Aria heavily sat on the bench next to Julie, heaving a long sigh. She pressed her back against the wall, wiping her sweaty forehead with the towel she had been given at the front desk of the yoga club. Never had she thought she would ever follow Julie to a yoga club.

Since Aria and Julie both were young mothers with one-year-old child each, they both had to bear a lot of pressure everyday. That was why Julie went to yoga lessons once a week, letting her boyfriend take care of Floyd, their son. She managed to convince Aria to go to a class with her, for the latter was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Aria left her daughter Janine with her bestfriend at home, while she was gone, trying to relax.

It was the end of the lesson, and Aria felt like her articulations were blocked, as they all were painful. She believed Julie when she said yoga would help her relax, but she wanted her money back because of misleading publicity.

Julie drank water from her bottle and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She cleared her throat and turned to Aria. “So, what did you think of it?”

“I'll never come back here. I'm everything but relaxed. It hurts everywhere.”

“That's because you're not used to it yet. I assure you that if you practice a little, the pain will go away. Are you sure you breathed properly?”

“I breathed normally.”

Julie chuckled, feeling that Aria definitely was not interested in yoga. The two friends got up and walked to the changing rooms, getting back into their normal clothes together in the same booth. While they were putting on their shoes, Aria turned to Julie and asked: “By the way, are you taking the bus to go back home?”

“Not this time,” Julie replied. “My brother is picking me up later. The thing is, he doesn't know where the club is, and he might be late, because he's with his friends.”

“How are you going to meet him, then?”

“We'll meet at a café nearby. Would you like to come with me? My brother would be pleased to meet you.”

“I don't want a guy to hit on me, you see, I've had enough with men.”

“He's engaged, Aria, don't worry. And he's the most faithful man I've ever known. You're safe,” she winked.

“Well, in that case, why not? I won't stay for a long time, though, Janine still is at home with Mariah. I can't wait to see my baby.”

“I understand, don't worry. I want to see Floyd, too.”

The girls smiled at each other and gathered their clothes they put in their bags. They took the towels they were given at the front desk, and left the booth, walking up to the exit. They left the wet towels inside a basket, and went out of the club, saying goodbye to the lady who welcomed the customers.

The sweet air stroked their red cheeks, and their eyes were surprised to see a sunny sky, whereas it was all cloudy when they entered the building earlier. The streets were full of people, and not many of them were wearing coats. Indeed, the temperature was warm enough to wear only t-shirts.

Julie linked arms with Aria and walked her to the café where she had to meet her brother. The soles of their shoes hit the pavement and made this sound that was so delightful to the ears; Aria was focusing on it, and was slightly smiling. She was looking at her own shoes, noticing a few stains she had not spotted before, and promised herself she would clean them once she would be home. A few minutes after, she looked up and caught glimpse of the front window of a modern café, Modeky. The two friends walked the front door and were welcomed by a widely smiling maid.

“Good afternoon,” she exclaimed, “would you like a table for two?”

“No, we'd rather have a table for four, please. Somebody will join us later.”

“Sure, would you like to be outside, or inside?”

“Inside,” Julie replied after sharing a look with Aria.

The maid nodded and brought them to a table for four, situated in a corner. The table was square, with round angles, and an angle couch surrounded it, with two chairs in front of it. Aria dropped her bag on the couch and sat on it, resting her elbows on the table; as for Julie, she sat on the chair in front of her. When a maid came to them, they said they would not order anything before Julie's brother joined them. Even after many years of knowing Julie, Aria never met her brother and did not even know his name. How curious...

Julie cleared her throat and took out a mirror from her handbag, checking her hair in it. Seeing her hair was becoming wild, she used the elastic band she had around her left wrist to tie them up in a ponytail. After that, she put her mirror back in her bag and smiled at Aria. “I'm longing for a nap, to be honest,” she giggled. “Anyway, it was nice being at the yoga club with you. Too bad you didn't enjoy it as much as I did.”

“I guess I'm just not good at sports.”

“It's more than just 'sports', Aria. It's all in the mind, you know.”

“Yeah, yeah, if you say so...”

“You're so grumpy today, what's wrong?”

“Nothing, I'm just exhausted. I'd love to have somebody with me at home to take care of Janine. It's a horrible work when you're on your own.”

