Pills of love

Birthday Party (part 2)

Frida came out of the bathroom slowly, slightly revived after freshening up and regaining her strength. She returned to the hall doors again, but she hesitated before entering, not quite ready to put on the 'everything is ok' mask that until then had worked more or less perfectly, or so she tought.

Turning her face to the right, she noticed that the doors of the terrace were open for the patrons of the cigarette on duty and decided to take a breath of air and let a few more minutes pass that would bring her closer and closer to the time she had pre-arranged to go home.

Going out onto the terrace, she looked around and noticed that it was empty. Breathing a sigh of relief, she walked to a corner that was more sheltered from prying eyes, having discovered it after the many times spent at the house of her friends.

As she walked, she opened her purse and took out the blister pack of migraine pills that she had luckily brought with her.

"Hello".

Frida stopped abruptly and the blister fell to the ground, she barely managed to save her purse from the same end.

Benny sat on one of the terrace's marble handrails, cigarette in hand and a grin on his lips.

Frida hesitated a few seconds before being able to stammer "Sorry ... I didn't know you were here".

Benny gave a laugh "Well, as much as I envy this terrace, it's not my home, it's not an off-limits area".

Frida continued to stare at him and then nodded. She was about to turn around and go back inside when Benny said "Cigarette?".

Frida shook her head "No, thanks. I think I'll go back in---".

"How are you?" Benny cut her off.

Frida looked at him almost with her mouth open. In 7 months, they hadn't had any contact. Frida had withdrawn into their house and although she knew she had responsibilities, she had refused to set foot in the studio, even though they had a lot of work to do and to complete. In 7 months, neither of them had deigned to send a message, to make a phone call, to officially ask friends how one or the other was. And now he was there, with his usual nonchalance asking her... how she was.

Frida felt a shiver of anger inside and she almost thought of yelling at him... But then she held back, not wanting to make a scene "Good. Very good. You?".

Benny nodded, the smile still on his face "Good. I didn't think you would come".

"I love to shock people" Frida replied immediately.

"I know you do" Benny said, nodding, and continuing to stare at her.

Frida, well aware of his eyes on her, those damned eyes that were capable of taking her to seventh heaven and destroying her in a second, took a deep breath "How come here all alone? You've just arrived and you can't take it anymore? At least I have been here longer".

Benny laughed "What is it? Is there a card to stamp before you can go outside?".

"No, but you're definitely more socially committed than me in there and you love being at the center of the group."

Benny took a drag with his cigarette and lowered his gaze and then repositioned it on her "There, I felt a bit suffocated. Too many people. Too much noise".

Frida raised her eyebrows, but she didn't comment, yet there were so many things she wanted to tell him.

'Did you feel suffocated in there? But if you had a 32-tooth smile! .

'You love people. You love to talk, joke, laugh... The more people, the better. This is your motto'.

'Where did you leave your new flame?'.