Respite
Aven stepped out onto the balcony, sliding the glass door closed behind them. A shiver went down their spine. The jean jacket they'd thrown on was doing little in shielding their rough skin against the light autumn breeze. The sun had gone down hours ago and a waning moon hung in the sky. Aven leaned over the railing and looked down at the empty street. A draft went up through the boards and along their bare legs. That's autumn all right. Not wanting to catch a cold Aven let themselves fall backwards into the hanging chair and wrapped themselves in both blankets. The rope creaked under the sudden weight and the seat span slowly back and forth. Liam had assured them that the suspension system would be able to support up to 200kg and Aven trusted him more then the suspicious noises the chair made. Aven fished for the pack of cigarettes in the left inner pocket of their jacket. Liam had left two days ago to help out with Vicky's booth at Gamescom in Germany. The guy that originally was planned to help her out had fallen ill last minute and Liam had seen lots of Vicky's game already. Gamescom is supposedly a great opportunity to market your game and drum up excitement. Aven took out a cigarette and parked it between their lips. Obviously Aven hadn't gotten time off work on such short notice to join Liam, Vicky and the others. They'd been lucky to be allowed to draw up the Van Dijk's kitchen plans from home to avoid finding a catsitter for Momo and Nino. They shook the lighter out of the cigarette pack. How the fuck did Liam manage to get anything done at home? Momo takes every opportunity to jump up on the keyboard and the different package delivery workers coordinate to show up at the most inconvenient times! The Wi-Fi is spotty and Marloes and her husband are renovating their bathroom! A spark lit the gas and Aven covered the small flame from the breeze, guiding it to the end of the cigarette. They closed their eyes, took a drag and let themselves be filled with warmth.