SURPRISE

Julian and I make our way to the house, but we pass through the small alleyway overlooking the garden to avoid being surprised by Inès. I struggle to keep up with him, his pace is so fast, but I speed up as much as I can, blowing on my fingers to warm them up.

When we reach the door Julian turns to me with a serious look on his face.

"Are you ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be!"

He puts his hand on the doorknob and we walk silently onto the veranda. He puts my bags in a corner and checks that nobody is in the kitchen before waving me in.

My body immediately warms up as I enter the room. I take a deep breath and enjoy the familiar smell of this place that I had missed so much.

Julian turns to me again, his green eyes meeting mine. The bright light from the kitchen reflects off his red hair, which has a slight golden tint. Julian hasn't changed much in two years. I notice he has grown a light beard with the same golden highlights as his unruly hair, making him look even more confident and detached.

He smiles briefly.

"I delayed the cake so that you could bring it to her. Wait for me here. I'll be back in a second..."

I don't have time to answer when he has already left. I take advantage of this moment of apparent solitude to pull myself together. While continuing to observe the room, I try to repress my stress, aware that it is not only due to the surprise I am about to give to Inès.

In exchanging a few words on the phone with Julian I had convinced myself that I was fully capable of facing him again. I thought that our common past could no longer affect me, but the fact that it only took a few seconds of his presence to make me feel uncomfortable leads me to the obvious: I have neither forgotten nor forgiven anything.

Two minutes later he is back but he is not alone. I come to my senses when I see Erine welcoming me with a radiant smile. I see that my high school friend has not changed the minute she speaks. Her words flow one after the other, carried by her innate enthusiasm.

"I am so happy to see you! What's up? Ready for the surprise? I can't wait to see Inès' reaction!"

I can't help but laugh at her good mood and I reach out to hug her.

"-I'm happy to see you too!"

After a warm embrace she steps back and gives me a knowing wink.

"You're even more beautiful than when you left Lys! Vancouver is good for you!"

I shake my head, embarrassed by this flood of compliments. She turns to Julian.

"Am I right, Julian?"

My eyes immediately meet his. He nods unperturbed.

"You do look good."

I blink, not knowing what to say, then turn to Erine.

"Your words are always so pleasant to hear. Thank you, Erine."

She smiles at me and claps her hands her eyes scanning the room.

"I don't know where I put that damn lighter but it's time to light the candles."

Julian shakes his head in amusement and hands her the lighter.

"It was right in front of you!"

She grabs it with a quick movement and gives him a knowing look that makes me wonder. They were far from being close before I left.

"Thanks Julian! Always so efficient!" - she says cheerfully.

As they exchange smiles I clear my throat. This involuntary gesture intensifies my unease. Julian, his eyebrows slightly furrowed, watches me for what seems like an eternity. I feel stupid...again, but I immediately pull myself together.

"Let's go. I've spent far too much time away from Inès! I can't wait to see her again!"

Erine nods as she flicks the lighter to light the candles and hands me the cake.

"Come on, beautiful! It's time to go!"

She goes first, then Julian holds the kitchen door open for me. I thank him with a silent nod. I don't know how to get rid of this uneasy feeling...I have to breathe...

Holding the cake firmly in my hands I walk towards the living room looking for Inès.

Then I see her. She is sitting on a chair with her back to me, her head in her hands, and her laughter filling the room. An intense joy takes hold of my whole being and a smile anchors itself on my face. I have missed her infectious good humour so much.

Inès, who doesn't suspect anything about my presence, is still standing with her back to me and it's with a lump in my throat that I manage to say a few words.

"Happy birthday princess."

She leaps to her feet at the sound of my voice, then turns and literally jumps on me to give me a hug leaving me barely enough time to pass the cake to the first guest who comes my way to avoid disaster.

She grabs my face between her slender hands. Tears roll down her cheeks and I struggle to hold back mine. When she speaks, her voice trembles enven more than mine.

"You're really here!"

Then she steps back and looks at me from head to toe as if checking I'm real before taking me back into her arms. I can't tell which of us is happier at this moment, but I'm sure I'll have a hard time leaving this place.

We hold each other for a long time and then she pulls away to face me with squinted eyes.

"You're such a sneaky little girl!"

I shrug my shoulders mischievously.

"Surprise!"

She straightens up, slowly recovering from her emotions, and then her big hazel eyes dart from one corner of the room to the other finally landing on Julian. She then points an accusing finger in his direction.

"You! You traitor! Come here!"

Julian comes over to us looking falsely confused. She lifts her chin and looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

"I knew you were hiding something from me!"

He smiles and gives me a knowing, satisfied look that only makes the lump in my stomach grow even bigger. I take my eyes off him and concentrate on Inès.

"I asked him not to say anything to you."

Inès crosses her arms over her chest and looks at each of us in turn, then turns to Julian who seems amused by his sister's attitude.

