The glasses sparkled under the ample chandelier light in “Louis” restaurant, as dozens of Linda’s guests chattered with one another. For Dominic however, this Saturday night was nothing more than pure torture. It was his first public appearance in a while. Within minutes, most of the people were gathered around him, asking him questions about that day in Westchester or expressing their sympathies. He had to relive those few, painful moments and, worse than that, he also had to tolerate Linda’s occasional glares. The discovery of his tattoo had turned the sweet, understanding Brit into a cruel person who did not even welcome him like she did with all of her guests, eerily reminding him of the woman who had screamed at him on the night of their breakup.

Indeed, Dominic couldn’t wait for the night to be over. As a local posed yet another question though, he spotted two familiar figures, out of the corner of his eye. Melanie and Jean had just entered the restaurant. They were to talking to Linda, close to the front door.

“Excuse me,” He said, starting forward. Their gazes met, as he began to push through the small crowd. Linda noticed him and glared at him once more, but he paid no attention to her. Dominic hadn’t seen his friends in some time; he couldn’t care less about the way Linda treated him.

“Hi,” he croaked, as Jean averted his gaze from him. “It’s been a while.”

“Bonsoir, Dominic,” Melanie murmured, a hint of tension in her voice. “This is, um…” She paused, clenching her teeth, “awkward.”

“Hold this, will you?” Dominic requested, handing his drink over to her. Turning his gaze to the right, he moved towards Jean, arms open, as his friend looked up at him. “Come here, you stupid son of a bitch,” he grinned, as he put his arms around him. With a puzzled look on his face, Jean returned the hug, as a broad smile spread across Melanie’s face. “It’s okay, man,” Dominic sighed. “You had to make an impossible decision,” He added, leaning back. “The more I think about it, the more I believe I would have done the same thing.”

“I really don’t know what to say,” Jean spoke, shaking his head sideways, as Dominic dropped his arms.

“Merci, Dominic,” Melanie interjected. “It takes a lot of courage to forgive someone. I’m sorry we didn’t visit you all this time.”

“How could I face you, after New York?” Jean wondered.

“What’s done is done,” Dominic strove for a firm tone. “Don’t mention it again, will you?”

“Were you giving a speech back there?” Melanie asked, casting a quick glance down the hall. “There were a lot of people gathered.”

“Sort of,” Dominic gave a snort of amusement. “They wanted to know more about New York.”

“It must have been very hard for you,” Melanie lowered her voice, giving him his drink back.

“It took every ounce of restraint not to kill her,” Dominic spoke in emphatic tones, looking down at her over his left shoulder. “Let’s not talk about that, shall we?”

“You’re different, Dominic,” Jean voiced his opinion. “You’ve been acting differently since you met her. The man I know wouldn’t even think of hurting someone.”

“No, Jean, I’m not,” Dominic disagreed, returning his attention to him. “I’m still the same. Every man can turn into a wild animal, in order to protect his loved ones.”

“Well said,” Melanie commented. At that moment, her cell phone rang. “I need to take this,” She smiled.

“Wild animal…” Jean muttered while nodding at the same time, as his fiancé headed towards the glass door. “Maybe you’re right.”

“Ok, picture this,” Dominic urged. “Someone tries to have Melanie killed. What the hell would you do to him?”

“I don’t know,” Jean shrugged. “I just hope I never have to face this dilemma.”

“I hope so, too, but, I think you’d change your mind about it, the moment someone you love was threatened,” Dominic stated.

“May I have your attention, please?” Linda’s voice turned the heads of most of the people in the restaurant. Dominic swept the hall, but, before he could spot her, he heard the sound of a ring, being tapped against glass. Melanie was standing just outside the door, as she curled her index finger to him.

“What is it?” He inquired, pushing it open as she took a step back.

“It’s a beautiful night, isn’t it?” She spoke in a sweet tone, looking up into the sky. “Don’t you just love springtime in Mont Blanc?”

“Springtime?” Dominic’s voice became high-pitched. “Is that why you asked me to come outside? To talk about springtime?”

“I wasn’t expecting to find you here,” Melanie confessed; her gaze shot down to meet his. “I thought you wouldn’t be on Linda’s guest list.”

“I wish I wasn’t,” He groaned. “I’ve had to put up with everybody’s curiosity since I got here, not to mention she won’t even talk to me.”

“You’re better off without her,” Melanie patted him on the back. “Can you guess who was on the phone?”

