Opposing Forces (22 page)

Sabina was a nervous wreck but the time they arrived in Neuchatel.  Philippe had for once agreed to drive her BMW.  Snow was covering the ground and it was far too cold and dangerous to go on his bike.  And to prove her point, it had snowed heavily on the way.

They pulled into the driveway of a lovely little house in a quiet area of the city.  “This is home,” Philippe smiled.  Sabina was actually quite impressed.  Owning your own house in Switzerland was quite uncommon, the majority of people just rented; Philippe’s parents had to have done well in life to have secured this comfortable four bedroom house.  And strange as it may seem, she preferred this small house over the ten-bedroom mansion she grew up in.

Estelle Thevenez raced out the door to greet them.  It was the first time her son had brought a girlfriend home to meet them, so she knew it must be serious.  She kissed Sabina warmly on the cheek.  “It is good to finally meet you. Philippe has talked a lot about you.”

Philippe shot his mother a look before giving her a hug.

“And have you finally got rid of that horrid bike?”

“No, the car is Sabina’s.”

“I drew the line at riding the bike in snow,” Sabina scowled at him playfully and removed her coat and hat.

It was the first time Estelle got a good look at Sabina; she was just gorgeous, with her shining chocolate brown hair and large soft brown eyes.  She ushered Sabina into the kitchen to make coffee.  “I understand from Philippe you come from Zurich?”

“Yes.  But I am rapidly become a fan of Lausanne now.”

“You even speak French with a Vaudois accent,” Estelle chuckled.

Philippe slipped his arms around Sabina’s waist and kissed her neck.  “She speaks many different languages without the trace of an accent.”

“I take it you speak Swiss German at home?”

“Actually it’s a bit of a mix at home, not that I really have one anymore.  We might be Swiss German but most of us live in the French speaking part now, so what comes out our mouths can be a mixture of both.”

“And how is your Swiss German, Philippe?” Estelle looked at Sabina.  “He was always more eager to learn English.”

“It’s getting much better, Mother,” Philippe grinned.  “Sabina frequently swears at me in German.”

Sabina elbowed him in the ribs.

“If I’m smelling fresh coffee, it must mean that wonder boy is home,” Lauren muttered waltzing into the kitchen. 

“This beacon of joy is my little sister,” Philippe laughed.

Lauren’s mouth dropped open when she saw Sabina.  “You’re beautiful.”

“Thank you,” Sabina blushed.  She was amazed how like her brother Lauren looked.

“So what on earth do you see in my toad of a brother?”

Sabina glanced up at Philippe.  “He is quite cute.”

“Only quite cute?” he growled softly in her ear.

“What are you two planning for tonight?” Estelle asked.

“There’s a party over at the Vieux Chateau. I’ve arranged to meet some friends there.”

“Did you want dinner before heading out?”

“If it’s no trouble, that would be great, Mum.” Philippe nuzzled Sabina’s ear. “What have you done with Dad?”

“He’s gone to pick Sebastian up, they should be home any minute.”

Right on cue, the front door opened.  “Did you get a pay rise, Philippe?” his father shouted from the door.

Philippe rolled his eyes.  “It’s Sabina’s.  For some reason she objected to riding on the back of the bike in the snow.”

Anton Thevenez nodded in Sabina’s direction.  “Can’t you persuade him to get a haircut?”

“I’m rather fond of his long hair. It’s what sets him apart from everyone else.”  Sabina felt Philippe tighten his hold around her waist.

Anton shook his head.  “I’ll never understand the modern generation.”

“Didn’t you bring Sebastian back?” Estelle queried.

“Yes, he’s made himself scare.”

Philippe’s eyes narrowed, his younger brother was being seriously rude.  “Let me go have a word with him,” he grunted.

Philippe sprinted upstairs and into his younger brother’s bedroom.  “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” he growled at Sebastian, slamming his door.

His brother glowered back.  “How about knocking, dickhead.”

“Sabina is downstairs and you don’t even have the good manners to say the briefest hello.”

“What’s it to do with me who the hell you deign to bring home?”

“How about showing some fucking respect.” Philippe grabbed his brother by his hoodie and pulled him to his feet.  Being a police officer, Philippe was more than capable of man-handling a stroppy teen. He had him up against the bedroom door, one arm pinned behind his back.  “You’re going to go downstairs, talk politely to her for a few minutes, then I personally don’t give a damn what the fuck you do.  Am I clear?” he hissed angrily.

“Fine,” Sebastian replied grumpily. 

Lauren sat down next to Sabina at the kitchen table, cradling a cup of coffee.  “What made you make the move to Lausanne?”

“My parents were divorcing and my mother wanted me as far away from the warzone as possible, so deposited me on my brother in Lausanne whilst she set up a new home in Lucerne. I thought that was a good excuse to enrol in University and make it my permanent home.”

“Cool. So how did you meet Philippe?  Please don’t tell me he arrested you?”