"I was sure you were up to something! You've never paid as much attention to your mobile phone as you have in the last few days. I even thought you'd met someone!" - she says laughing

.

Julian's eyes sneak up on me and I'm sure I detect some embarrassment, but once again I look away.

Inès exudes happiness. Her eyes are sparkling and when her arm finds mine I feel that everything is perfect.

"How long are you staying?" she asks.

"I'm leaving in a week."

Her face lights up even more.

"Perfect! I've so much to tell you, but right now I've got to introduce you to some people."

I look around and grimace. There must be at least fifteen people I don't know. I smile hesitantly. I'm like a fish in water when it comes to speaking in front of an audience at work, but being in front of strangers in everyday life makes me particularly nervous.

Inès, who knows me very well, immediately notices my hesitation.

"Come on! You'll see. No one will eat you!"

Much to my relief Erine comes to my rescue. With the cake in her hands she walks towards Inès.

"It seems to me that before anything else you have candles to blow out and a wish to make!"

Inès closes her eyes for a few seconds before blowing out the fire that marks a new year in her life.

A week ago I thought I would have to wish her birthday once again through screens, but here I am and I am savouring the moment. I have to. After all I don't know when I'll get the chance to come back again.

We spend the first half hour talking to some of her friends when a tall blond man with a charming smile breaks away from a group a little further on.

"Inès? Doesn't your favourite work colleague get an introduction?"

She gives him an amused smile.

"I wanted to save the best for last!"

He gives her his best smile and puts an arm around her shoulders, then they both turn to me.

Seeing Inès so close to a man doesn't surprise me too much but I still have a moment of pause when her hand comes to rest on the tall blond man's waist.

"Lys. This is Thomas. We've been working together for a year."

His eyes sparkle and he speaks to me in a colourful voice. He seems to be as sunny as Inès.

"I'm glad to finally meet you! Inès talks about you almost every day!"

I'd like to say that Inès also spends her time talking about him, but that would be a lie. She has never even mentioned Thomas' name.

I reply, smiling at them.

"Really? I hope she's only saying nice things about me."

They exchange another smile and in a second the rest of the group joins us.

Once the introductions are made I feel a little more at ease and feeling in a teasing mood I decide to throw a little dig at Inès who never stops laughing.

"So you can bear the heavy burden of having to put up with Inès all week? It's not too difficult?"

One of her colleagues, Souad, puts her hand on my shoulder in a friendly manner.

"I have to admit that it's not easy, but you get used to it!"

"I understand you. You have my sympathy!"

Inès crosses her arms over her chest with a falsely hurt look.

"You don't know how to appreciate my character...That's all! You don't know how lucky you are to have me in your life!"

Thomas comes to put an arm around her shoulders again, laughing, when suddenly another man joins us. Inès winks at him and hugs him.

"John! I didn't think you would come!"

The man in question, a tall dark-haired man of about one meter and ninety centimeters, comes to plant his round eyes filled with surprise in those of Thomas while patting lightly the back of Inès with much restraint. Then he gently detaches himself from her.

"I wish I could have freed myself earlier," he said in a shy voice.

"You are here! That's all that matters, handsome!" - she tells him.

Then she approaches me and puts her hand on my back before pushing me slightly towards the tall dark-haired man who gives me the impression that he is wading as much as I am.

Despite his athletic figure and deep blue eyes that would make many women pale, I sense a great reserve in him where others would be totally confident. His body language is not at all confident but not without a certain charm.

"Lys! This is Jonathan!"

He smiles shyly at me and greets me with a simple nod. In a burst of compassion I try to break the ice by addressing him.

"Are you also a colleague of Inès?"

He smiles hesitantly while running a hand over the back of his neck.

"No...I..."

Thomas' voice cuts him off.

"John in the police? It's not really his thing. Isn't it, little brother?"

I frown at Thomas' attitude but also at the information I've just received. They are brothers but they look nothing alike. While Thomas is as blond as wheat and has a rather square stature, John has dark brown, almost black hair and a finely drawn silhouette. Not to mention the fact that their characters are clearly at odds with each other. The only thing they have in common is the colour of their eyes, which are a dark blue with a slight grey tinge.

Ignoring Thomas, I speak again in a friendly voice, refocusing all my attention on John.

"So what's your thing?" I ask.

He raises his eyebrows and his face seems to relax slightly.

"Trade."

"What kind of business?"

"Medical equipment, mostly."

The fact that he doesn't answer me in full sentences only confirms my impression of his discomfort and shyness. I decide not to bother him any further with my questions and give him a small smile before turning to the rest of the group.

"If you don't mind, I'm going to get some fresh air for a few minutes. The journey was tiring and I'm a bit jet-lagged."

Inès smiles at me with an understanding look. She knows me perfectly well and despite her great enthusiasm for making sure I reach out to people she has always known where my limits are.

With a deep sigh, I head for the kitchen.

Socialising has never been my forte. The hour I've just spent talking has exhausted me more than the journey itself.

I think it's time to catch my breath.