The house in where Mr. Briand had decided to live in was very interesting April realized once Sasha and she had talked briefly with the brunette secretary that eyed both of them suspiciously even after verifying Sasha’s pass.
The place looked more like a museum than an office; different shells and medals hanged from the wood-covered walls and April tried to identify the mollusks as Sasha and she passed through the narrow corridors, searching for Mr. Briand. Unfortunately the thick layer of dust that covered them made it impossible to determinate what type of species decorated the place.
The man that greeted them at the end of one especially dark hallway was also very peculiar but even if it his smile had the placidity of a tranquil man his eyes shone mischievously once the blonde at his side entered in the room and seated without any type of ceremony.
It was obvious to April that Sasha and the man didn’t like each other and she shifted uncomfortably not sure where to sit until Sasha patted the chair next to her.
“I’m glad to see that you are already here, Miss Woods” Said the elderly man as he touched the multiple rings that decorated his fingers. “Hope you had a good flight, you never know with those things…”
Even if he sounded sincere the coldness that reflected his eyes made April tremble and she doubted if she needed to answer to that greeting.
Fortunately Sasha decided to talk and she sighed, happy to have avoided talking to him; the man looked certainly as if he had been living in that island since it had surfaced from the bottom of the ocean.
“We are here to know where she is going to stay. Should I leave her at the hotel, as usual?”
April’s ears perked up at that and she found herself feeling a little bit disappointed that she was going to leave Sasha’s side so early. “Don’t be stupid” Thought looking at woman who had her chin raised as Briand looked back at her with a dark glee that April didn’t like in the slightest. “She is merely doing her job”
She was in the middle of deciding if she could ask the blonde to merely indicate where she needed to go when the accented voice of Mr. Briand broke the silence of the office, the man smiling at Sasha as the woman tensed, her whole body seeming to be seconds apart from cracking with rage as the man laughed softly.
April felt Sasha’s eyes on her and blinked, trying to understand why the forest-green eyes of the woman looked troubled as they locked with April’s own ones.
“Sorry” Said slowly as she eyed Briand, that looked immensely pleased with himself. “I was thinking about something. Is there any trouble?”
“Quite the contrary Miss Woods” Answered Briand gleefully as Sasha closed her eyes with exasperation as she silently sunk back into her chair. “I was pointing to Miss Lamont that since our original idea of having you in our normal hotel is dismissed due to the tourist’s season this year she was going to need to share her house with you. I’m sure you will not mind this change of plans…”
Despite the man thick accent the brunette understood the words and she eyed once again at Sasha who had opened her eyes and was giving him an irascible look that made April bit her lower lip nervously.
“If Sa… If Miss Lamont doesn’t mind I won’t have any problems staying with her” Answered looking at Sasha as she searched for the other woman’s approval.
But Mr. Briand clapped his hands and rose from his chair, a cold smile adorning his lips as he offered his right hand to April, the other one supporting his weight.
“Excellent then, I hope you have a marvelous stay here in Corsica, if there is any problem Miss Lamont here knows how to contact me. “
He signaled them to leave and, after pushing a button the same lanky secretary escorted them to the main entrance of the house, Sasha still fuming at April’s side.
It wasn’t until both of them were once again safely in the blonde’s yellow track that April managed to open her mouth and mumbled what she had been thinking since she had saw the murderous look that Sasha had directed to her boss.
“I can stay in one of the hotels” Said as the blonde looked ahead of her, her chest heaving with short and quick intakes of breath as her lips were pursed in a very fine line.
Even like that the woman had an exquisite beauty that April found much more interesting that the beautiful views that she still could discern from her seat, the Mediterranean Sea shining right before her.
“Pardon?” The blonde asked, blinking slowly as she eyed April, who blushed, realizing that she had been staring to Sasha for too long. As she answered she couldn’t help but notice the soft accent that the young woman had sowed with the guttural sound of the –r-, which had roll of her lips in a French manner, and she cursed herself before continuing her explanation.
“I was saying that I could stay in a hotel, I don’t want to impose and I understand if you feel uncomfortable living with me. You barely know me and…”
The blonde shook her head as she started the truck once again.
“I don’t have any problems with you crashing with me, but I hate how Briand acts around everyone.”
April opened her mouth before closing it, her glasses already sliding off her nose again and she pushed them trying to put them in their correct place.
“He has quite the character” Conceded as she looked at the different houses that were now at both sides of the road.
“He certainly is a prick” Muttered Sasha furiously and blushed as she realized what she had just said. “Sorry, I didn’t want to say that…”
April smiled brightly, happy now that they had left Briand’s house behind and Sasha seemed to be recovering her bright mood from earlier.
