doing her best on her own, how can I just lie down in bed and do nothing? That'll be unfair to her. I need to do my best here in France. That's what she would've wanted." 

"Let's do our best, Aoi. I'll definitely do my best to help you publish this novel and win an award you can bring back home. No, you surely will! I'm sure of it." 

Lambert then gave me a hug before going back home. I hope that Yukino will be able to read this once we're done. Just hang in there, Yukino. I'll definitely fulfill my promise to you.