“I see. Don't worry, Aria, one day, you'll find a good guy who'll help you raise your daughter.”

“Yeah, that's what everybody says to me. Men don't give a shit about children. They shag us, and once they find out we're pregnant, PHEW! They disappear. But yeah, perhaps I'll find somebody to love one day, who will care about Janine... She will be a teenager when it happens.”

“Don't exaggerate things, Ari,” Julie said, taking her friend's hand. “I'm sure it'll happen way sooner than you expect it.”

Aria shrugged and Julie turned her head to her left, as she heard a familiar voice talking to the maid. Her lips stretched into a wide smile, and she threw her arm above her head to wave frenetically at the person, who turned out to be her brother. She abruptly stood up and reached out her arms, until her brother found himself between them, hugging her.

“Hello, Johnny,” she said, kissing his cheek. “How are you?”

“Pretty good, thanks,” he answered with a grin, “and yourself?”

“Same!”

The young man chuckled and gently pecked his sister in the hair. He had long brown hair, slightly wavy, and he had a long nose above a thin mouth that seemed to pout all the time. He turned to Aria, and his cheeks slightly blushed; Aria stood up and kissed him on the cheek, since that was what he did.

“Hello, my name's Aria,” she said to introduce herself.

“Hi, Aria. I'm John. And this is... Wait, where's he again?” he grumbled, looking around him, clearly looking for someone. The front door opened and another young man entered the café: he looked older than John, and their physical traits were completely different. He had long dirty blond hair, which was a bit shorter than John's, baby blue eyes, a shorter nose, and a small mouth, between whose lips a cigarette was hanging. He looked quite charming, and he immediately caught Aria's eyes. He was rummaging through the inside pocket of his blazer, surely looking for a lighter or a matchbox. He was looking everywhere, searching for John, and nodded at him once he caught a glimpse of him.

The young man came up to them and gently pecked Julie's cheek, smiling at her and asking how she was doing. Aria could not hear anything: her eyes were stuck on him. When he moved, it seemed like it was all calculated, yet elegantly done. His thin fingers ran through his long golden locks, and stars shone in her eyes.

She gulped when he turned to her, and the corner of his lips rose, underlining his round cheekbones. He stepped toward her.

“Hello, milady,” he chuckled in a slightly hoarse voice, “My name's Roger. What's yours?”

“Aria... My name's Aria. Nice to meet you, Roger.”

She shook his hand and he pecked her on the cheek. At the same time, John put a fist on his hip and gazed at him with a frown.

“What the hell were you doing, Rog? You were behind me, and all of a sudden, you disappeared!”

“I told you I had to find a bush or something! I couldn't pee in my jeans, I'm sorry.”

Roger wrapped an arm around Aria's waist and led her to the couch, where he sat beside her. John plopped on the chair next to Julie's, so he would be with his sister.

A waiter came up to them with a notepad and a pen.

“May I take your orders?”

“I'll have a cup of tea, please,” Julie answered with a grin.

“Who else?”

“I'll have some too,” Aria replied shyly, quite intimidated by Roger's presence. The blond smiled at the waiter and also ordered a cup of tea; then, John did the same.

They sat there silently for a moment, Aria blushing every time Roger got a bit closer to her, like when his thigh touched hers, or when their shoulders brushed past each other. He apologised each time it happened, lopsidedly smiling, as if he decided he would make Aria melt. He often turned to her to give her a heart-warming grin, and she would smile back at him, feeling her face turning a bright shade of pink.

John coughed and looked up at Aria. “So, you're Aria, am I right?”

“You are.”

“Julie often told me about you. She said you were a good friend of hers. I'm glad to meet you at last.”

“Thank you, John. I heard her talk about you sometimes, but I never knew your name until today,” the young woman nervously chuckled, feeling Roger's eyes on her. “But I never heard about Roger.”

“What do you mean you never heard about me?” Roger faked to be surprised. “Oh, Julie, I'm quite mad at you now! I'm always the main topic!”

“You wish,” John rolled his eyes with a smirk.

“Deaky, don't break my dreams like that! I'm such a poor soul, with such a fragile heart,” the blond said theatrically, his hand over his heart. “I'm just a poor boy!”

