Behind the curtains

"Yes, boss. She's already on her third bottle. We don't know what to do."

On the other end of the line, Nero seemed to be thinking. Carla didn't want to interrupt, but she really wanted him to come.

"Okay. Give her the phone, please."

Carla sighed in relief. Diana looked like a child playing house. She picked up the phone and spoke as if it were a faulty toy.

"Hello?!"

Carla and Ema watched everything with their hearts in their hands. Lines of tears ran down their cheeks like thin streams.

Ema did everything she could to dry them and comfort her friend, but the tears only grew bigger.

"Hmm. Okay," finally, she took a deep breath with her eyes closed. When she opened them, she looked like an obedient girl, who gave the phone back and hugged Ema like a teddy bear.

The two watched this without knowing how to react.

"I talked to her. Diana will be fine, she just needs to get it off her chest. Ema knows the story, talk to her about it and let her drink."

Carla narrowed her eyes at her boss. She really wanted to believe Nero, she didn't like seeing the slender and strong young woman in such a soft and fragile way.

"Are you sure you don't want to come get her?"

The silence didn't last long.

"She doesn't need me. Not now," Nero gave a few more instructions before they agreed to spend the night at Diana's house and he thanked her. "Thank you for taking care of her. Eat something and take the day off. When it's over, I promise you'll get a raise."

A smile began to widen on Carla's face. Suddenly her eyes became a little more affectionate toward her friend.

"It's okay, don't worry, see you later."

..

.

"Problems?", a soft, elegant and beautiful voice called.

"Almost. My fiancée had a bad day," Nero came out of the kitchen, holding out the tray of cups.

Alice took hers with a nod of gratitude. Her guest just smiled naturally.

She was an average-looking woman, in her forties, but with touches of youthfulness and elegance that would put her on par with the younger ones.

Her smile, graceful as always, had just the right touch of beauty and melancholy that made Nero's heart race and ache in equal measure.

"She seems difficult...", her eyes narrowed.

"Don't badmouth the lady of the house, Erin," Alice scolded.

"Even you, my dear?", the two focused on their cups. Nero took his place next to her. The soft scent and the slight rainy chill made the atmosphere cozy. The silence was natural. "It was also a compliment, she must have personality. I like young people like that."

"I've never seen you like anyone."

"I like Alice," she pointed with her hand, the hunter's brow furrowed over the cup.

"Don't bring me into this conversation."

Erin giggled like an innocent child.

"This coffee is good. Yggdrasil seeds?"

"Yes," Nero still enjoyed the smell.

Seeing Alice's appreciative sips, Erin looked her up and down.

"You've grown. Not just in your breasts, of course. You used to turn your nose up at anything more bitter than milk."

Alice took a deep breath. There was no point in arguing.

"It's still strong... But it's delicate and delicious."

"Of course it is, it must have taken some work to get it."

"Not so much."

"Hmm... Back to the point, when are you two going to be a couple?..." her cup shook, a few brown drops staining her dress. "...and what have you been doing without me?"

"Here," Erin leaned forward, gracefully uncrossing her legs to hand over a tissue.

"That won't go away, will it?"

"Not even by magic."

Alice grunted, seeing Erin's wide smile. Nero just nodded.

"You've grown up, but you still have that childish charm... almost lunar. I love you for that."

The young woman's eyes didn't lift, not even at the affectionate words.

"By the way, when are you going to..."

"Stop it. Don't make others uncomfortable just because you're out of things to say."

She leaned over the table.

The three of them were so close that the smells of their bodies mixed with the perfumes of their clothes and cups. Their sense of smell was powerful and capable of discerning even the most subtle or nostalgic of them.

Her eyes focused on him. Nero didn't look away. They stared at each other for a few seconds while Erin's pupils seemed to thin.

They became vertical. The eyes of predators.

They suited her, to the point of reminding him that, except for those eyes, her entire appearance was false.

That look held an abyss where he had found himself once or twice.

"I missed you."

For a moment Alice thought she was going to kiss him.

There was a maternal tone at the beginning, a sexual touch in the middle, and something innocent at the end.

It was just the truth. Erin's truth had always been too heavy for anyone to bear.

But he didn't stay behind either.

"I missed you too..."

Her smile blossomed like a beautiful hellebore, petal by petal, in the night.

'So few words to move such a heart', unlike her heart, her thoughts were stern.

Suddenly her smile returned to its youthful tone. Erin looked at Alice, over the top of her teacup. She supported it with her own regal gaze.

"Don't let him get away."

Silence filled the room. Alice was ready to respond, when she added.

"Oh, and let me join in every now and then. Otherwise I might end up stealing him from you."

She swallowed her words and just shook her head.

"You don't learn, do you?" she asked, not really wanting an answer.

"You guys are the ones who don't change. How long have you been on this boat together? Sometimes I think you're the only woman he loves... after me, of course."

"If you keep this up there won't be any dessert."

She narrowed her eyes. She seemed to think about something before blurting it out.

"And you? Your 'fiancée' is suffering and you're here having coffee with two beautiful women and... waiting for dessert," a lewd smile formed on her lips.

Nero laughed softly and stood up.

The smile faded. Only Alice saw her expression... thinking she had touched a sensitive spot.

But Nero smiled as he reached for the cake.

"She decided to go see her ex on her own. I'm proud of her. But I'm not her father, and if she wanted me there she would have called me. Other than that...", he stopped to think before speaking.

Alice smiled. She liked how similar the pair were.

"I'm just seeing a beautiful woman."

'What?', her face reddened before the thought took hold.

Looking away, Erin seemed not to understand what he was talking about. Her dropped jaw was forgotten, as her lips twisted into a smile that promised disaster.

"Oh, really?!", a beautiful laugh flowed. The tone changing between two voices.

Light began to flicker in her vision. Swirling and flowing towards her as if it had life.

'Not again.'

Alice clutched her cup and closed her eyes, the vision of a deity forming in her mind even before Erin finished changing.

The last time Alice had seen that appearance, she had fainted from exhaustion.

'Close your eyes, girl.'

Taking a sip of coffee and feeling the transcendent presence move, she wondered if something had changed.

'Wait... Don't move,' Nero seemed to be having trouble in the kitchen.

'Well, he looked for it.'

The melodious laughter resounded next, warming her heart. Alice took a few more sips.

This pair really amused her.