My colleague (Rob Jetten x Jesse Klaver)

Chapter 15

The sound of birds chirping along with a ray of sunshine making it's way through my bedroom window wakes me up. I try to get up but I'm pinned down underneath my bedsheets. I look to the source of the weight and find Thierry's arm slumped over my waist. 

Ah, right...

For a slight moment, I forgot about everything that went down last night. The thoughts and emotions come crumbling back as much as I try to silence them. 

I take his arm and lay it down on the mattress as I slip from underneath him. 

When brushing my teeth I walk downstairs to collect my mail. It's Saturday today, I had a few work-related things plans, but I figure it's time for a day off. I'm not sure what I will do yet, but I need a little time to focus on myself. 

My mailbox is empty and when I walk back to my apartment I'm confronted by a note pasted to my, still very much broken, mahogany door. 

I tried to call a business in the neighborhood to fix it, but they're not available for another two weeks... I can't say I feel absolutely safe here right now, but I do have my second lock, and a baseball bat next to my bed. 

I take the note off my door and walk inside to spit out my toothpaste first. 

I put the note on the sink and finish brushing my teeth. 

Thierry walks in and grabs his own toothbrush. Well, the one I got him that is, he refused to bring his own, because he said he would never intentionally spend the night here. 

He has though, on multiple occasions. Including last night. 

I wasn't planning on forgiving him this soon after what happened between us, but I needed him last night. I needed someone. 

Loneliness can be an ugly thing...

I open the cap to my mouthwash as I feel him studying my every move through the bathroom mirror. I don't remember the last time he was so obsessed with me. Probably somewhere when we began-... 

I don't even know what we have or what to call us. 

A political love affair? 

We used to be very open about our relationship, but all of that changed when he entered the House of Representatives. 

Suddenly I am struck by the thought that, somehow, for some reason, thinking about this doesn't hurt anymore the way it did a few weeks ago. I remember feeling hopeless and praying every night he would come back to me, come back to being us. 

But now that he has, I don't feel as liberated as I thought I would, nor do I feel as weighed down anymore by the ache of not being with him. 

I'm not sure whether to be happy or sad when reflecting on these new developments, mostly because I don't know where the feeling comes from. Maybe I have just been too distracted by work. Sigrid and I have been working on our campaign strategy for next year, which has been fun but also time-consuming. It's probably the reason why Thierry has been off my mind. 

I have noticed Sigrid's phone screen lighting up a suspicious amount of times over the past few weeks, and every time it does, she tries to hide a smile. I'm not sure why she tries to hide it from me, but if she needs time then that is exactly what I will give her. She'll tell me when she's ready I presume, I guess it's cute that she might be getting into something with someone, she deserves that. 

Oh god, I hope it's not Geert... I have seen him look at her multiple times now in the chamber, and I doubt it's because of his jealousy of her hairdresser.