Hexus

=12= Number

[1:43AM, February 15, UTC +08:00]

“Bubble wrap.”

Nathan got off the couch and went to one of their suitcases while Moira sat in the chair. She stared at her half-eaten cheesecake on the meal trolley. She wasn’t in the mood for it anymore. He returned with a transparent plastic sheet covered in vesicles of air. It smelled like it was freshly acquired from the factory. She tried to smile.

“Really takes it out of you, doesn’t it?”

She squeezed the first bubble and it popped. She felt a bit of her inner knotting release along with the air from its ruptured membrane.

“I’m impressed by you though. You really held on for this one.”

“Don’t tease me, Nathan. I’m not in the mood.”

She pressed on a few more, sighing as the little bubbles exploded with loud pops that interrupted the quiet of their hotel suite. Nathan had muted the television and was now seated with both feet on the white couch, smiling smugly at her.

“Maybe I should take it from here. Clearly, you’ve had enough.”

“Let me do my job, Nathan.”

“You’re devolving,” he chastised. “I’m concerned about you.”

“I’ve done this for three centuries, so don’t you dare give me that patronizing tone.”

He raised his hands in mock surrender. “Just doing my job, looking out for you, that’s all. I could sit back and watch you unravel but we all know who suffers the consequences.”

She smiled inwardly as she moved to the second row of bubbles, popping them in line as she tried to rein in her emotions. The little exploding noises acted like her panacea, and she felt some of the tension slip away. She felt a pang of impatience, so she bunched the entire sheet and wrung it in a firm squeeze. The bubbles popped rapidly, like a little machine gun firing in her grip. She twisted until she could go no further and the sounds slowly became infrequent until she could only hear a few solitary pops. She heard a ripping sound as she grit her teeth, and then she flung the torn deflated sheet onto the tiled floor. She looked at Nathan, whose eyebrows were threatening to touch his hairline, and released a strained breath.

“Another.”

 =----------=

It was around 3 AM when she finally decided to prepare herself for the Summons. She changed into more comfortable robes, threw the duvet off the bed and laid her head against the pillow. It was difficult to find sleep and she considered the idea of staying up until morning, but she knew she should take advantage of the opportunity while it presented itself. Nathan opened the room door and stood for a few seconds as they stared at each other.

“I’m sorry,” he said eventually. “I shouldn’t be making fun of you.”

“I would’ve done the same,” she sighed. “No need to apologize.”