Something Blue

Something blue

––––––––

by

Blandine P. Martin

In the trendy Haight-Ashbury neighborhood and elegant harbor of San Francisco, a hot destination for anyone who enjoys wandering with a strange feeling of freedom...

Acknowledgements

Thank you everyone for once again being loyal readers and for believing in my writing and for being willing to dream with me and travel with my characters wherever my imagination takes them.

Thank you Jess, Lizzy and Nathalie for your valuable help and patience!

Table of Contents

Something Blue

Acknowledgements

Table of Contents

Copyright

Introduction

1. The Colors of Love

2. Brothers One Day

3. One Train Late

4. One Flight Ahead

5. Memories

6. Witnessing Happiness

7. Pretty woman

8. Simple Things

9. Rock your life

10. One step forward...

11. Two Steps Back...

12. Meeting at the Top

13. The Hidden Side

14. So, let’s dance!

15. Sensual Wave

16. Letting go

17. Until Dawn

18. A Difficult Morning-After

19. Goodbye Chrysalis!

20. Reunion

21. Under the Shell

22. The Wolf’s Hiding Place

23. A Series of Unforeseen Events

24. Rehearsals

25. The Taste of Doubt

26. Something Blue

27. A Mother’s Love

28. Ciao, Single Life

29. What if

30. After the Storm

31. Afraid of the Truth

32. When life takes on water

33. Our Alchemy

34. My foregone conclusion

35. A blue tainted heart

36. Life goes on

37. VIP Pass

Did you like Something Blue?

Blandine P. Martin

Follow me!

Introduction

Love at first sight is not like it is in the movies. It is a lot more than a fraction of a second that changes the course of your life. Love at first sight takes a hold of you, shatters all your preconceived ideas, messes up with your head and your ideas to the point of making you lose control. There is neither lightening nor shock. No. That is not how it is in real life. It’s actually a lot more powerful, a lot stronger.

All you need is a meeting - only one unique meeting. Not with just anyone but with him or her. A stranger who for some strange coincidence will cross your path for no particular reason.

At the time, you’re not even aware of anything. You need a certain amount of time to even realize what is going on. You need a certain amount of time to put a name on this anarchy which has taken over your body whenever you are in the presence of this other person. You also need a certain amount of time to admit it. Admit that someone has become so essential in your eyes that you can no longer live without him or her.

Then one day, everything becomes clear. All our formerly tightly held beliefs start to crumble, turning to dust and flying away. The truth seems elsewhere. With him, this other person that fate has chosen for us without allowing us to fight it. Because we are only truly ourselves, we only feel alive and we only feel good around that one person. Their arms are a sanctuary - their souls, a self-evident fact.

This is what love at first sight is. That is in the end what our ultimate goal in life is - finding him, her, that unique person and live, simply live.

––––––––

Lena Cornen

1. The Colors of Love

No, I really couldn’t believe it! He was literally making fun of me! He was snorting while being doubled over with laughter on the sofa and did not dare give me the slightest look to possibly avoid stirring up the rage boiling inside of me.

Paul, are you listening? He really annoys me when he behaves that way! I knew all too well why he made fun of me. The details of our wedding were completely meaningless to him. To sum up, he couldn’t care less. But, whether they were details or not, somebody still needed to decide, and give instructions to the wedding planner who was getting paid quite a lot. Suzanne Herbert from Pure moments would contact me this afternoon and I would have to give her some answers. I couldn’t exactly tell her: Do as you wish, my future husband couldn’t care less! No, I don’t think I could consider that option.

Listen, honey, I do understand that in your view these details are trivial, but I do need an answer. So, please tell me simply what you would like?

You know what, my darling, I’ll let you choose, he whispered as he kissed me on the forehead, I completely trust your natural good taste when it comes to these things. Then, he got up from the sofa and grabbed the jacket that was lying on one of the chairs in the dining room. I have to go, he said, otherwise, my client will be waiting. I wonder if you don’t spend more time with your clients and colleagues than with me, I sighed, weary of this little game. A new smile lit up my big blond man’s dimples and, because I looked frustrated, he came closer to me and lifted my head with his hand. Yes, but I do it for us. And after all, it is with you that I spend all my free time .... And my nights. , his voice was nothing but a whisper, soft and sweet. It was enough to make me forget all my resentment. My lips relaxed as he came to kiss them to give me his daily goodbye.

