A short chapter this time. Thank you for the reviews for the last chapter. Overwhelmed by them, so thanks.


Harry awoke with a start. "Jesus Christ," he said under his breath, stretching his neck. God, sleeping in the front seat of a car was a very bad arrangement if he intended to keep his neck in working order. He looked across to Ruth's house but couldn't see anything. He grabbed the binoculars and looked at the windows of the house. All in darkness and no movement. No one was up yet then. Harry looked at his watch, but it was still on Greenwich mean time, showing half three in the morning. What was the time difference to Cyprus? He didn't know, but guessed it was around six in the morning from the sun in the sky, just coming up for a new day. Too early for Ruth to be up then.

Harry made a sudden decision and he got a pen and a sheet of paper and wrote a short note. But it took a long time to write, because he wasn't sure what to say. Eventually he folded it and wrote her name on the front, wishing he had an envelope with him. He left the car where it was and walked down to the house. He hovered around outside, wondering where he could put it that the man Ruth was living with wouldn't find it. He knew it was risky, but he wanted to leave it for her. There was a garage but the car wasn't parked inside it. Harry peered through the window of the car Ruth had drove yesterday. There was a women's jacket on the back seat and a few hair clips on the dashboard. A magazine was on the passenger seat, and not one of those glossy vapid women's magazines either. History magazine, in this issue the main article was about Ethelred, King of Wessex. There was no doubt about it, this was Ruth's car.

He had a look at the garage door and wondered if it made a noise. He took a risk and opened it about half a foot. Silent. Opening it up he saw a much nicer car inside. It must be her partners. So Ruth was the sole driver of her car. He closed the garage door and walked around her car once more before he saw it. The passenger window was open, just a touch. Enough to slip the note inside. He did that and it landed on her magazine. All he had to do was watch and wait.

Walking back to the car he wondered if he was being stupid. After three years why would she even bother to see him? Why would she even care any more? Maybe he should just get on a plane back to Heathrow, and leave this all behind him. She was clearly very happy with her new life. What would be the point in dragging her back to London? This was insane. All he wanted to hear from her was that she loved him and of course she'd leave her carefully reconstructed life to head back to dreary London. Her partner meant nothing to her and all she wanted was Harry. Clearly he was living in a fantasy land.

Rounding the corner of the dusty road, for the first time in months he was beyond shocked. Ruth was sitting on the bonnet of his car, glaring at him. Her gaze softened slightly when he came into view.

"What the hell are you doing Harry?" she asked, her voice low and a hint of amusement on her lips. "Spying on me?"

It took a moment for the shock to wear off, and when he recovered slightly he shut his mouth which had been hanging open. Harry couldn't help it, he smiled at her. She slipped off of the front of the car, standing up, her blue eyes burning at him. "Harry," she said quietly.

"Ruth." For long minutes neither of them spoke, not knowing what to say. They simply looked at each other in the silence.


I know a bad place to leave it! More tomorrow :)