Chapter 31 Strange yet familiar
Irene slept next to William and woke up early the next morning. She unzipped their suitcases and began fixing them, placing their clothes which were scattered around, back in.
She only planned to stay for two days, and that was before Nelson came to join them. Having him around made her uncomfortable.
Not because he was Irene's... Her, husband... Which was uncomfortable enough as it was, but because of the way he stared at her.
It was different from before... From the first time they met at the station.
Especially yesterday. She felt his gaze most of the time at the concert, but ignored it. After the concert, he had looked at her with a pleading gaze, begging her to explain what was going on.
From his expression Irene could tell... He loved his wife.
He really loved her.
The way he stared at her... It could only mean that.
Irene could only wonder why that woman would want to ruin her marriage, her happy home, for a man like Lawrence.
The Lawrence in her universe was different than this one. This one was a bastard, one who stole... Collected, her families properties without aby remorse.
She was lost in thoughts as she folded the clothes and failed to notice Nelson who stood by the door, leaning against it with his arms folded, watching her.
His eyes darted towards the bed where Williams was sleeping peacefully at. Irene had covered him up nicely with the blanket which made him look even cuter.
Then his went back to Irene.
He barely slept a wink last night, his mind replaying Irene's words outside the concert hall over again.
The way she repeated insisted that she wasn't 'his' Irene. He knew that to he impossible, but she believed it strongly... He was starting to have doubts.
And her behavior?
It was different, strange and at the same time familiar.
The way she spoke without a care in the world, the way she smiled... Everything she had been doing for the past few days, it reminded him of someone... Her. But from the past, from their high school days.
She insisted that she was eighteen.
Maybe... Just maybe she was right.
But was she from another universe... really?
Or did she hit her head really hard from the fall?
"What are you doing?" He asked, his deep harsh morning voice filling the room and flowing into Irene's ears.
Irene flinched at the sudden sound of his voice. She had not been expecting him... Neither was she expecting how sexy his morning voice sounded.
She gulped, shifting so she could turn around, but she was still on her knees.
She didn't mean to, but her eyes took in what he wore. A back shirt which looked like he just threw it on few minutes ago, yet outlined his biceps and bulging veins in his arms, and a pair of grey joggers which hung on his waist.
His hair was tussled, scattered on his head, yet he made it work, and his blue eyes had a lazy look in them as they stared at her.
Irene's heart skipped a beat.
Just a beat.
Mature Nelson... This universe Nelson, was really goodlooking.
Irene shook her head.
How could she be admiring her him so openly... She mentally scolded herself. Irene took a few more seconds to get herself before speaking.
"Uhm... Packing?" She answered, her tone sounding a bit unsure because of the way he had asked the question, and also maybe because her head was still a bit muffled. "I only planned to stay for the concert."
Nelson frowned, still staring at her, he shook his head. "I'm not returning today."
Irene blinked.
"Okay..."
That wasn't any of her business... also, she didn't ask. But of course she didn't say those words. He wasn't the same Nelson from her universe... For that one she barely filters the words that comes out of her mouth, because he barely filters his too.
They were always at each other's necks. Or rather, she was always running so he wouldn't catch her neck because he always seemed to win in every thing, including their argument and pranks.
"I already booked two tickets for me and William." She explained calmly and then shrugged before turning back to the suitcase. "You can come back at anytime you want. It's a free world." She muttered the last statement under her breath, but loud enough for Nelson to hear it.
He did.
Nelson stood straight, he uncrossed his hands and shoved them into the pocket of his sweatpant before taking a few steps towards her.
"I meant, we are not returning today." He said in a tone that meant it wasn't up for argument.
But Irene didn't get it. Or maybe she just didn't care, because the next thing which came out of her mouth was an argument. "What? Why?" She asked, turning to face him again with a look of annoyance, a brow raised.
"Just a day ago you were angry at me for leaving the country with your son and left insisting that I went out to see my lover."
"But you're not Irene now..." Nelson retorted almost immediately. "Or are you?"
Irene blinked.
Did he just...
"What is this?" She scoffed. "What are you doing Enel?"
Enel... Again.
Nelson didn't know why, but anytime she called him that, he felt his heart race. She was slowly going back to the exact lady he fell in love with.
He stayed quiet for a few seconds, just searching her face, checking if she was doing it to him on purpose.
Maybe she knew what she was doing and just punishing him... But why take a game as long as this?
Nelson had forgotten the reason he came to Vienna to join her. Okay, he didn't forget it... He hid it.
He hid the divorce papers so she wouldn't find them in case she came looking.
Why?
Because he wanted to see how long this would last. How long she would be like this.
And more importantly, if what she was saying was true.
"I'm just testing something." He said, his words came out as a whisper, his eyes fixed on hers. Then he blinked. "If you really are not Irene, you'd go with it. We'd stay here for a few days. Just roam around, go site seeing, eat out... All that."
'If she wasn't Irene?' Irene repeated his words in her head in annoyance.
'Does he think that if he says if you're not Irene would go with everything?' she asked herself, glaring at him.
"I'm not your wife." She said finally with gritted teeth.
"Do this for Willam." Nelson said, gesturing to the sleeping kid. "It's been a long time since he'd his family together on an outing. Without him mother bringing up the topic of divorce every five minutes."
"But I'm not his..." Before Irene could finish her words, Nelson interrupted her.
"It's settled then. I had Hillard give me a list of exciting places we can go too. I'd give you ten minutes to get ready."
Irene scoffed, and then she shook her head.
She genuinely didn't understand this Nelson. Not like she understood the other one either, but... This one was more complicated.
It was an established fact that he loved his wife, yet, even after she repeated said that she was not her, and had given him proof... Kind of, he wasn't panicking.
He should have a knife on her throat asking her... No, demanding to know where the real Irene was.
Not like she would like that, bur shouldn't that be what a man in love would do when he found out his wife was someone else?
But no... It seemed as though this Nelson didn't mind it in the slightest.
Sure, Irene was a bitch, but this was cruel.
"Hey... I didn't agree to..." Nelson threw her a bottle. It was mineral water.
Irene looked at it for a second before raising her gaze up to meet Nelson, her eyes slightly widened.
"Drink it."
That... 'Why does this feel so familiar?'