“You still haven’t answered my question,” Dominic raised his tone, slightly. Melanie’s eyes glinted with amusement, her lips curling into a sly smile, as she leaned over him.

“Say ‘hi’ to her for me,” she whispered in his ear. “I need to get back inside.”

Puzzled by her words, he cast a few glances around him, as Melanie brushed past him. A young couple was approaching, but he had never seen them before. Dominic started forward and into the parking lot, wondering who she had been referring to. Still, there was no one else around. At first, he thought about following her inside the restaurant; yet, he quickly rejected that notion. By then, Linda would be in the middle of her speech and listening to her boast about herself would at least upset him.

All the same, as Dominic crossed the parking lot, the bright moonlight brought back the memory of his first date with Rachel. In an instant, he visualized her, talking to him as she gazed at the view of the glacier.

“Where are you, Rachel?” He thought to himself, reaching the parking lot entrance. “You know the answer, Dominic. She’s far away from here, taking care of her sister’s baby.”

Dominic was still thinking about their date, when the headlights of a car lit up the road to the left. Soon afterwards, a taxi emerged. Preferring to stay away from any strangers, he turned around, as the car rolled to a halt. Dominic’s slow, heavy footsteps led him away from the parking lot entrance, as a gentle breeze blew through his hair. Two taxi doors were opened and shut, as his ears picked up an unknown, male voice and a familiar, female one. It was rather faint, but it was enough to force him to stop.

“Dominic?” The voice was much louder and clearer this time. He slowly turned around, his pulse rising, as the cab driver eased her suitcase down on the ground. It was Rachel.

“Rachel?” He whispered, swallowing hard. “What are you doing here?”

She did not open her mouth. Instead, Rachel started towards him, her gaze locked on his face, as he felt his heart thumping in his chest. But, as she took her last step towards him, Dominic realized that she was in no condition to speak. Her lips were trembling; tears had pooled in her eyes.

“What is it?” His baritone was riddled with tension and fear. “What’s wrong?”

Once again, she didn’t dignify his question with an answer. Rachel lifted her hands to his face. His heart fluttered, as he felt her featherlike touch.

“Marianne…” Her voice was thick with emotion, as a tear toppled over the edge of her eye. “She woke up, six weeks ago.”

Her short sentence made his heart leap with joy, as a blissful smile spread across his face. Dominic knew very well what that meant. He was not going to ask any details. This was not the time for words. Reaching down, he put his hands on her sides. In a split second, her feet left the ground, as he lifted her upwards. Rachel’s body crashed against his, their lips locking in a long, demanding kiss, as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He felt her hot breath and her tears on his skin, as the powerful wind whipped her hair against his neck. Dominic let go of her right hip, just before weaving his hand into her hair. His fingers became tangled in her silky strands, his heart beating faster and louder than ever before, as she ran her fingertips over his beard. Stroking the back of her head, he felt tears filling his eyes, as she circled her right arm around his neck. His lips moved across her cheek, before he planted a quick kiss on her skin. Rachel tilted her head down and rested it on his shoulder, as he held her tightly in his arms.

“I love you, little bird,” He said, his voice a soft, almost inaudible whisper, as a tear streamed down his face. “God, I love you so much.”

“I love you, too, my king,” She whispered, tightening her grip on his cheek. “I missed you where I’ve been.”

“Now, you’re back to love me again,” Dominic spoke, a blissful smile on his face as he leaned back. “You remember our song.”

“How can I forget?” Rachel breathed, pressing her forehead against his. “We danced to it on our night in Paris. The best night of my life.”

“Tell me more about Marianne,” He urged, kissing her on the chin. “I want to know everything.”

“It was a miracle,” She heaved a long, deep sigh. “I was starting to lose hope, when, one day, she just opened her eyes. It took her a while to recover, too. The doctors said her age was a major factor. Then, I had to teach her everything I knew about raising the baby, make sure she adjusted to her new life. That’s why it took me so long to get here.”

“You said she had a crush on me in your letter. How did she take our relationship?” Dominic waited for her answer with bated breath.

“Very well, actually,” Rachel smiled. “She said it was just physical.”

“Phew,” He breathed a sigh of relief.

“I was worried about that, too,” she admitted. “What about you? How have you been?”

“Let’s go home, little bird,” Dominic said in a sweet voice. “I’ll tell you more on our way there.”