Falling Walls (III)

Chapter 2

When I re-entered the living area, Tom was sitting on the desk, staring intensively on the screen in front of him, tearing his gorgeous hair. The desk lamp illuminated him in all his glory. He looked so astounding when he was focused on his work. But then, he always did.

Sauntering, I walked towards him. Did he not notice me, or did he ignore me? I wasn't sure, but Tom didn't look up. I wasn't sure how to best approach the topic of our family.

An insecure "Hi" escaped my lips.

"Oh! Hi Engel," Tom replied, without looking up at me. "Kids in bed?"

It sounded casual, so different to how he'd been earlier. Did the dad question bother him? Maybe he had second thoughts. After all, he would become a father figure of some extent to the kids. But then again, he already was, as Emma so correctly put it.

"I'm just finishing this off here, and then I'll be with you," Tom mumbled more to himself, his eyes still fixed on the screen. I was now leaning against the desk, watching him, then slowly I made my way over to Tom's side. Placing my hand casually on his shoulder, I asked: "I was just going to make myself a tea. Would you like one?"

"Kiesha or Lara will make you one."

"It's fine, I'll make it." A tap with hot water was just on the counter next to the bar, together with a selection of tea bags in different coloured paper wraps in a neatly sorted wooden container. To call one of the air hostesses would have taken at least as long as to just fill that cup up myself.

"Would you like one," I asked again, gently stroking the back of my hand along Tom's chin line. We had hardly seen each other the past week, and with the kids finally in bed, I was longing for his attention. But of course I understood the need for him to keep his business afloat. Hadn't I been worried about just that a while ago?

"Hm? - Oh, yeah, why not." Tom was deep in thought.

While I prepared the tea, I studied Tom from behind. Strained, he was leaning back in his chair, still focused on the document in front of him, his hands linked behind his head.

"What are you working on?" I asked Tom after putting a steaming cup of tea next to him.

"Just some numbers," he dismissed me. If Tom was not going to give me the affection I was longing for because of work, then at least I wanted to know what I was up against.

"What kind of numbers?" I put down my cup and continued to stroke my fingers across Tom's cheek. His skin lifted as a smile formed underneath my fingers.

"You really want to know?" I nodded, moving around him. Tom stretched out to pull a black leather armchair from the wall next to him, but I was already comfortable on his lap.

"Or here," he continued satisfied, combing the hair on my right side back with his fingers to nestle his cheek against mine. Before beginning his private tutorial, I received a brief kiss on the corner of my lips.

"I just got the revised financial forecast for India sent through. See, here are the numbers from the previous years: Expenses, revenue and the profit." With the cursor, Tom circled around the numbers.

"How do you intend to make any money with it?" I'd only had a brief look at the next columns, the forecast for the following years. With increasing wages, insurance, pension and other higher and new expenses, the profit column carried a large minus, even if it did get slightly smaller over the years.

"It's not meant to, Engel."

"I thought that's the point of running a business?"

"Yeah! But this factory is mainly being used as the supplier for the leaves. I herewith refer to sheet number two," Tom playfully announced.