Chapter 42 - Amelie

Over the next two weeks, everything seemed to go perfectly well. The store continued to sell as normal, and the strange fluctuations with EVE had stopped considerably. Living was becoming more and more comfortable. Dorian and I were even closer. Axel already knew that we had struck up a romance, and it seemed less and less surprising to the others. I imagined that perhaps most of the people at OWE already knew. I think Cindy would finally stop trying with Dorian, even though I lied about not caring what happened between the two of them.

From what I was told, Axel and EVE had made up and were apparently still having sex as usual. Although I had also heard that Carbon was turning up at the club quite often too. Dorian and Axel still seemed concerned about his presence around me. Unfortunately, he was still sending me messages, and they weren't directed at EVE, they were directed at me. Occasionally, he had even shown up at Lowe's but was prevented from entering and getting close to me. On other occasions, he had managed to talk to me. I had to admit that every time I was with him alone, I felt things. The memories of knowing what he had done to EVE always came to mind, and I wondered if he could do those things to me too. In fact, it wasn't the first time I'd felt that way. At the beginning of it all, when EVE started having a relationship with Axel, I was curious to see how he would perform, as he seemed to be great. Out of respect for my deep-seated feelings for Dorian, I forced myself to stop thinking about it. After all, Axel had never shown much interest in me himself. In any case, being around Carbon did things for me. I wanted to talk about it with someone, but the next therapy session would still take a while since Dr. Hans had taken a few days off.

"How are you today?" Axel asked as he approached me in the store's stockroom. Their overprotectiveness seemed to have diminished somewhat from what it used to be. "Any signs of a wobble, or is it stabilized?" he wanted to know. He had started asking about it frequently. At first, I thought it was an interest in seeing EVE more often, but it started to seem like a normal concern. I think that ever since we'd talked about it in the car on the way to therapy, we seemed to have become closer. He seemed closer to Dorian too, fighting less. I thought things would get worse with us dating, but I think the fact that Axel had been having an affair with EVE for a while calmed things down. It was only fair, in a way.

"It feels like we're finally back to where we were before," I said to him. "I miss the evening, but it's good to know the exact times when we're going to change," I explained to him. I was sure he understood how difficult it was to go through all this. In general, the two of them were very understanding.

"It's nice to know who I'm talking to without having to ask," he said. "Although all this time, I think we've gotten used to identifying without asking," he said, laughing. It was true. It had been so many years living that way that it would be impossible if they hadn't gotten used to it. Unfortunately for me, I still couldn't control the changes. In the beginning, I had even tried some medication, but none of it helped. Over time, I thought EVE would disappear, but that didn't happen either. In fact, I still hoped that it would happen at some point, but I couldn't say that to someone who liked EVE.

"Anyway, Axel. I'm fine," I said, while still putting the stock away. "I think things getting back to normal would be ideal," I said as if I were getting something off my chest. I sighed at the end of the sentence, clearly indicating that something was plaguing me. I wasn't so sure I wanted to talk about it with anyone, but I couldn't even control my emotions, so there was nothing I could do. It was up to him whether to intervene.

"Is something worrying you, Amelie?" he asked gently. Axel seemed friendlier every day. He seemed incredibly concerned about my well-being. I even thought I might be in his sights. My body trembled at the thought of having another man after me. I had Dorian, but Carbon stalking me and making me feel things didn't help much. If Axel became a threat, I might become more and more confused about everything. I didn't want to.

"I'm worried about Dorian. I feel like he's been acting a bit strange, like he's hiding things from me, but it doesn't make sense. We talked about it, and he confessed to me what he did," I said, being honest. "I've forgiven him for having sex with Cindy, but I still feel like there's something more," I said, dropping the stock work and being honest with him.

"He did what?" Axel asked, visibly furious. "I'm going to kill that bastard," he said, already wanting to get out of the stock and go after him. With great difficulty, I managed to hold him back. The last thing I wanted was for them to fight and for Axel to get hurt. He wouldn't stand a chance against Dorian, and he didn't deserve to be beaten up for anything, not even by me. I would feel very bad. In fact, I already felt bad about being one of the obstacles in Axel's life. If I didn't exist, he and EVE could be happy together.

"Wait, Axel, there's no need for that," I said, grabbing him. I tried not to shout, as that would attract Dorian's attention, and if he turned up in the stocks, it would be worse for all of us. No one could separate the two of us. "I only mentioned it because I thought you already knew since you're so close. I'm sorry; I didn't know you didn't know. Please don't do anything; it's already settled between us," I pleaded. He seemed stable, and so I let him go. He turned to me, still angry.

