Alan woke up early that morning, feeling thirsty and poorly rested. Rosalie was still asleep next to him, curled up with an arm flung over his waist, her face obscured by her wild hair. He gently lifted her arm off him and went to the bathroom, noticing how few of her toiletries were left by the sink. Sighing, he flushed the faucet, drank a glass of water, and came back through to gaze at her a little longer, savouring the moments before she left for the airport. His life was going to feel so empty without her now. She rolled over and her hair fell away from her face and she looked so peaceful it almost overpowered him with emotion. He wanted to get back into the bed, hold her close, cover her in kisses and stop her from leaving but he knew he could not.
"If you're going to watch me sleeping at least get back into bed," she murmured with a smile, slightly opening one eye to look at him. "You're being creepy."
"I didn't want to wake you, it's early."
"Come back to bed Alan for God's sakes." He went and climbed in next to her and she snuggled into being spooned by him, pulling his arms around her and lacing her fingers with his. He buried his face in her hair and inhaled the comforting scent of shampoo, old perfume and the warm smell of her sleep.
"What time is your flight?"
"Noon, I think you have court."
"I do. I can't even stay for breakfast I'm afraid."
"Spend time with me now then." She rolled over and faced him, kissing him softly. "It's still early. We can do the crossword, or watch the morning news."
"It just feels so… final. Why extend the agony?"
"Alan. It's okay to be sad. But like I told you, I'll be back before you know it." She kissed him again and slipped her hands under his t-shirt. "Why don't you take this off and we can make a good memory?"
They lay next to each other a while later, both naked and wrapped in each other's arms. Alan's alarm started to go off, and he rolled to turn it off. It was an unwelcome reminder that time was running out.
"Five more minutes maybe?"
"I can't." Alan got out of bed and got into the shower, and Rosalie laid back and sighed heavily. She wanted every second of their time together over again, so she could do it differently this time. The thought of leaving was hurting her deeply. The thought of leaving Alan, to be more precise, was really hurting her. They had shared something special in the short time she'd been in Boston and giving it up was a unique agony. She got out of bed, threw her nightdress back on and started to sort out the last of her cases. When Alan came out from the shower they hardly spoke, and when it was her time to climb in, she let herself cry a few tears silently. Awkwardly they started to navigate the space they had shared like strangers, with stolen glances and apologies when they got too close. Rosalie dressed in front of him with a sense of shame for the first time, and turned away so he wouldn't see her naked.
"Do you need a taxi called for you?" Alan asked eventually, breaking the silence as he put in his cufflinks. Rosalie smiled slightly.
"Not this time, I booked with the concierge. Thank you though." There was a pause. "Are you leaving now? I can walk down with you if you like."
"I would like that very much," Alan said with a smile that felt painful, and as he pulled on his jacket he felt Rosalie come up behind him to dust off some lint on the shoulder. He realized it was this he would miss the most, the throwaway gestures that were deeply caring in nature. Pulling himself together, he turned to her. "Shall I take some of your bags?"
"Thank you, Alan." She looked him in the eyes and sighed, pulling the sleeves of her rain jacket straight and picking up her laptop bag and hold-all. "I suppose we'd better go."
In the taxi to the airport, Rosalie rested her head against the window gently and half-watched the city fly past her. Alan's goodbye kiss had been brief, with a hand on her elbow making her feel like he was keeping his distance. If he had cared, he'd clearly been able to switch it off more easily than she had. She couldn't believe she'd told him she loved him. It must have been a reaction to the panic she'd felt watching him try and Spiderman his way out of a fourteenth story window. And she'd said all that just to have him freeze her out on the day she left. Perhaps that was how he wanted to deal with his sadness, but all it had succeeded in achieving was upsetting her more. She looked back through the front windscreen and took a deep breath. Time to look forward once more.
"So she's gone?" Denny asked as he walked into Alan's office. Alan was facing the wall looking pensively over steepled fingers.
"Yes. She should be at the airport soon."
"I'm glad we had that dinner to say goodbye on Friday night. She looked beautiful didn't she? I can't believe she's mine sometimes."
"Will you miss her Denny?"
"I think I will. Will you?"
"More than I imagined," Alan replied with a sigh. Denny came over to his friend and put a hand on his shoulder.
"Sleepover tonight? I don't think you should be alone."
"That sounds like a good idea."