See you tonight honey, he said as he gave me a final smile and left. And just like that, my brilliant lawyer disappeared out of sight. Thank you for your help, I said mockingly. As always, the big Paul Vernier had resorted to his charms to win over his audience. And as always, it had worked like a charm. There should be a legal text that forbade this kind of behavior. No, really! It was too easy: he always got away with it! And as usual, I was left with the feeling of having had the wool pulled over my eyes - while smiling to top it all! The perfect target! Ah, Love!

Paul and I had met five years earlier at an evening organized by common friends when we used to still live in Lyon. We liked each other immediately. One must admit that my future husband had everything going for him: he was tall with blond hair and the body of a quarterback, green eyes to die for, one hell of a good sense of humor. As a bonus he was about to become a lawyer. Since he was very comfortable around people, he didn’t waste any time initiating a conversation with me. I was twenty-five years old at the time and worked at Joe’s, a pub in the neighborhood where all the town’s bars were. Luckily for my fiance, I was lonely - desperately lonely - and I dreamed of living a fairy tale. And this is how in a matter of only a few hours, a few days, he came to hold this particular position as the man of my life.

Five years later, he was amongst the most highly requested lawyers in the Nouvelle Aquitaine region as his colleagues praised left and right his wonderful work. In other words, he was leading another life without me and far from me. I sighed: of course, I was proud of what he had accomplished - this career that he had managed to build as a result of rather substantial effort and patience. But I had to admit: I missed him. More and more. His job was not exactly a walk in the park: it involved long work hours, lots of unforeseen circumstances, and an increasing availability. Paul would pull the wool over my eyes by showering me with gifts, affectionate words and sweetness. And being as weak as I was five years earlier, I would give in by putting away my annoyance and gazing at him lovingly.

When I would complain - which I must say, happened often - he would simply answer that all those sacrifices had only one goal and that was to guarantee us a comfortable nest and a decent standard of living. Of course, I wasn’t going to turn my nose up at neither our beautiful apartment nor our lifestyle which could be qualified as very comfortable. But money can’t buy happiness, and sometimes I would have happily swapped some of that comfort for some time with him. I missed him, often, too often. I tried multiple times to bring up the subject with Paul but he would do little more than shrug his shoulders regretfully. That was just the way it was and no change was to be expected in his life plan.

Life plan! Life project! Shit!

My heart skipped a beat. I had completely forgotten that thing! Even though I was not a believer, I had accepted Paul’s wish to have a church ceremony in order to respect his family’s customs - or should I say step-dad’s wish. Although I had given in quite easily at the beginning, I lost my good mood the day that dear Father Didier had specified all the steps we had to go through before the ceremony. Among those steps was a day spent with the members of the Parish and the famous life projects. Let’s just say that all that completely slipped my mind. Religion is not really my thing. I was baptized but that was it, and on the one hand, that was good. I respected everyone’s beliefs, but I simply didn’t feel like I needed it to live. As for this famous life project, it consisted in asking the couple to draw up a list of their wishes for their life together. Each future spouse had to draw it up and submit it to the clergyman that was going to unite them. I dreamed of an American style wedding with a long alley in a park lined up with flowers, loads of bridesmaids, personalized speeches from close ones but no such luck.... Instead, out of respect for my step-father, we will get on our D-day church songs and prayers. So be it. Nothing will keep us from renewing our vows in some other way in ... ten years? Unless Paul might surprise me with an impromptu ceremony during our honeymoon... But no, I couldn’t count on that. My dear and beloved could brag about having a lot of qualities, but he had not been romantic and had not taken original initiatives in a very long time. I did not complain about it because I imagined that it was the case for most couples who had lived together for a few years. Love evolved and the passion of the beginning became a bond and more if we get on notified in small characters at the bottom of the page.

After all, I had to admit that our life together gave me the feeling of a truly cozy nest where smiles often prevailed with sometimes a dose of tenderness and a bit of attention that made me forget the shady areas. I loved my handsome lawyer, and he returned the sentiment.

Lenaick and Paul Vernier - that certainly sounded nice. My gaze fell again on the planner’s catalogue. Half-heartedly, I finally closed my eyes, and let the pages flip randomly. When I reopened my eyes, I was delighted with the color theme in front of me. Gold and champagne.

2. Brothers One Day

The afternoon rain put a damper on my plans. No motivation to go out. Simply hearing the wind hit the windows of the apartment was enough to discourage me. There I was this morning all excited to go through the city center’s shops to search for wedding decorations – well, that plan failed! Of course, it seemed premature anyway: I was rushing into all these preparations when we hadn’t even chosen where the ceremony would take place. That was so like me: a bundle of energy. I have to admit that it also kept my mind busy and made me feel like I had important things to do. It certainly wasn’t easy because I was still out of work. I still hadn’t managed to find a long term position in Biarritz and its surroundings despite my qualifications as a secretary and a few years of experience under my belt. Therefore, I had to fill my days as best I could and with time, I had established a certain routine.

