She managed to distract herself the rest of the day, avoiding feeling guilty for blaming Rufus for the whole Serena thing. When she entered their bedroom, he was pretending to be asleep, so she quietly sneaked into bed. She hated this silent distance between them. This was the moment when she started questioning her own decision, questioning their happily ever after. Was she making the mistake she made so many times before? She just wasn't the type to settle down for easier. And it would be easy to pretend to ignore this late night thoughts, pretend that she doesn't notice this cruel coldness between them and that he isn't really asleep… Maybe she was just finding comfort in familiarity and closeness, in the unbreakable bond that stayed with both of them for almost twenty years but no one ever made her feel so complete.

She woke up around 6 o'clock. After so many sleepless nights by Cece's side she got used to sleeping only a few hours at night. She thought of all those night in the past couple of months when she just wanted to feel the comfort of his embrace,lay peacefully with his hands wrapped around her waist and listen to his heartbeat. Fighting wasn't what she had in mind. She missed him. She still does, with his back turned to her and too much space in their king size bed. She slipped out of bed and went to take a shower careful not to wake him up. When she got back he was still firmly asleep, so she sat on the edge of his side of the bed just watching him breathe peacefully. It was one of those moments when she wished she still had her camera to capture.

"Hey…" He said with his eyes slightly open. Just enough to notice that she was on the edge of tears. Sun was lighting up her face, allowing him to see just how beautiful she is.
"Hey…" Before she said anything else, a tear went strolling down her cheek. The words seemed so unnecessary when he reached to her hand and pulled her into his embrace. Familiarity. Touch of his fingertips against her skin. Light kisses down her neck and collar bone. They have been down this road so many times before but something was different this time. She knew that there is no going back, that in the morning they will take one more step further away from each other. This speechless dawn was the only witness to the beginning of an end.