“It’s the second time this day… careful with that tongue”
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Sasha blushed as she tried to appear nonchalant by April’s comment but she also could see the phantom blush that the other woman sported.
“Well, I will be careful next time, the old remedy of soap and water it’s not precisely my cup of tea”
April giggled at that and nodded, her glasses sliding off her nose once again and as she pushed them, trying to keep them where they needed to be, Sasha smiled brightly; the subdued look that the other woman had directed to her minutes earlier now fading.
“Why do you work for Briand if you don’t like him?” April asked as she looked at Bastia’s old houses with curious eyes, noticing the different structures and art work.
Sasha sighed and turned the car, the sea now completely visible as they went to the Old Deck; the most viewed part of the city.
“It’s because that secret mission” Grumbled the blonde as she looked at April who was now looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
Sasha considered telling the full story to the brunette, it had been a long time since she had trusted someone enough to tell them how she had ended up in Corsica but, somehow, someway, the brunette had warmed up to her enough and as they approached to the old building that contained the blonde’s apartment she truly thought about telling April the truth.
“It’s complicated” She started with a shrug as she smiled slowly, trying to appear as confident as she wanted to really feel. “Long story short is that I came here because I wanted to found my parents, I didn’t found them but I decided to stay here and since I needed a job I asked for Mr. Briand’s help. He provided me and now I’m bonded to work for him even if he is a little weasel”
The words came out painfully slow as she remembered the first months in the island, how she had fell in love with it, how she had felt when the lead that she had followed had been another false alarm, how her money wasn’t enough to return to America and how desperate to get a job she had been. But, at the end, when she had had the job and the money she had stayed there. Whenever Carmen asked her why she laughed and said that it had been the views, but, maybe, it truly had been the hope that someday her parents will return to the island again.
“Sasha?” April’s voice made her look at the brunette, the soft chocolate eyes of the woman looking at her worriedly. “Are you ok?”
The brunette looked at Sasha with concern shining on her eyes, since her question and the blonde’s short answer the younger woman had stopped the car in front of a building but, instead of exiting the car, she had remained seated with a lost look on her face. Now, as the blonde blinked away the sadness, April could see something close to remorse glinting slightly in those forest-green eyes that looked almost emerald with the strong sun that bounced in Sasha’s irises.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t want to pry” Started but Sasha shook her head and put April’s glasses at the top of her nose with her index finger.
“There” Said as she opened her door, as if she didn’t see the blush that April felt burning her cheeks and trying herself to not think about the soft skin that she had briefly touched “And no harm done, it’s just that it’s been a long time since anyone asked me about what had happened. Briand is a very intelligent man despite his creepiness and thanks to him the six natural reserves that are in Corsica are still standing. He likes nature but he doesn’t like to show it.”
“I thought that since we are in the north part of Corsica the only natural reserve that is behind his jurisdiction it’s the one that it’s at Begulgia’s lake” Answered April as she exited the car, her body barely peeking above it and her voice the only thing that signaled where she was from Sasha’s side.
“Yes, but he has too much money to spend so…” The blonde trailed off as she went to the back side of her truck, ready to grab the brunette’s suitcase that seemed to have lost her voice. “April? Are you there?” Asked, walking at April’s side that was looking at the old deck completely mesmerized, the deep blue of the sea waving at both of them from behind the many ships that still rested there.
“It’s incredible” Muttered April as she looked at everything, a big smile in her lips as she tried to found her phone. “I need to… hold me this” Asked to Sasha when she finally found her phone, her purse being carelessly passed to the blonde who chuckled a little as she the woman took photos of everything that she could.
“Want me to take a photo? That way you can always brag about it!” Asked once April returned, still looking dreamily at the houses that faced the sea, the soft colors of the façades reflecting the, now, midday sun.
April looked at Sasha as the blonde chuckled once again, happy to see the other woman like that, the pain that had started to grow inside of her fading slowly.
“Oh, no, I’m sorry I reacted that way, it had been years since I had been in a place like this and I’ve never been next to Mediterranean waters. I didn’t want…” Blushed the brunette as she took her purse from Sasha’s hand, the blonde trying to contain her laugh as April looked down, her blush even covering the part of her neck that was visible to Sasha through the short locks of the other woman.
“Relax, you are not the first and you will not be the last who fall in love with this view” Explained Sasha as she opened the truck and grabbed the heavy suitcase. “The first night I passed in this house I barely slept because the view from the balcony at night is dreamy. Now I suppose I’m more accustomed to it”
“I would kill you to have this view every day” Exclaimed April as she hurried to help Sasha with the suitcase as the blonde opened the door.