After a hearty breakfast, I would sit at my computer to look at the latest job offers. There was rarely anything that corresponded to my profile. I would then discouragingly close the job seeking’s site’s window and open my word processor to continue my writing where I had left it off the previous day. I had been writing for a few years now to satisfy a certain artistic tendency that I always felt in me. I never tried to get published – what good would that do? I wasn’t well connected and did not know any publisher. Who could possibly be interested in the scribbles of a perfect stranger? I didn’t share it with anyone – not even the person who was about to become my husband in a few weeks. It was my secret garden. A time when I could be entirely myself, unrestrained, and unafraid of not conforming. Just my motions filling up a blank page. It had become an outlet. It cheered me up when I was feeling down. And when certain days felt too long, writing transformed them and made the absence of my dear and beloved more bearable by giving me hours of harmony between my ideas and my keyboard leading to creativity – the most wonderful activity for all my inspirations.

It was 6pm on the kitchen clock. There was no sign of Paul. As his reputation spread, his clients became more and more ‘important’. The more ‘important’ they were, the more they required a personal commitment. Those people were willing to spend a small fortune to defend their interests, but they expected a lot in return. This is why Paul’s work hours were increasingly restrictive. Some evenings, he couldn’t get out of work before 8pm. And the week-ends when we could enjoy each other’s company were few and far between. His luxury clientele decided on his schedule. If an emergency took place on a Sunday, he had to give in to their wishes. This is what helped his career and allowed him to climb up the ladder. I would often tease him about this by pretending that one day he would be in charge of defending the French president’s interests.

As I saved my file and closed my computer, I heard a clicking sound. My future husband had just walked in with his leather case in his hand. He put down his jacket and came to kiss me on the forehead with a sweet smile on his face.

How is the future Mrs. Vernier? he asked. Very well, I jokingly replied.

He put his case down in front of the stools of the big open kitchen, and decided to use one to sit down and rest as he sighed. I had a crazy day, he complained, I spent the whole afternoon with the old Rickman. The Englishman? I asked. Yes. He knows what he wants, there’s no doubt about that. But he asked me to rewrite all the documents drawn up with his previous lawyer. He doesn’t trust him anymore after his colleague experienced some legal mishaps. ,

John Rickman was the last client who had been added to Paul’s portfolio. He was an extremely rich English businessman who was enjoying life on the Basque coast. Amongst other things, he owned the most beautiful golf course of the region and lots of real estate. In other words, he was a big fish. 

I got up from the sofa and walked towards the other side of the kitchen counter. I took out a bottle of Sancerre out of the fridge and filled two glasses of wine. Paul grabbed his and thanked me with a smile. Lucky for me, I have a charming little miss waiting for me when I get home, he said. I joined in his little game and gave him an exaggerated smile. He knew that I did not appreciate the image of the housewife and the man at work. That old cliché was not for me even if that seemed to be currently the case. Paul enjoyed teasing me about it.

So, what did you do with your day? asked my handsome man with raised eyebrows.

I had planned on going to town, but given the weather... In fact, I chose our wedding colors. Thank you for your valuable help! I said jokingly. It will be gold and champagne.

That sounds good, he said.

He might as well have said: I couldn’t care less. I decided to let it go, but still thought so.

Suzanne Herbert left me a message, he added. We must call her back to plan a meeting for an update. According to her, we need to move forward.

According to her? I said astounded. What about you?

I teased him lightly. Most couples prepared their wedding a year in advance. But, the Vernier family never did anything like everybody else. No, they didn’t. My dear and beloved’s thriving career complicated the process slightly. He was starting a big case in July with a new Russian client who was a very big name in the hotel industry. Then, in September, one of his very rich clients was going to need to appear before the commercial court. It was another very important case, so therefore, very time consuming. Consequently, if we hadn’t jumped on the month of June of this year, at this rate, we would have had to wait ages to be able to officially say our ‘I do’ to each other.

We are getting married in a month Paul. It seems logical that we would need to hurry a little! I’m sure our wedding planned isn’t used to organizing a wedding in a month and a half! Normal people don’t do that....

The tone of my voice was more antigonistic than I meant it to be. As he was probably feeling how worried I was, my future husband got up from his stool to come and join me. He wrapped me around his large shoulders.

She asked me for the name of our witnesses, he whispered while biting his lip like a child who had just done something wrong.

