Liza woke up and stretched her arms, almost hitting Charles in the face. She slept all night next to him. He had stayed in the guest room with her, even though she said he could leave when she fell asleep.

"Good morning. It's the weekend so no work today. " Charles spoke softly, glancing over at her next to him.

"Right, I need to get back to work next week. I probably missed a lot. I hope editing projects aren't too backed up. " Liza felt a bit panicked, remembering what she neglected. Several meetings, new authors, the final draft of Charles' book to be sent out.

"I did most of it for you. Not to worry. "

Charles got up and asked her if she wanted breakfast. She still couldn't taste anything, and wasn't particularly hungry. She called Maggie after she found a quiet place to sit in the study.

"You are doing better? Yes?" Maggie asked.

"A little bit. Was checking if you want me to move back in. I imagine Charles is going to want to have his kids back in a few days, since we are past our two weeks. I don't want to intrude anymore than I already have."

"As long as you don't mind Lauren still being here. I'm sorry, but she's kind of taken over your room. I'll make her move to the sofa."

"Hmm. I don't know. That's a lot to ask. Maybe I'll move to the sofa for now since I might need some help. I'll let you know when I'm on my way home. "

They ended their call and she noticed Charles was standing there in the door of the study with her breakfast on a tray. "I thought maybe you were eating in here," he said, sounding confused.

"No, just making a call. Maggie has let Lauren take over my room, and now I have to kick her out. I feel bad." Liza looked at the floor as she said this next part. "Look, I know you're probably ready for me to leave so you can have your house back and the girls can stay, so I'll get packed up. "

After what felt like an eternity he started to consider the options aloud.

"You can stay as long as you need to stay. I understand if you want to be at home, but sleeping on a sofa with an extra roommate while you are recovering doesn't sound fun. But it's your choice. Just know that you're welcome here." Charles paused. "Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop when I was bringing your breakfast. " Liza started to consider that maybe he wanted her here.

After some back and forth in her head, she agreed to stay a while longer. She asked that he not alter his plans with his family and pretend she was not there.

"Well, I'm not going to do that. The girls will be glad to see you." Charles smiled and Liza noticed he seemed more relaxed. The girls would stay next month, their visit a few weeks away. Pauline felt badly about her condition, and wanted to give her time to feel better before dropping them off.

That night, she did better with her bedtime routine and was able to finish her last doses of medicine from the hospital. She continued to need her breathing treatment and felt anxious about being alone at night again. Charles agreed to stay, less reluctant this time.

This started to become their routine as Liza's condition improved and they awaited the girls' visit. When she woke up in pain with recurring migraine headaches, Charles was there for her. Whether he was getting her medicine, massaging the painful spots caused by her headaches, or just holding her next to him when she needed comfort, she discovered she could count on him. Every night they read before going to sleep, and every morning he cooked breakfast for her. One day, Liza noticed her breathing getting better and her sense of taste and smell returning.

She decided to go back to work, and took up a few household chores to help out, when Charles would let her. They would have their usual work conversations, sometimes turning into arguments about authors and projects, but managed to sort it out. Sometimes Diana had to be the tiebreaker.

Every night they seemed to get closer to each other. Liza felt an odd familiarity, and Charles did too. Most mornings they would wake up holding hands or tangled up together in some way. But they brushed it off and never mentioned to each other the growing feelings between them. If she was honest with herself, she didn't want to go back to being alone. She suspected he felt similarly. For a man who didn't like pretending, he was trying like crazy to act like there was nothing between them besides work.

"I know I'm asking this a lot, but can you stay with me again tonight?" Maybe she was milking this for too long, but she had to ask.

"I think I could do that. But is it too much to ask to sleep in a bigger bed?"

Liza laughed, thinking about how he had held his neck in pain when he thought she wasn't looking the last few days. Judging from the size and lack of support of the guest bed, she agreed.

"Let's go to your room. I don't need the oxygen anymore. I just don't want to sleep alone," she said softly. She noticed him smiling back shyly.

They settled into his bed and started talking about their day and what needed to be sorted out for work. Charles retrieved their books from the guest room, and they read for a few minutes until she got tired and turned off the light next to her. Without thinking, she rolled into his arms and kissed him, like she had a hundred times before.

"I'm sorry, I am forgetting myself, being in this room. I don't know what came over me. Old habits, you know? I will give you some space," Liza mumbled.

To her surprise, Charles didn't say anything, but offered a short, "Hmm." She turned over on her side, and he stayed next to her. They tried to sleep like that for a few minutes.

She smiled a contented smile, then felt bad about what happened. Maybe this wasn't a good idea? He was thinking the same thing and abruptly turned onto his other side. They had gotten close again, and he was unsure about being this near to her. He cleared his throat. "I had to move, my, um, neck was hurting."

"Ok. Sweet dreams," She said. They both stayed awake, staring into the distance of the dark room, overthinking what had just happened.