“No, nothing as fun as that. Actually, it’s quite embarrassing.  He turned up at a mutual friend’s to ask her out, but she couldn’t make it and told him to take me out instead.” Sabina winced a little as she said it.  “I was the after-thought.”

Lauren gasped at her honesty. “What’s it like, moving to a new town?”

“A little scary not knowing anyone. But you soon make new friends. I understand from Philippe you’re studying fashion at the University here?”

“Yes. It’s fun.  Did you want to see some of my designs?”

“Sure, I’d love to.”

Sabina followed Lauren upstairs. As they were crossing the landing, Sebastian burst out his room straight into Sabina.  He looked quite shocked as he stared her right in the face.

“You’re…you’re…,” he stammered.

“Sabina,” she smiled warmly. “You must be Sebastian.”

“Oh, stop ogling Sabina,” Lauren muttered. “You’ve seen a girl before.”  Lauren pulled her into her bedroom and slammed the door.  “You will have to excuse him, he doesn’t have many social skills.”

Sabina chuckled. “What teenage boy does?”  She sat down on the sofa in Lauren’s room and studied the portfolio she had put together.  “These look really good.  Have you actually made all of them?”

“Most of them.”

Sabina ran her hand over one design, the dress was made of such beautiful aquas and purples.  “I just love the colour in this.”

Lauren beamed and pulled the article out her wardrobe.  “This one got me a distinction.”

“I’m not surprised, it’s fabulous.” Sabina was really impressed.  She had worn many a designer outfit and Lauren had real talent.

They remained shut away in Lauren’s room for ages, talking about styles and different materials.  Philippe finally decided he wanted his girlfriend and risked his sister’s anger.

“Sorry, but I need to steal Sabina back,” he pulled her to her feet. 

“You’re such a spoil sport, Philippe,” Lauren sulked.

“We can talk some more tomorrow, Lauren,” Sabina eased the tension.

“Sure.” 

Philippe whisked her along the hall to another room.  She glanced around. “Your old room?”

“Yes.” He shut the door and pulled her to him.  “We’ve got about half an hour until dinner and I am desperate to have you at least once tonight.”

“But this is your parents’ house, we can’t possibly,” Sabina was horrified.

“Why ever not?  They’re expecting us to share the same bed.” Philippe looked at her a little mystified.

“What happens between us when we eventually go to bed is a different matter.  I can’t just have sex with you in your bedroom then go downstairs to dinner.”

“Fine. How about the bathroom?” He kissed her with some urgency.

“No,” she said firmly.  “It would not be proper.”

Philippe took a step back and sighed.  “You can be so reserved at times, Mademoiselle Laroque. I will not force you into a situation you are uncomfortable with.”  He opened the door.

Sabina ran her hand over the bulge in the front of his jeans.  “I can’t have my New Year’s present early,” she murmured seductively before slipping out the room.

Estelle was impressed to see Sabina and Philippe reappear a few minutes later.  Sabina obviously had impeccable manners.  She knew exactly what was on her son’s mind when he scuttled upstairs to ‘rescue’ Sabina from Lauren, but it seemed that sort of activity was only reserved for their homes. 

“Can I help you with anything, Madame Thevenez?” Sabina asked.

“That would be kind, thank you. And it’s Estelle, please.”  Estelle was grateful to have help in the kitchen, it was so rare.

She watched Sabina chop the vegetables for the salad, her knife skills were amazing.  “Did you want a dressing made?”

“Please.”

Sabina hunted in the fridge and retrieved everything she needed. “Italian OK?”

Estelle nodded and watched her son’s girlfriend turn a basic salad into a culinary masterpiece.  Sabina looked up and grinned.  “I learnt to cook in Italy.”

“That would explain why he doesn’t look as skinny as he used to.”

“Did you want the table set?”

“Philippe can do that. I understand you have two brothers?”

“Yes. Both are older than me.  My brother Heinrich is currently away travelling, but he is very similar to Philippe.”

“Do you get to go to Lucerne much now that your mother has moved there?”

“I’ve been just the once. She actually spends a lot of time down in Lausanne.  Her new partner lives there. Do you get to visit Philippe?”

“Not often,” Estelle laughed.  “I mention I’m coming down and he’s suddenly working impossible shifts.”

“I’ve never dated anyone who has worked shifts before and it certainly takes some getting used to.  I hate it when he’s on nights as we barely see each other.”

“You’ve not mentioned your father much. Do you no longer see him?”

Estelle saw Sabina stiffen right away.  “My father and I have never been close.”

There was a definitely an undercurrent of something Estelle picked up. She let it drop for now.  It amused her that when Philippe reappeared in the room, he headed straight to Sabina.  It appeared he could not be in the same room as her without touching her. It was very sweet indeed.

Dinner itself was an eye-opener.  Lauren had never been so animated, Sebastian actually said a few words, and Philippe could barely take his eyes off his girlfriend.  She had never seen one person bring so much harmony to a dinner table.