The next day Jonathan didn't go to his tutorial, or anywhere onto the
campus, making the necessary phone calls from his room and not bothering to
do anything else for the day. That night he decided to go for a walk. His
hands shoved into the pockets of his pants, he strolled down the street
until he did find himself walking around campus, past groups of students
arriving for late-night lectures and others just hanging out at the various
clubs, partying the night away. He didn't smile as he passed them, but
stopped, staring straight ahead as he saw Martha paying for a drink at the
counter of the coffee shop, before slinging her bag over her shoulder and
leaving. He watched her from across the road as she closed the door behind
her, turned, and began walking along the side path.
Then suddenly, she was gone. Jonathan scanned the area, and knew that he hadn't taken his eyes off her for more than a second. He looked for traffic - there wasn't much - before jogging across the street. Martha was further into a nearby alley, struggling against another person as he held a hand over her mouth. She bit his fingers and he cried out as she tried to push him off her.
"Hey!" Jonathan called out, running forward. He had no idea what he was going to do, but he wasn't going to just stand around and watch. The offender looked up, saw Jonathan, and then turned and ran quickly in the other direction. Jonathan wasn't going to chase him. Instead he took Martha in his arms and looked her over. "You okay?" he asked, his heart skipping a beat as she composed herself.
"Y-yeah," she sighed, before realising who it was and instinctively pushing away. "You sure?" Jonathan asked again.
"Yeah, thanks," she replied, this time more curtly. She bent down and picked up her bag, checking her money and cards were still safe somewhere in there. They were. He was still standing there. Please go away, she willed. I'm okay, I don't want you to see me cry. But he wasn't going anywhere.
"You were at the hospital this afternoon-"
"I'm sorry about your dad," she cut him off. "Where's your girlfriend?"
"Who said she was my girlfriend?" Martha gave him a look that said 'don't try to mess with me', and he nodded. "Okay. She's gone back to Smallville." "So you think that fixes everything?" She turned and started walking in the opposite direction, following the path of her offender. Jonathan chased after her, grabbing her elbow. She spun back to face him once more.
"I don't want her. I want you." Tears stung Martha's eyes and she realised she couldn't keep it in. They fell down her cheeks.
"You hardly know me. You must be really serious with her-"
"We've known each other a long time."
"You hardly know me," she repeated, this time with tears falling down her cheeks. Jonathan cupped her face with his hands, picking up each tear as it fell from her eye and brushing it along her cheek, away from her face.
"I want to know you," he replied, his voice catching in his throat. "I want to know everything about you." She looked up at him, and started crying. He shushed her, pulling her into a hug, revelling in the feel of her pushed against him. She was shaking terribly and he realised that she must still be shocked about what had just happened. He led her a bit closer to the street and sat her down on the ground against the wall. Sitting next to her, she rested against him. "Are you sure he didn't hurt you?" Jonathan whispered into her ear, his hand running through her hair, brushing it down her shoulders. Martha nodded.
"I think I hurt him more-" Jonathan chuckled.
"I can't believe you bit his finger," he whispered still. He felt her laugh, and she bit her bottom lip, looking up at him. "I'm sorry Nell came here-" She shook her head.
"No, you needed her."
"She's helped me look after dad quite a bit."
"Then she needed you as well." Martha wiped her cheeks and sighed, preparing to stand. Jonathan got up with her and held onto her. She watched him. He was still worried, still watching her as though she might collapse any second. She had to prove to him that she was all right. She smiled the biggest smile she could muster, taking his hand and squeezing it sincerely. "Thankyou Jonathan." He seemed to relax. "You wanna take me up on my offer and grab something to eat?" She was feeling ever more confident with this man the more time she spent with him.
"Don't you have to be home?" Martha shrugged.
"There's no rush." He nodded.
"Try again, will we?" She nodded, walking close to him as he led her back to his place. "What've you got?" she asked as he fumbled around in the fridge. He didn't reply, and she heard the microwave start as she took a seat on the ratty couch, switching on the television. There were a couple of movies on tonight that she really wanted to see, but Jonathan had other plans. He came back carrying a large microwave-safe bowl with the lid on and a small freezer bag. She took the freezer bag from him, eyes wide.
"Follow me," he said, leading her out and up, until they got up to the roof. "I love it up here." She smiled, looking up.
"You can see the stars," she stated. He nodded.
"Yeah." He sat down on a couple of old cushions that someone had abandoned up there, and she followed suit. He reached into the freezer bag and pulled out two forks, before sitting the heated bowl between them, opening the lid. Martha laughed. "Granted it's been reheated-" She shook her head.
"No, I love spaghetti!" she exclaimed, smiling as she took a fork. "Is it good?"
"I'm not sure. I'm the only one I cook for these days." She shrugged, holding her hair back with one hand as she leant down and twirled some noodles around her fork, lifting it to her mouth. She half-missed, and laughed, leaning her head back as her other hand let her hand go, wiping her chin. Jonathan laughed also, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping her chin for her.
