[DIABLO]

Tomorrow's Valentines' day and I'm still not sure what to get for Lambert.

Lambert. The thought of him alone made my cheeks warm up. I'm in a Local supermarket taking a look at their card display. I bit my lip in frustration. Everything comes out as girly, overpriced and fancy. Lambert isn't fancy; he's more of a simple gray and blue person.

My heart fluttered, remembering the words I had read earlier — the words that had, and are still currently having an effect on me.

Finally deciding on a baby blue one, I dropped it into the basket I was holding nervously.

"I'm in love with him and there seems to be nothing I can do about it."

I quoted a line in my mind from his journal. My search for Zeus' had somehow directed me to his. I can remember. I can still remember how I found it. It had been neatly hidden behind a newspaper stack on the top of one of many shelves in his library. I had actually been disappointed when I found it, hoping it was Zeus', hoping I would learn what he had felt for me, or at least what he had thought of me.

I had put it back only to return to it after a few short hours. At first, it made little sense just stating that he fancied someone.

"I saw him again today, he looked gloomy. I wish he would smile more often."

I remember reading, wondering who exactly he been talking about. Trust me, at some point I felt guilty reading it and I still do. But it had mesmerizing reading his feeling for a person he might love or might have loved. I won't deny that I had enjoyed reading it, hoping that someday someone would feel the same towards me.

I had been awkward acting normal around him, acting as if I wasn't reading his Journal. I also kept an idea of what page I was in. He seemed not to notice I was invading his privacy. I remember the day I had gone by a reasonable distance into the book. I had wondered why he had never used the person's name, all he used where minimal descriptions like the person's height and eyes.

"Brown eyes like chocolate. I could eat them."

I remembered, gasping.

"Excuse me?" I heard someone say behind me. I blinked, turning to find a petite woman with her brows corked in question. Her defined sideburns amazed me; it gave me the impression of a lion's mane. Looking lower, I noticed the small bulge of her tummy.

"Who are you?" she asked in a casual tone, turning to look at the card display I had been staring at earlier.

"Excuse me?" I asked confused.

"Don't bother, you just suit the description someone gave me," she said, biting her lower lip in concentration as she scanned the cards with her index finger. I corked my brows, wondering who that 'someone could be' but I didn't bother asking.

I shifted from one leg to the other in uneasiness. I peeped at her from the corner of my eye, watching as she skilfully selected a pale pink card adorned in cursive writing.

"It's lovely," I said almost unconsciously. The small woman turned to me beaming

"It's for my wife," she said, grinning from ear to ear.

"Wife?" I asked in confusion. I rarely met married same-sex couples.

"Yes wife, do you have a problem with that?" She asked, waving the card from earlier in my face. I cringed, wondering what exactly this petite woman believed she could possibly do to me.

"Don't look at me like that, I could deck you!" She said, still shaking the fist that held the card.

"Okay?" I said, not really knowing what I was expected to say.

"I'm sorry?" I tried staring down at the lady.

"You better!" she said, finally softening her grip on the card. She stared at, spinning the card around between the fingers of her right hand as she looked at it. She soon pouted, then sighed, and then screams.

"God damn it! It's ruined," she said, annoyed. She groaned, throwing the poor card in the air. Most of the store turned to us in confusion. My cheeks heated up in embarrassment.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" she muttered, stamping on the already crumpled card.

"You still have to pay for that..." the cashier trailed, walking up to us and placing her hand on the dark haired lady's shoulder.

"Get your fucking hand off me! Can't you see I'm sulking?" she said, shrugging the woman's hand off her shoulder.

"The card—"

"Put it on my damn tab, Jesus!" she groaned, looking down at the card with a disappointed look.

She looked like a child who didn't get what they wanted. I really don't know which Man... err, I mean woman, that could handle her childish attitude.

"There was absolutely no need to make a scene," the cashier sighed, her irritation coming out like needles in her voice.

"I'm pregnant, aren't people like me allowed to get away with throwing tantrums?" the dark-haired woman said, seeming equally irritated.

"Unfortunately, no, but we can throw in a discount for the next card," The cashier said. The dark haired lady beamed, clapping her hands, the card quickly forgotten as she followed the cashier down the stall.

I shook my head, chuckling. What a lady. I thought to myself as I walked further down into the aisle. I was thinking of buying roses, but they would probably die on me before tomorrow. I could put them in a vase of water, but they would probably get too much water and die anyway. I sighed, deciding I wouldn't buy any.

Walking over to the cash out counter, I saw the dark-haired lady skip out the door of the supermarket. I chuckled, hearing the cashier sigh in relief.