“Don’t say that too loud, I don’t want you to give ideas to the tourists… “Joked the blonde as she signaled the old-looking elevator at the other side of the hall. “I live at the third floor; I will be with you in a minute”
“You don’t enter with me?” Asked the brunette as she eyed the elevator with a worried look, the device certainly seemed quite old and when April entered and closed the shaped metal doors behind her she could hear a crunch at her feet.
“It’s for only a person, but don’t worry, push the third button at your right, I will be with you in a minute, and remember that you wanted to murder someone for my personal view!”
Sasha closed her eyes in frustration as April’s jokingly look disappeared as well as the elevator.
“I think that I told you that we couldn’t flirt”She said to herself as she carried the suitcase next to the now closed doors of the elevator.
But she had flirted and April didn’t seem to be against it. Sighing, she entered in the elevator when it arrived clicking as it always did.
“Well, it wasn’t that bad” Said the brunette when Sasha finally arrived at the third floor and the blonde couldn’t help but chuckle at that. “Thank you for carrying this with you, I know it’s pretty heavy” Added April signaling the suitcase as Sasha opened the door to her apartment.
“Well, this is it, the view you would kill me for having it” Said the blonde as she raised her hands, smiling warmly at April who devoured the balcony that showed the dock in where they had been a few moments earlier.
“You are very lucky” Murmured with a soft laugh and Sasha winked at the brunette as she pointed at the little hallway at her right.
“The second door at your right is the guest room, feel free to rest a little, we can talk later about what you want to do here and how do you plan to do it. I have total access to everywhere you may want to go so there’s not going to be any trouble.”
“I’m glad to hear that” Admitted April as she finally decided to go to the room that the blonde was offering her, her eyes still glancing at the balcony from which she could distinguish a couple of ships. “But we can start to map out everything a little if you want. I don’t want to bother you more than it’s necessary.”
Her voice echoed in the little apartment as Sasha went to the kitchen and opened two beers, still smiling a little albeit she shook her head with that last statement before realizing that the brunette couldn’t see her.
“You aren’t bothering me, really. But if you want to start with this… can I ask you why are you here?”
April bit her lower lip and sighed as she started to unfold the few clothes that she had carry with herself.
“I already told you that…” Replied but even to her ears the words sounded insincere.
“Yes…” She heard as she looked at a little mirror that rested against one of the painted walls, the view from the little window next to it still breathtaking. “But you really didn’t tell me why are you here, your research and everything”
April jumped when the blonde’s voice sounded closer than a few seconds before and she turned startled only to see Sasha standing next to the door with two beer bottles in her hands.
“I’m sorry, I’m curious” Offered as she handed her one of the beers. “But given the importance of this natural environment I want to have every detail written or at least talked with you. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable and if you really can’t uncover any information I will be the one contacting your boss if you have one so everything is going to be fine either way”
April closed her eyes briefly and sat on the bed, the suitcase resting on the floor half-open.
“I told everything to Mr. Briand but I suppose he didn’t tell you anything” Said as Sasha sat at her right with an apologetic smile on her face.
“I told, you, he is a prick”
“Well…” April started, nursing the glass bottle, her glasses sliding slowly down her nose due to the heat of the island. “I used to work with my sister, she was the researcher on the field and I was the one that made the tests on the lab. Maybe you have heard about her, Hailey Woods”
Sasha groaned as she nodded. “I knew that your last name rang a bell the first time I saw it written but I didn’t made the connection”
April chuckled softly before continuing. “Anyway, she was the brave one and I adored her but the past summer she went to Norway and…”
The blonde rested her left hand in April’s right arm, she had heard the news about what had happened to Hailey Woods; the media covered the incident for a few months before forgetting everything about her.
“So you are taking care of her last researches?” Asked the blonde softly as April clenched her hand around the glass bottle.
“More or less, I want to keep with what we were doing but now I’m both the one in the field and the one in the lab coat. I have a lot of helpers in our organization but Corsica was a project that we both wanted to do so I thought I could contact with Mr. Briand and try to do it by myself”
“Mr. Briand is certainly the one if you want to ask for favors” Confirmed the blonde drinking for her bottle. “And I will try to help you in any way I can”
“Thank you Sasha” Muttered the brunette, and when Sasha saw April’s eyes still full of sadness she jumped and offered her hand to the other woman.
“C’mon, there will be plenty of time to start with everything, but today how about we both go and just walk around? And take photos of course. But promise me to not murder any one; it’s a bad habit that they are trying to fix”
April smiled at that and took Sasha’s hand.
“Deal.”
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