“Poor darling,” Julie mocked him, while the waiter came with the four cups of tea. A tiny cloud of smoke escaped from each of them, tickling their nostrils and make them long to dip their lips in the hot beverage. They thanked the waitress and all looked down at their cups absent-mindedly, playing with their spoons.

Aria's cheeks still were burning. Even though she was not looking, she could feel Roger gazing at her from the corner of his eyes. Every time she turned her head, he would look away or cough, turning to the other side. Julie did not say a thing, but she noticed their game and found it quite amusing: they were attracted to each other, but the fact they scarcely knew each other made them keep their mouths shut. They were dying to get to know each other, and the presence of the two siblings made things harder for them; Roger knew John would roll his eyes every two seconds and tell him he should quit flirting with every girl he sees, while Julie would tease Aria and remind her about their previous conversation about men.

However, Julie did not know if Roger usually got on well with children and appreciated being around them. She did not know him much, but quite enough to know he was like a nomadix bird, flying from nest to nest.

Julie took a sip of her tea and coughed. “I'll be right back, I'm going to the loo.”

“Me too,” John yawned. “I'm not like Mr. Taylor over here, I don't run to bushes or walls for my own needs.”

“Shut up, Deaky, I couldn't wait, I already told ya!”

“Anyway, I'm going to pee like a civilised man.”

“I'm not sure a real civilised gentleman says pee,” Roger kept teasing him with a smirk. John rolled his eyes and spun round, following Julie to the toilets, then going his own way to the men's ones.

Meanwhile, Roger and Aria were not sharing a word. Both were blushing and way too shy to speak: it even surprised the young man, since he was not used to being shy around a girl. Aria's long coal-black hair were fascinating him. However, he did not want to talk about it, thinking it would be a very lousy topic.

Roger cleared his throat, startling Aria a bit. He chuckled and smiled at her. “So, Aria, where do you live?”

“I live in Dalston.”

“Nice! I live in South West London, but occasionally living at some friends' flats after hardcore parties, you see...”

“I see what I mean,” she chuckled.

“Perhaps one day you could come party with us! John will be here too, though he usually stays in a corner, speaking to a wall, and we could make Julie come. But this part will be hard, she's a mother. I'd be glad to have you at a party.”

“I'd love to, but I can't. You see, uh...” Aria sighed, embarrassed. “I'm a mother as well.”

“Oh! I didn't know, I'm sorry.”

“It's okay.”

“What's the baby's name?”

“I have a daughter, and her name is Janine. She's one year old, just like Floyd, Julie's son. We delivered approximately at the same time. It was in the same month.”

“That's funny,” Roger laughed. “I'm sure Janine is a little cutie.”

“She is, really.”

“Why isn't she with you? Is she with her father?”

Aria blenched and looked down, nervously twisting her fingers, as she tried to find the right words to explain her situation. Roger's blue eyes were staring at her with insistance, as if he was trying to worm the information out of her.

“Janine doesn't have a father, to be honest. When I knew I was pregnant, my boyfriend immediately left me. He took all the stuff that belonged to him – or not – and he left the flat. He doesn't even know what the baby is, what its name is... You see, it's quite sad to see I came to that point. I could not get an abortion because it was too late when I knew about my pregnancy. And I didn't want a constantly drunk father around her anyway.”

“What a bastard... If he can't take his responsibilities, why did he give you a child? I mean... He's an idiot.”

“Yeah... Now he's somewhere in the world, nobody knows where precisely, and I don't even want to know. He made me suffer too much. He doesn't even send money for the child or anything. He took away some of my belongings, and I didn't say anything, but I should have done it, because I have an incredible lack of money now, and I can't take a job. Babysitters are so damn expensive, I can barely pay for my own meals.All those stuff he stole, I couldv'e sold them or something,” she sighed deeply. “I'm sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you all that, you don't give a shit, and I'm probably boring you.”

“Not at all. If my girlfriend was pregnant, I wouldn't leave her like that with nothing! We would have a serious conversation to decide whether she gets an abortion or not, but she would mainly decide, since it's her body, or we would plan something to welcome our child. Of course your freedom is definitely over after that, and you can waste your youth, but it's a human-being. I don't understand guys like that.”

“Thank you, Roger,” Aria grinned, looking down. “I never met one single guy who told me that. They usually agreed with the other bastard... 'Once you got her pregnant, just leave 'er, mate!'”

