Syed had picked at his dinner distractedly. Christian had kept his eyes on him the whole time as they'd eaten. It had been mostly in silence, punctuated with Christian trying to make small talk about whose turn it was to do the dishes and did Syed read the paper so it could go in the bin now...

With a sigh, the younger man stopped playing with his food and put his fork down. "Do you think Qadim was telling the truth?"

"I dunno, babe," Christian answered, folding his arms onto the table. "Yusef said he seemed okay about the idea of divorce. Why would he block it now?"

"Maybe he changed his mind. 'Two weeks ago' is when Yusef spoke to him. It seems to fit..."

"Yeah, it does," Christian reached a hand over to Syed's and folded it loosely in his own. "But we just don't know what's going on. Anything could have happened."

"I'm worried about her. She probably hates me anyway. Her father could have told her I was trying to contact her and then she just fled to get away from me?"

"You don't know that she hates you. Hates us."

Syed scoffed, "I broke her heart, humiliated her. I hated myself for that."

"Sy," Christian took his time on the words, hoping they would get through to him, "You can't take all the guilt on board yourself. It wasn't like that. I'm just as much to blame, we both know it. And I'm going to be honest and, yeah, your parents didn't exactly help matters either."

"You mean my faith," Syed tried to correct Christian, thinking it once again came down to his religion.

"No. No I don't, your faith is complicated. Your parents... your mother... her pride took control on that wedding day, not her faith."

Syed sat back with a huff of breath, his arm outstretched, with his hand still holding onto Christian's across the table. "I'm sorry. I know I'm not much fun to be around like this."

"Hey," Christian attempted a smile to lighten the mood, "I take the bad with the good. Besides, I know I have my moments too when you want to strangle me."

"Only when your mouth runs away from you."

"You mean like yours did today with Vanessa." Christian got up and took their plates to the sink. "That was certainly subtle, the way you put it."

"It was early in the morning and you'd just tortured me on that run, I didn't have any spare braincells to think with before I spoke."

"You need to exercise more then, get that fitness level up."

Syed stood, pushing his chair back and he moved up behind where Christian was standing by the sink. He wrapped his arm around Christian's waist from behind him. "I much prefer other forms of morning exercise."

Christian kept his face passive, "You mean sit ups and press ups and stuff?"

"Maybe not."

Christian turned in Syed's arms so he could face him, still keeping his face straight. "Would you prefer we did ball exercises instead?"

"That's one way of putting it."

"You cheeky sod," Christian couldn't keep his expression passive anymore as he flicked water from his wet hands onto Syed's face.

"Oi!" Syed exclaimed as he wiped his eyes and then shouldered a laughing Christian. "Was there soap in that?"

"No, just tap water, you big nellie. I was just putting the pots in to soak for a while, we'll do the dishes later."

Christian turned Syed by his shoulders and marched him to the sofa, plonking him down then sitting next to him and grabbing for the remote. Syed leaned in against Christian, his hand straying to Christian's thigh and resting there, his fingers lightly tracing patterns on Christian's jeans.

"You know, you were right before," Syed began.

"Of course I was," Christian replied automatically, half his concentration on the on screen TV guide. "About what?"

"I know we hurt Amira, but we had to do what was right and be honest about it all. I got to be with you, properly, as a result. I just hope she can find someone like that too."

"Me too," Christian said, slinging an arm around Syed's shoulders.

A little while later they were still sitting in relatively the same position, but the TV had lost both their interests.

"Nothing's on," Christian announced, pressing the button on the remote to turn the television off, and plonking it down beside himself. "Besides, it's getting late and we have an early morning."

"Christian," Syed moaned, "I don't want to go for a run tomorrow."

Christian smiled indulgently, "You don't have to come with me if you don't want to."

"I know," Syed said, "I mean, I like running but it's not so much the running part I like best."

"Christian laughed, "Which bit's best then?"

"When I fall behind you and watch," he answered, cheekily, "and I'm also fond of what happens after the run."

"Stretching?"

Syed shoved a cushion at Christian, who was doing his best to look confused, even though they both knew what Syed meant.

"Idiot. I was thinking more along the lines of an indulgently, long, water-wasting shower."

Christian smiled at Syed, lovingly, "You do look very sexy with wet hair dripping over your face."

Syed smiled back then leaned up to kiss Christian, capturing his face with his right hand to keep him in place while he deepened the kiss with a soft moan, before pulling away slightly with two small pecks at Christian's lips.

"Promise me something?" Syed asked, his forehead leaning against Christian's, their noses barely touching as he breathed Christian in.

"Anything."

"If I stay in tomorrow, do me a favour and run by the flat a few times so I can watch you out of the window..."

"Voyeuristic, little git." Christian replied before taking Syed's hand and dragging him into the bedroom.