Witnesses. Tricky question. Although for most people, it was obvious who their witnesses should be, it certainly wasn’t the case for the two of us. Once I moved to Biarritz, I neglected my few friends. As for Paul, he had such an intense professional life that the only acquaintances he had happened to be colleagues. I was an only child. He only had a step sister and.... He took the words out of my mouth and took a step back as he said: My mom suggested I call Cameron.

Your mom? I asked.

It had been a few years since he had last seen her. She had left when he was only two years old to get away from his father and his never-ending conquests. She had since then decided to live in San Francisco. She had started a new life with another man and had had a son: Cameron. Paul did not talk about him very often. To be honest, distance had to be taken into consideration. They had a chance to get to know each other during their studies while Paul took the opportunity to spend two semesters at City College. But, since then, they had both gone their separate ways on opposite sides of the Atlantic.

Yes, you heard right, he said doubtfully.

Did she call you? I asked.

I called her... it’s my wedding, he replied.

You don’t need to justify it, Paul. I told him reassuringly.

Will she attend? I asked.

His face suddenly lit up and he smiled again sincerely and added: Yes.

Great. In this case, I look forward to meeting her.

He bore a grudge against her until he was a teenager. But because she tried to regularly stay in contact with him through his dad, Paul had accepted over the years that she had run away to another country and far from him. As he grew up, he came to understand the need to run away from an unfaithful husband and the way people looked at her. His only regret was that he hadn’t been able to enjoy having a mother like any child has the right to. 

I’m sure she’ll love you, he told me confidently with a mysterious smile on his flared cheekbones.

I hope so, I confided.

As a reply, he chose to tenderly kiss me on the lips. I enjoyed it fully as I wanted to make the most of this precious moment of closeness. I missed him during these endless days. I missed him all the more so that I spent those days waiting for him. He rubbed his perfectly shaven cheek against mine and looked me in the eyes and said: I’m going to call my brother.

Without any making any judgement, I nodded. My future husband took a deep breath and let go of me. A few minutes later, he walked towards the corridor while on the phone and left me alone with our glasses of Sancerre. 

I sighed at the thought of meeting my ‘mother-in-law’. That was news that warranted my attention. I could already feel deep inside a knot building in my stomach. My relationship with Marc Vernier could not exactly be described as friendly. This extremely rich man behaved like a male chauvinist pig. He managed his life just like his empire with the certainty of being on top of everything and everybody. Needless to say, a lot of topic of conversations had to be avoided when the two of us were in a room together. We were complete opposites. I often thought that he would have probably preferred if his only heir had married someone from a better family – and probably believed an arranged marriage would have been ideal for this businessman in the making. I came at the worst possible time, like a thorn in his side. Around him, I would simply bite the bullet and smile, hoping internally that our meeting would be over as soon as possible. Paul knew how I felt. And even though, he understood perfectly how his father could cause such a strong dislike, he was still his son and could not deny having often taken advantage of his father’s obvious power to overcome life’s obstacles. And despite the fact that he was cold and full of himself, Paul still managed to find in him unexpected qualities. I guess it was the result of the unconditional love of a child for his dad.

When he reappeared a few seconds later, he put the phone down on the bar counter and looked at me puzzled. Then a huge smile appeared on his face.

Did he agree? I tried to guess.

Yes, he did, he whispered, still stunned.

Great! I’ll get to meet two more Verniers! I said.

Not Vernier, he corrected, but Davis.

Davis, I repeated Like the cup.

Paul laughed. Yes, like the cup, he replied.

So, is he coming the day before the wedding? I asked.

Once he recovered from the surprise, he shook his head and said: Not exactly...

I didn’t understand what he meant. Since he could tell that I was full of questions, he made his thoughts clearer.

His band had planned on recording an album in France. At first, it was meant to be in Paris, but now that he knows that I’m getting married, he wants to see if they can relocate it to Bordeaux. His agent will check to see what he can do and then he’ll get back to me.

I frowned doubtfully.

But, when were they planning on coming to France?

Next week, he winced.

Wow! I replied.

But, don’t worry; they have a place to stay, so we won’t have to have him at our house for a month, he added.

But, he’s your brother, I said.

So? he asked.

How long has it been since you last saw him exactly? I pointed out.

He sighed not knowing what I was getting at and replied: About ten years, why?

You can’t let him stay at the hotel, I said. Take advantage of his visit to spend some time with him. You live miles away from each other. It will be a while before you see him again. His band can stay at the hotel, but you should invite him to stay here. It’s the least you can do.

Even though he seemed to hesitate, I could tell in his eyes that he agreed with