“Bunch of brainless idiots. Raising a child is extremely exhausting, they don't know that.”

“You... You're raising a child as well?”

“No, I don't. But I see how much Julie is devoted to her child, because she fears the baby might lack of anything. It's a full-time job.”

Aria nodded and brought her cup to her lips, letting the hot beverage flow down her throat. Roger's blue eyes were still on her. He gulped and played with the spoon.

“And... do you have a job?”

“I don't. People don't want young mothers to work to raise their kids, apparently.”

“Our band's singer and I own a shop in Kensington. And... Unfortunately, I can't guarantee you'll be paid much, but... Perhaps you could work with us. John could take care of your daughter.”

“Wait,” Aria exclaimed, her eyes widening. “You'd do that?!”

“Sure, if it can help you... I'll tell John about it, and something can be arranged.”

Aria's lips stretched into a broad grin, as she threw her arms around Roger, pulling him into a tight embrace. The young man chuckled and hugged her back, closing his eyes as his nose was buried in her slightly perfumed hair. They both pulled away and stared at each other silently for a few seconds.

“You're a good guy, Roger.”

“Oh, you can call me Rog, you know. Everybody calls me that.”

“Okay... Rog.”

They chuckled, and caught glimpse of Julie and John coming back to the table, chatting. The siblings smiled at their friends and sat back on their chairs, drinking the remaining drops of tea they had in their cups. Julie smirked, as she saw them hugging.

“So,” she started, “did you two get to know each other?”

“Well, yeah,” Roger nodded, “Aria's very nice. By the way, John, I'll have something to talk to you about when we get back to the flat.”

“Oh, this isn't good.”

“Don't worry, it's good for everyone.”

Aria blushed and looked down, emptying her cup at last. She took a deep breath and sighed, looking up at Julie, who winked at her. She frowned and shook her head, not understanding why her friend was winking at her. John cleared his throat, causing the three others to turn to him.

“Uh... I don't want to ruin this... lovely atmosphere, but I'm quite tired, so... If it's possible to pay for our cups and go home, it would be much appreciated.”

“Sure, Johnny,” Julie smiled. “Aria? Fancy the ride with us?”

“Oh, I'd love to, but I must go to the supermarket before going home. I'll just take the bus.”

“Are you sure?” Roger insisted. “You won't carry those heavy bags everywhere! I can bring them home and then, I'm coming back to pick you up and drive you home.”

Julie slightly turned her head and smirked. It was obvious: Roger was hitting on Aria.

“Thank you, Roger,” Aria smiled, resting a hand on his shoulder, “but I wouldn't like to disturb you. I promise I'll be fine with those bags. Another time, if you want.”

“Alright.”

Roger looked down, his cheekbones getting more pink. Julie tried not to chuckle; she stood up and suggested she could take everybody's money and pay at the counter, instead of overpopulating it. The others nodded and handed her the money for the cup of tea; Roger even offered to pay Aria's, but the young woman refused. Julie grabbed all the coins and elegantly walked up to the counter, pointing at the table so the maid would know what she was paying.

In the meantime, John stood up from his chair, leaning on its back, waiting for his sister to come back, so they could leave. Roger and Aria were still sat on the couch, feeling a bit lazy to stand up. Of course, this was not the only reason: they wanted to enjoy the last bits of their proximity. They shared shy smiles from time to time, not comfortable enough to share words.

When Julie came back to the table, she gave the change to each of them, and picked up her sports bag she threw over her shoulder. Roger eventually stood up and let Aria walk before him. John and Julie started to chat about their mother, when suddenly, Roger's voice rose.

“Aria! You dropped something under the table!”

“What? Oh, shit.”

“We're waiting for you two outside,” John smiled.

Roger nodded and turned round to see Aria kneeling on the cold and dirty floor, trying to see what she could have dropped. He chuckled softly and knelt down beside her, handing her a folded piece of paper.

“You actually didn't drop anything. I just wanted to give you my number without Julie teasing us or John rolling his eyes at me.”

Aria sat up on her heels and stared at Roger's piece of paper, incredulously. She grabbed it between her trembling fingers and unfolded it to make sure this was not a joke. But indeed, a phone number was written on it in a beautiful handwriting, along with an address.