"How could he do that to you?" he asked. "It doesn't suit him. He loves you; why would he do that?" Axel asked me, visibly disappointed. I had expected him to act like a true friend and get angry, but not at that intensity. I was really surprised by that level of attitude towards me. If he behaved like that towards me, I wondered how he wouldn't defend EVE, whom he liked.

"It was before we made it official," I told him. I really thought he already knew. "It was the day EVE was with Carbon. That day," I emphasized, so that he knew exactly what I was talking about. Then his expression calmed down, and he understood the situation. "He told me shortly afterward that he was really ill. Of course, it hurt a bit, but our lives are complex, aren't they?" I said, crossing our gazes. I didn't want Axel to get angry with Dorian. The atmosphere would be terrible, both at Lowe's and at OWE.

"I remember him leaving the room," Axel said as he thought about it, putting his hand to his chin. "But I thought he left to do something else," he said, thinking, still confused, as if he knew exactly what he was going to do. I asked him about it, but he said it was nothing and said no. At the time, I didn't think it was anything important, either.

A few minutes later, we had finished tidying up and were ready to leave the room when Dorian crossed our path. I thought Axel was going to tease him, but all he said was that he needed to talk to him, who just nodded. Part of me thought it was suspicious, but the other part thought it was something casual, or that maybe he was going to ask him about Cindy. I convinced myself that as long as there was no fight, everything was fine. I thought they deserved a vote of confidence.

We went back to the store, but it wasn't long before Dorian came to talk to me. "Has Carbon been texting you?" he asked me, curious. While Axel seemed preoccupied with my oscillations with EVE, Dorian seemed preoccupied with Carbon. It was true that Dorian didn't like him, and neither did Carbon like Dorian, but it was strange that he asked about him so often. It was puzzling me.

"He sent a few messages wanting to see me and even said he was going to come by. Why?" I asked, wondering why he was asking so much about it. "Is there something I need to know, Dorian?" I asked.

"I'm just trying to ensure your safety, Amelie. I think it might be a bit of jealousy too," he said, sounding a little shy about admitting it. "I think now that we're together, I'm even more afraid of losing you," he said. I have to admit that I thought it was cute, but it also bothered me. It wasn't as if I showed any visible signs of interest in Carbon. In fact, I wasn't even that interested in him. The strange attraction to Carbon wasn't even half of what I felt for Dorian.

"Dorian, you know I'm avoiding Carbon as much as possible. EVE is the one who's staying with him. You don't have to worry so much," I said, trying to calm him down. "I think you and Axel urgently need to rest and let me live a little. Whenever Axel asks me about EVE, I remember its existence, and how complex my life has been since it came into being. And when you ask me about Carbon, I'm reminded of how interested a guy like him really is in me and how hard I have to work to keep dismissing him," I confessed, showing how much I couldn't take any more of these conversations. He seemed surprised.

"I'm sorry, Amelie. I really didn't know, but it's just that I get really worried. I'm afraid of what he might do to you," he said, coming closer and touching me gently. "I'm really sorry," he said, looking away, before kissing me. It really wasn't ideal to show affection in the workplace, but it was my store, so what the hell. All the other employees already knew about us.

"Did Axel talk to you?" I asked, wondering what had happened. I hadn't seen any bruises on Axel or Dorian, so I was worried about whether they had already talked. "Did he ask you anything?" I wanted to know, as I stared at him.

"Actually, he lectured me and told me how you stopped him from beating me up," Dorian replied, laughing. That wasn't exactly what I'd done, but I'd take it that way. After all, it was better to get it over with. "I had to explain everything you'd already said. I think he understood," he said, still laughing. I laughed too, imagining how the conversation between them had gone. Then, just as I was about to reply, I suddenly became dizzy. "What is it, Amelie? Are you all right? Is it a wobble?" he asked me, as he helped me regain my balance. I denied it, saying I wasn't feeling anything mentally. No, it wasn't EVE wanting to manifest itself. It was such a strange dizziness that I had no idea what it could be. My blood pressure was usually good, and I had eaten well. What could it be?

Dorian carried me to a nearby chair, where there was better ventilation. Even so, the dizziness seemed to be just as bad as before. For a few seconds, I felt my stomach turn over, and I had to run to the bathroom. It would be embarrassing if I threw up in front of everyone.