Peace in the Thunder

The sense of normalcy nearly engulfed them, as they sat together in the comforting silence of the room. It was as if Claude wasn’t bound by the chains of matrimony to another man, a man who was the physical embodiment of cruelty. A man who had long since extinguished any hopes of love within her. Rene, with his gentle demeanor and warm smile, seemed so perfectly at ease in the quaint little cottage, as if he had always belonged there.

Their personalities, their energies, they seemed to mesh and intertwine seamlessly, creating an atmosphere of tranquil harmony. Watching Rene in that space, in their shared solitude, felt like watching the last piece of a complex puzzle fall into place, completing a picture that had hitherto been incomplete.

She couldn’t help but stare at him, his presence bringing a sense of peace and contentment she hadn’t felt in a long time. His words echoed through the room, the sound a soothing balm to her troubled heart. There was something undeniably comforting about his presence, his warmth a stark contrast to the chill that had settled within her. She watched as he crouched down by her and tossed her book. She smiled but said nothing until he’d spoken.

I've eaten a bit, but I've been too anxious to have much of an appetite, she admitted. But I could definitely use a glass of this wine. Truth be told she’d had some crackers and cheese simply to try and settle her nervous stomach because the last thing she wanted was to finally have Rene arrive and only find herself too sick to do anything. Something that had always been a problem with her, something Rene would know. Any time her anxiety worsened, whether it was for a test or because of family pressure, she always got queasy and rarely could eat.