“This is the address of our shop I told you about earlier. Come over anytime you wish. And don't worry, Aria, I will recognise you. If you can't see me, ask the dark-haired weirdo to see me. His name's Freddie, and we work together.”

“Okay... Thank you very much, Roger. I barely know you, and you do that for me.”

“Don't thank me, really. If eventually you're not interested in getting the job... still call me, huh?”

----------------

The doorbell echoed in the long corridor a second time. Aria ran across it, a broad smile decorating her soft face. After what seemed a thousand hurried steps, she reached the door and unlocked it; she put her hand on the door handle and opened it, immediately recognising the tall figure that stood there. His long dirty blond hair, his buttoned-down shirt with the top button undone, showing the sweet spot of skin usually hidden behind, the lopsided smile, the round cheekbones and the shiny blue eyes... Roger looked more gorgeous day by day.

They simultaneously encircled each other with their arms, until their lips met for a tender and soft kiss.

After their first meeting, Aria did not call Roger, fearing she would disturb him. Instead, she enjoyed a moment alone to go directly to the Kensington shop he ran with his friend and bandmate Freddie. They talked for hours, getting to know each other better, and Roger invited her for dinner. Two weeks after that, things just magically happened: while they were quietly having a walk on the border of the River Thames, a smile and a gaze sufficed to make them boil inside. They leant in at the same time and had their first kiss. They had been dating for three months, now.

Although Roger was dating Aria, he still had never seen Janine, her daughter. The day before, she called him and suggested they could stay at her flat for the afternoon. He immediately accepted, quite excited to meet Janine. And here they were.

Aria's cheeks turned red, and her heart was beating so fast she thought it was going to rip off her ribs. Roger's grip tightened at her waist, as he started to smile at her.

“Hello, sweetheart,” he mouthed. “I'm so happy to see you, I couldn't wait.”

“I couldn't either.”

The corners of her lips rose, as she pecked him on the lips repeatedly. Suddenly, loud cries echoed in the flat, coming from the child's room. Aria sighed and kissed his cheek. “I must change into my Super Mother outfit...”

“I'm coming with you,” he chuckled. Aria nodded and both ran to the room, where the cries became louder and louder. When they opened the door, they saw the tiny body of the little girl in her crib, and her face was red from crying. Aria took large steps to reach the crib and lean over it, gently picking up her daughter. She hugged her child, cradling her and humming a lullaby; however, the child did not stop crying.

Though his ears could not stand the noise, Roger's eyes were shining. The child was so adorable. Janine had her mother's black mane, but her eyes were not green like hers, they were blue; their colour actually were pretty close to Roger's.

Aria put down the baby on the changing table and turned round to face Roger. “I'm sorry, I think that's what the problem is,” she said.

“Hey, you don't need to apologise. If she needs to be changed, then change her.”

“Thanks,” she then smiled. She managed to remove Janine's nappy and clean her, before putting a new nappy on her child. Yet, Janine did not stop crying. Aria tried everything: giving her food, giving her milk, playing with her... But the cryings were still as loud. “Please, Jani,” Aria begged, “stop crying! I'm here! Mummy's here!”

Roger smiled and reached out his arms. “Can I hold her?”

“I warn you: she's going to make your eardrums explode.”

“I'm a musician, a drummer, remember. I'm not afraid,” he winked. Aria laughed and pointed at Roger, showing him to Janine. The child did not stop yelling, but still looked at him. “Janine,” Aria whispered, “this is Roger. Say hello to him.”

Then, she handed him the child. He carefully took her in his arms and made sure he held her well. As if he cast a spell on the little girl, she unexpectedly stopped crying. Her big blue eyes stared into Roger's, as she started to smile shyly. Aria's jaw dropped, and Roger blushed and tickled Janine's cheek. “Hello, Janine,” he giggled, “I'm Roger. Nice to meet you, little darling!” He smiled and shook her tiny hand. Janine laughed and rested her forehead on the crook of his neck.

“Well...” Aria sighed. 

“It looks like Janine found a new friend!”

Sorry for the time I took to update, I had writer's block, and I spent five days working on this one :p Anyway, I hope you'll like it :)
I wish you a merry Christmas and a very happy new year to each of you. May all the best thing happen to you in 2015.

xx

K.