"I need a raise, I'm telling you," she muttered. I smiled at her, her green eyes looked tired and wary.

"The night before Valentine's day, huh?" I said, placing my basket on the counter. I had managed to pick up a few groceries, some bottles of wine, a loaf of bread, and a new tin of coffee. Oh, and of course, the card.

"Yeah," she said, compiling my bill before squatting to retrieve something from beneath the table. She stood up a bouquet of plastic red roses in hand.

"Not as good as the real thing, but they'll do," she said, stretching the flowers out to me.

"Oh, I—" I started saying but paused to search my pockets for some loose change. She chuckled, waving it off with her free hand.

"It's on the house," she said, forcing them into my hands. I narrowed my eyes at her in confusion. Was she serious?

"Thank you?" I said, not really sure what to say.

"The woman must be lucky," she cooed, putting my goods in a plastic bag. Woman? What woman? I wondered, creasing my brows in confusion.

"Don't you agree? Your girlfriend must be lucky," she said, placing my groceries on the counter. Girlfriend? I wondered, getting a little confused, and then I remembered assuming someone was with the opposite sex was normal. I smiled, nodding. I had done the same to the lady from before.

"Yeah, sure," I said, paying the bill and retrieving my groceries. She grinned at me and waved me off as I walked out of the store.

Outside in the parking lot, I wondered about the cashier woman. She had been friendly to me— flirting with me even. I thought, blushing. No one had ever done that, not even Zeus. He had made it clear that he knew how I felt about him, but he never portrayed any sort of behavior to indicate he had feelings for me—

Damn, I'm desperate for human affection. I admitted to myself, accepting the fact. I just want someone to want me. I smiled as I got to one of the benches by the parking lot. Apparently, Lambert did.

[LINDA]

I sighed from the dining table as I watched Julian fidget by the fridge. What's on his mind? What had gone wrong? I thought his 'rebellion' to start working would give him some sort of happiness, but apparently, I was wrong.

He usually spent two to three hours creating website layout, designs, and templates, but today was different. He had spent about eight hours in the stuffy study room. I'm surprised he hasn't died from suffocation yet.

I looked at him more intensely now, I noticed his eyes were red and he was visibly shaking, the glass of water shaking with him.

"You'll break that," I pointed out, downing more coffee from my mug. Documents were scattered on the table in front of me. My research on Zeus had somehow taken out of my working time, and I had to make up for it somehow. But numbers are as boring as they get, and helping people find the 'perfect home' was even more annoying.

I usually left out things like nail files, nail cutters and pinpoint pens in my purse to avoid stabbing a possible bickering wife, a newly wedded bride, or some touché aristocrat male or female. I just hate it when they parade around the house and don't end up buying it at the end of the day.

"Thinking about work?" I heard Julian ask as he took a seat beside me. I smiled a little. Odd, we had somehow come to a compromise. We didn't bother each other. We just lived in the same house, shared the same bed, and ate from the same fridge.

"I guess," I said, taking another sip of coffee. I closed my eyes, sighing in contentment. I liked the way the hot liquid warmed up my chest and throat. I liked the way it felt as it journeyed down my stomach.

"What are we doing tomorrow?" Julian asked. What? I lowered my mug before staring at him.

"What?" I said, voicing my confusion.

"What are we doing tomorrow," Julian repeated, and I frowned. What was he talking about?

"Well, I don't know..." I trailed, not knowing what he wanted me to say.

"You don't know?" Julian whispered almost to himself, his features going into an irritated calmness.

"Yes, I don't know," I repeated, staring at him. I don't like the look his giving me. What had gotten into him?

"How dare you! What of all those forced time we spent together! What of all them stupid God damn it traditions!?  What has gotten into you? One minute you're a raging bitch, and other times you act as if you don't give a damn!" Julian said standing up and slamming his fist on the table. Documents were flying everywhere, but for some reason, I didn't care, I didn't want to fight. I can feel myself tearing up. Crying. I thought to myself as I sniffed. I haven't cried in forever. I thought, looking up at a flaming Julian.

"You're not the Julian I fell in love with," I mumbled, trembling. This isn't the Julian I fell in love with, this isn't the tame pleaser I married.

"Well, too bad!" Julian said, before heading for the door. A few seconds later I heard the door slam, and just like I was left trembling on my seat, mug in hand on the dining table, with scattered document everywhere.

I sniffed again before I felt the heat of a tear run down my cheek. Was Julian worth it? Was Julian worth my damn sanity?