Zoe entered the pub hesitantly a short time later and Nick gave her a wave. She glanced back at the hospital before approaching him where he sat in a quiet corner.
"I took the liberty of getting you your favourite drink. At least, what used to be your favourite?"
Sitting down, Zoe gave a slight smile. "I'm pretty sure a large wine is the favourite of most doctors, Nick."
…
"Rita, you've wounded me!" Max cried out almost 20 minutes later as he entered the pub along with the giggling blonde.
As it was meant to, this caught Zoe's attention, but it also caught Nick's and he gave a sigh. "That porter again. Do you know, earlier today I asked him to help me move some boxes from my car and he refused."
"Did you ask or did you tell?" Zoe glanced at Max who winked at her before turning his back to sit at the bar.
"...I suppose I told him, but I'm going to have a word with his boss, because he's got a bad attitude. I overheard him telling a patient she-"
"He's my husband."
Nick was quiet for a moment, stunned, before almost every occupant of the pub heard his exclamation. "You married a porter?!"
Zoe glanced around them at people looking, shyly tucking her hair behind one ear. "Yes."
"Well, I suppose I see why you tried to keep us separated."
"I'm not embarrassed of him, Nick."
Shifting forward in his seat, Nick put his drink of the table and focused all his attention on Zoe. "Then why haven't you told either of us about the other?"
Agitated, Zoe began tapping her finger on the wine glass she held. "Does it matter?"
"Yes."
"Fine then, if you must know, you know what I associate with you, Nick? You know the moments I remember so clearly from our relationship? When we found out I was pregnant. And I'm never going to have that with Max. So when I look at you, I just see what I can never have but desperately want with him and it hurts. I didn't tell Max about you because I didn't want to think about you, and I didn't want to tell you about him, because I knew you'd tell him what happened, just to get one up on him."
"Zoe, I-" Nick reached forward and put a hand to her knee, but the hand fell as she stood, grabbing her jacket.
"I need to go home."
"We need to talk about this, Zoe."
"Maybe we do, but not tonight."
…
After entering the pub, Rita and Max sat talking quietly, both trying not to glance at the woman they were talking about.
When Rita had finished her explanation of what she'd found out, Max frowned. "You're sure it's not just a rumour?"
Rita gave a slight shrug at Max's question. "It seems a little detailed to be a rumour, doesn't it?"
Before Max could reply, a gentle hand touched him between his shoulder blades. "Can we go home, please."
"Ah, yeah, sure. See you tomorrow, Rita." Max grabbed his jacket, rushing after Zoe as she walked quickly towards the car.
…
As first they drove towards home in silence, but Max could feel Zoe's eyes on him and finally couldn't bear it any longer. "I know what you're thinking."
Zoe's heart jolted. "Do you?"
Max noted the panic in her voice but didn't acknowledge it. "That I've had work done. But I haven't. This here face is all natural."
Zoe smiled and leant across, straining her seatbelt to kiss Max's cheek before settling back into her seat to look out the window.
Max glanced at her, then back at the road. "You know we'll have to talk about whatever is upsetting you at some point, Zoe."
"When I'm ready."
Hearing the same edge he'd heard in her voice that afternoon on the roof, Max tried to lighten the mood again. "That was your reason for not opening that pack of biscuits last week, but don't think I haven't noticed you ate them all and replaced them with a new, unopened packet."
"I did not eat them!"
"There were crumbs in our bed, Zo."
"…Maybe I ate them."
"Knew it!"