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After his long day's work, as he did every night after tutoring, Saul came back to the suite he shared with Farah. As usual, his wife had already returned, and was busy preparing a meal that was far less fatty than those served in the dining hall. It was also a time for the two of them to be alone together, as Saul was not afraid to help with the cooking and cleaning.
The specialist walked through the living room towards the fairy, happy to see her, wrapped his arms tenderly around her waist, and placed a kiss full of desire on her neck. She was preparing a fragrant pumpkin soup, the scent of which was mixing with her amber perfume.
"Good evening, angel, how was your day?" he asked in a voice as smooth as a summer breeze.
She put down her wooden spoon, turned and caressed his face, her eyes passionate.
"Yes, and it's even better since you came home," she answered with a laugh, her fingers running to the back of his neck.
When their lips finally met after this long day apart, and he moved his hands to his wife's hips, a shrill, unpleasant voice echoed through the kitchen.
"Ben, that’s so good!"
Saul grunted, pulled from his delicious moment of ardour and cuddling. That damn parrot again! Since Farah wanted a pet and they were living in the school, her husband had bought her Jimmy, a beautiful red parrot with a rainbow tail who, at least, wasn't likely to escape or leave the suite.
The problem was that he had been repeating this phrase for a few days whenever the couple was sharing affection.
It was simple: Saul could no longer touch his wife without the animal starting to scream.
And this time, he had had more than enough and was beginning to wonder. He must have heard that sentence somewhere, and his shouts annoyed him, unlike his fairy, who laughed at it. It was all very weird...Especially since it happened every night.
Could she have been cheating on him with his best friend?
Saul hoped not. They had been married for twenty years, the specialist loved his wife like crazy, the cuddles were often present, she seemed fulfilled. There was nothing to suggest that they were cheating. And if they did, his heart would break and his world would fall apart, for Farah had become his centre of the universe, and he knew that he could never love another woman as he loved his own.
"I'm getting tired of that parrot, I wish I could kiss you without hearing that phrase," he grumbled as he pulled away from her, irritated.
She couldn't help but laugh nervously, bothered.
"Come on, Saul, he's just a parrot..."
Even with that tense look on her face, her laughter lit up her face and her hazel eyes turned into stars. However, the specialist struggled not to let his ray of sunshine win him over.
"Yes, well, that phrase, he must have heard it somewhere," he replied, pacing back and forth, trying to keep his composure. "Ben comes to see you when I'm away, right?"
Farah paled, shocked that he could think such a thing after all they had been through together, after all they had endured. She loved him more than anything in the world, she could never have cheated on him, her source of life and love.
"Are you implying that I'm cheating on you with Ben, is that it?" she interrogated, raising her voice, hurt.
The two stars had faded into two abysses. Seeing his beloved partner so hurt, he softened.
"I don't know, I hear that all evening long, it makes me wonder what's going on."
She stood in front of him and stared straight into his eyes, both furious and stunned.
"You think I'm not wondering too?!"
He shrugged, arms crossed, looking unconvinced. He loved his wife unconditionally, but this was the only rational explanation for Jimmy's behaviour.
"Anyway, Ben will be here soon and you'll tell me if Jimmy is telling the truth," he assured, heading for the door.
Farah stood for long minutes in front of her soup pot waiting for their friend, pensive. No one would confess, because there was nothing to confess, but if Saul felt betrayed, she feared he would file for divorce. What would she do without her soul mate? They would continue to meet and suffer from a separation based on a misunderstanding.
Soon the botany professor arrived in the suite, and they found themselves sitting in the small living room with Saul's insistent gaze upon them.
"Well, I'd like to know what really goes on between you two when I'm not around," he said sternly.
"Nothing, you're imagining things," his friend responded, a little disconcerted. "We're friends, and it's true, I came by a few days ago to do her a favour, but nothing more."
Seeing resentment in her husband's eyes, Farah preferred to calmly explain the situation herself to avoid making things worse.
