Miranda's not sure what woke her up, but as she forces one eye open, she's none too relieved to see she still has a few hours before her alarm. Instinctively, she rolls back over to cuddle up to Gary, but all she finds on his side of the bed are more sheets, cold and crisp and unslept in. As her heart quickens, she sits up and checks her clock again. Where the hell was he? He often came home after she'd gone to bed, but never this late. She grabs her phone from the bedside table and squints at the harsh glow of the screen. No messages. What if something had happened at the restaurant? Or on his way home? She tries to stop her mind running through every worst case scenario.
As she crawls out of bed, she sees a crack of light under the bedroom door. The kitchen light was still on, as she left it for him every night. As she opens the door, she's flooded with relief to find him sitting at their kitchen table, looking glum.
"Hey," he whispers, his face filled with concern and alarm. "What are you doing up?"
"I could ask you the same Mister," she says, throwing her arms around him. She's slightly furious but comforted by his presence. "You nearly gave me a heart attack! I thought you'd been kidnapped by youths on your way home."
"Sorry for giving you a fright," he replies, giving her a reassuring squeeze. Did she smell coffee? "I uh, just lost track of time."
The scene in front of her finally registers and she notices a stack of papers and envelopes in front of him. "What on earth are you doing?"
"Just going over some figures from the restaurant."
"At this hour? Can't it wait?"
"Yeah of course… I'll be right there."
She senses his anxiety and sits down beside him. "What's wrong?"
He hesitated. "It's nothing. I'll tell you in the morning."
"It technically is morning."
Gary looked stricken. He takes his jacket from the back of his chair and drapes it over her shoulders. "Here, you'll get cold."
"I want to know now," she demands quietly. "I can handle it whatever it is."
He scratched the back of his neck and stared at the table. "Do you remember how we talked about moving to a bigger place after the wedding?"
She vaguely recalled a conversation. They'd been married for almost a year now, and living together for two. It hadn't all been perfect, after years of false starts and missed opportunities, they hadn't given much thought as to what happened next. Once the initial thrill had subsided, they realised that actually, this was just the beginning of a new phase of their relationship. She's certain it's all worth it though. She can't imagine being this comfortable with anyone else, and while she knows that she can be happy on her own, he complements every part of her life. He brings out the best in her, and she only hopes she does the same for him.
"Yeah… but why are you worrying about that now?"
He flicks through a pile of bank statements. "The restaurant isn't bringing in as much as I want it to, and plus there's the mortgage on top of that…" He props his elbow on the table and rests his head in his hand. "At this rate, we might be here for another few years at least. Maybe I shouldn't have bought it in the first place."
"Don't be ridiculous. You love the restaurant. I love the restaurant. It's your baby."
"You and the shop are doing so well though." Those maraca classes had been surprisingly successful. Maybe she should make a workout video… "We can't afford to move because of me."
"Gary, you know I don't care where we live as long as we're together." She puts her hand on his cheek and forces him to meet her gaze. "I wouldn't trade a million bigger houses for what we have."
He looks down and sighs. "I know, I know. I just wish I could give you both." His eyes flicker up to hers. "You deserve more."
She scoots closer and takes his hand with a smile. "I already have everything I want." His eyes light up and he looks at her with such adoration that her heart swells in her chest. "Besides, living here has its advantages. Imagine how late I'd get to work if I actually did have to commute." She could see the derision on Stevie's face already.
He finally smiles and shakes his head. "I love you."
She leans in and gently bumps their noses together. "I love you too." Standing up, she pulls him towards her. "Now come to bed! I need someone to snuggle with."