My Love is Your Love

Chapter Three: Secretary of Juliet

Paige offered Evan as sad smile as she watched him prepare to leave with the rest of his unit; Evan was a captain in the Italian Army and he was going to be deployed for six months in Afghanistan.

“Be good for your mother,” Evan said to Alisha as he hugged the little girl close, he loved her like his own daughter and he would do anything for Alisha; even if she did carry her father’s name and not his.

“I will papa,” the little brown hair girl said with a smile at the man that had raised her, Paige had been honest with Alisha about her father; the little girl’s full name was Alisha Juliette van Persie.

Evan smiled softly at Alisha before he looked up at Paige, who was fighting back tears as she looked at him; he knew that she was frighten that he would come back and it was what kept him going while he was away.

Paige hugged Evan as she felt tears fill her eyes, she had a feeling of foreboding dread and it had made her unsettled; she didn't know what it was but she felt like something big was about to happen.

“I’ll see you in six months,” Evan murmured as he pulled away from his wife, before he moved to say goodbye to Alisha; Paige was wearing a cream draped top with embellished shoulders and black skinny jeans paired with black wedge boots.

Paige swallowed as she watched her husband; she knew that the other families around them were going through the same thing.

“I love you,” Evan said making Paige nodded as he pressed a kiss to her lips, she couldn't believe that he was being deployed again so soon after last time.

“I love you too, come back to me safe,” Paige said making Evan nod as he pulled her into his arms given her a tight hug before he pulled away and collected his bag; Paige lifted Alisha into her arms as she watched her husband as he joined his squad and headed off to catch their flight.

“How about we go and see Isabella and the others?” Paige said after a few moments making her daughter nod, the brunette had to go into work and she knew that Isabella wouldn’t mind Alisha being there.

***

Walking through the streets of Verona in Italy, Paige allowed her thoughts to wonder as she headed to work with Alisha; she knew that it was her day off but she couldn't bear to go home without Evan.

“Mama?” Alisha asked sensing her mother’s drifting; she knew that Paige would be missing Evan and that they needed to be there for one another.

“I’m okay… look there is Isabella,” Paige said as she spotted her best friend and boss, she knew that the older woman saw her as a sister and it didn't worry her that she didn't have her parents anymore.

After she and Evan had moved to Italy before she’d had Alisha, Paige had found herself looking for a job when she’d ended up stumbling upon Juliet Capulet’s balcony and had met the secretaries of Juliet.

“Buon Giorno,” Alisha said as she rushed up to Isabella, who smiled down at the little girl before smiling at Paige; the brunette flashed her, a smile before looking at the wall covered in letters asking for advice.

“So how are you feeling?” Isabella asked as she approached Paige, who offered her a small smile before she looked over the letters that needed answering.

“The same as I did last time he left,” Paige said gently as she glanced over at Alisha, she hated that Evan was in the army and was worried that he wouldn’t return. Isabella nodded her head as she watched her best friend wondering how to tell her about the news that she had just heard.

“Paige… I have heard something about Alisha’s father,” Isabella said gently making the younger brunette stop what she was doing as they started to collect the letters so they could take them back the office.

Paige looked at Isabella as she wondered what her friend knew that could make her bring all of this up to her now; the brunette didn't know what it was but it made her heart jump at the thought of Robin.

“I learnt this morning that he and Bouchra have divorced… she’d recently remarried and he’s living in Manchester,” Isabella said making Paige move to sit on one of the benches; the brunette had always suspected that Bouchra had been the reason that Robin had never written back to her about Alisha.

Isabella looked at her friend, she knew what this meant to Paige and wished that things had been different for the brunette and now she had the chance to introduce Alisha to her father.

“Federico says that you can stay with him if you wish to make the trip to Manchester,” Isabella said mentioning one of the other secretary’s son’s; who happened to be one of Robin’s new team-mates in Manchester United.

Paige took a deep breath as her hand found the necklace that lay around her neck, in all the years since she had said goodbye to Robin; the brunette had never removed it.

***

Robin furrowed his brow as Federico Macheda watched him from across the room, since his arrival in Manchester United, the young Italian had been keeping an eye on him; something which his new friends joked about.

“So what are you doing tonight?” Wayne asked as he approached the Dutchman, making him look away from Federico who was now talking with some of his friends.

Robin shrugged his shoulders as he thought about returning to his apartment alone for the night, he hadn’t really thought about dating after his divorce and found himself thinking about Paige even more as of late.

“The usual… dinner, beer and television and then bed,” Robin said with a shrug making Wayne frown as he looked at his friend; in the three months since the Dutchman had arrived in Manchester, he had spent a lot of time alone.

“Listen, Coleen’s doing a roast tonight so why don’t you join us?” Wayne offered making the Dutchman open his mouth in protest, he hated to impose on his new friends and he knew they felt sorry for him; his divorce had been splashed over the papers and it was clear that it had hurt him.

“Come on… it’s not good for you to sit at home alone every night,” Wayne said making Robin sigh before he nodded his head in agreement; he knew that the Scouser was only trying to be nice.

Wayne grinned as he patted Robin on the back and smiled at him.

“Good… dinner’s at six, so I’ll see you then,” he said making the Dutchman nod his head before the Scouser hurried out of the locker room leaving Robin alone.

Sitting quietly for a moment, Robin stared at his open locker that held pictures of his children; he knew that the others felt sorry for him and pitied the life that the twenty-nine year old had.

The Dutchman didn't want their pity, he wanted to go back to a simpler time; a time that he had someone to love him, a time when his children were at home with him.