"Since you had a long day and the bathroom plumbing was leaking, I called Ben, who came to do a repair."
Her specialist did not fail to make a sexual innuendo, as he was sometimes wont to do in their private moments. Except that in this case, it wasn't a joke.
"And I see you've taken good care of his plumbing," he sneered, bitterly.
"No, I wasn't even here when he came!" she protested, growing tired of having to prove their innocence.
"Of course you think I'm going to believe that!" he exclaimed menacingly, his foot tapping the floor mechanically.
At that moment, very uncomfortable, feeling that if he didn't tell the truth, the couple would break up, Ben spoke in a barely audible voice. It had been too long that he had been hiding a secret that his friends should have known...and that should never have existed.
"That's right, I wasn't alone in the suite..."
Mad with rage, Saul jumped on him, ready to fight. He knew it! He and his wife had spent an intimate moment in their suite, and he was about to confide in them about their sins! Farah tried to separate them, confused by his revelation and a little disappointed in her friend, who had said nothing after she had given him the key. Who had come into the suite without her consent?
"I was with Luna," he admitted, blushing. "She came with me to light up the part I had to fix because it was dark. If you want, I can call her, she'll confirm it."
The couple exchanged a puzzled glance. They were not aware that their friend was so close to the queen. He was definitely secretive…
"So, if you were with Luna, the parrot isn't lying?" questioned the specialist, suddenly amused by the situation. "Wasn't she the one responsible for this yell?"
Ben scratched the back of his neck, peony red with embarrassment, and his friends were left in no doubt.
"Yes, in fact, when we finished the repair, a mad desire came over us," he acquiesced, remembering that moment of complicity with his queen.
He was a little ashamed that he hadn't waited until he was home to indulge in their naughty session, but knowing that they might have been caught on that couch had added a little spice to it.
"And she seemed to enjoy that," Farah's husband teased him kindly.
Farah, for her part, was not in the mood for laughter. She couldn't find anything funny about this embarrassing situation and nudged him to call him to order.
"Relax, darling, I'd rather it was with Luna than you," he laughed, relieved.
She heeded his advice, after all, their friend hadn't harmed anyone, this revelation was actually rather reassuring for everyone: Saul didn't feel like gutting Ben anymore, and the tensions in the couple had eased.
The mind fairy turned to her friend, taken aback by the announcement of this relationship he had never mentioned.
"Have you been together for a long time?" she inquired, a little confused.
"It was our eight-month anniversary on Monday, and we tried something a little... unusual," he confessed with a nervous smile.
As Saul went into a fit of laughter, his wife sighed in exasperation. Unknowingly, she was sitting on the couch that had been used to commit the crime.
"I can't believe you screwed in our suite, I wouldn't have liked to walk in on you," she grumbled, shaking her head in disbelief. "Poor Jimmy, he heard everything, and I thought Saul was going to leave me, he was so angry."
Her husband put his arm around her shoulders, really broken up about what had just happened.
"I'm sorry, angel, I got carried away, I doubted you when I knew you would never do such a thing," he apologised sadly. "I never should have, I hope you will forgive me..."
The fairy placed her hand on his and squeezed it firmly. He had hurt her, but she understood that he might have had a doubt after a few days. A parrot only repeats what he hears, and they weren't supposed to know that Ben was in a relationship, let alone that she was the Queen of Solaria, let alone that they had made love in their suite.
"Don't worry, old man, I'm not going to ask for a divorce," she joked, leaning her head on his shoulder, glad to be his wife, and that their friend was in love, too.
Their friend gazed at them with a tender expression. They were both so cute. He had seen this couple form during their studies, had shared their joys and sorrows, had witnessed their marriage, and they had done the same with him. They had helped him to overcome the grief of losing Rose, and to raise his children, and he was infinitely grateful to them. They deserved their happiness. He had found it with his beloved Luna, a much wilder happiness than that of his quiet friends.
Slowly, he got up from the sofa and went back to his place, leaving them to enjoy a romantic evening, because they needed it.