"It's great," she replied, looking over at him. "What's in the bag but?" He grinned, pulling out a tub of triple choc icecream. Her mouth fell open. "Oh my God," she whispered softly. "What?" he asked, putting it back into the bag for later. "I love that stuff."
"That's my favourite. When I was little I used to eat it forever - mum always warned me I'd get so fat-" He smiled, cutting her off as he leaned in and kissed her. He wouldn't ordinarily be so forward, but every time she looked at him he felt that little bit more confident, and rightly so it seemed. She leaned back, letting him fall across her as they kissed. Jonathan felt his hand slip under the back hem of her jeans as he rubbed her back, Martha's own hands pressed against his chest, drawing her to him. He started to lose his balance, and put a hand down to steady himself on the ground. Instead, he rested it in the spaghetti, and cursed at the heat, breaking away. Martha was momentarily concerned, but saw the laughter in Jonathan's eyes, and started giggling. He looked at her, wiping the spaghetti off him. He didn't say anything, moving it aside. She was still giggling, her nose and cheeks pink from the cool night air. Jonathan didn't waste a second more, moving back beside her and pressing his lips into hers. That stopped her laughing, he thought to himself as she kissed him deeply, before breaking away.
"Jonathan, I-" He read her eyes and nodded, moving over and simply pulling her close to him. "I've only done this twice before and-"
"Shh," he replied. "It's okay." She glanced up at him and smiled, kissing him softly. He glanced up at the sky.
"I'm going to have to go back home in a couple of days," he whispered after moments.
"For the funeral?"
"Forever." He looked down at her. "I'm not finishing the course-"
"But I thought you-"
"I know enough now. I can't waste any more time. There are things."
"Of course." She paused. She wanted to say 'I'll come with you', but she didn't feel that it was appropriate. "So will we, I mean, can we still-"
"I want you to come and visit me," he replied, running his fingers along her collarbone, across her shoulder and down her arm, before taking her hand and letting his fingers curl between hers. "On weekends, when there's no school," he added.
"What about when it's finished?" she asked. Final exams were only a month away. He looked at her carefully. Martha felt as though she'd faint if she looked into his eyes for any longer. They were so blue, she could see so much in them, so much of herself reflected back through them.
"We'll work it out when we come to it," he replied. "After the funeral, I'm going to break up with Nell."
"Are you sure?" He leant down, nuzzling her cheek.
"I want you," he whispered in her ear. "I wasn't joking before." She turned and their lips met briefly.
"I know," she replied. "I'd love to visit you."
*
Martha tried to walk as quietly into the house as possible without being detected. No such luck.
"It's eleven am!" her mother exclaimed. "Where on earth have you been?"
"Out," Martha replied, surprised her mother hadn't called the police or something like that. "Where's dad?"
"Out looking for you!"
"Oh."
"Oh!" her mother mocked. "What were you doing? Were you with a man?"
"Yes," Martha replied. "Don't worry mom, nothing happened."
"Who is he? How do we know we can trust-"
"You trust me, don't you? His name's Jonathan."
"You couldn't call and let us know where you were?"
"I kind of, lost track of time, and I didn't want to-"
"All right, so you're all right?"
"I'm fine. Sorry, mom."
"It's all right, but I'd work on a story for your father."
*
As Jonathan drove into Smallville all he could think about was Martha. He couldn't wait until he brought her back to his home. He hoped it would become their home someday. It was different with Martha than it was with Nell. Nell was a bit older than Martha, not that Martha was that much younger, and Jonathan couldn't quite describe it. All he could think about was Martha, his Martha.
*
Nell stood beside Jonathan at the burial and as everybody left, took his hand supportively.
"You ready to do it?" she asked. He glanced at her.
"Yeah, I think I got it all under control. Got a bit of cleaning up to do but. Nell-" He stopped half way back to their cars. "I can't do this."
"I thought this might be coming. It's the woman, isn't it? From the city-"
"Martha, yes. I think I'm in love with her."
"After a week?" A couple of days, Jonathan corrected in his head, but didn't voice it. He simply looked at Nell.
"I'm sorry."
"We're more than a week, Jonathan. You can't-"
"Whatever it is I feel," Jonathan tried again. "It's with her, Nell. I'm sorry." He walked off, leaving her standing there. She sighed. Shit, she cursed. Shit!
*
Jonathan got home to find the phone ringing. He picked it up, collapsing on a chair.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Jonathan?"
"Martha," he started again. "Sorry I-"
"Bad time?"
"No, not at all. I just got home, is all."
"How was it?"
"Went all right, as you'd expect. Glad it's over." Martha wasn't sure whether he was talking about the funeral or Nell, so assumed both, just to be safe. "How are you?"
"Dad's not talking to me," she stated. "Not happy about me staying out all night. He was out looking for me all night, so he's kinda peeved."
"To put it lightly?" Jonathan asked. She laughed.
"Yeah. Mum knows better I think. At least, she's talking to me."
"You tell them about us?" Us, Martha thought, blushing even over the phone. God, she wanted to kiss him so badly.
"Not really. Kinda. I don't know. They know your name. That's all."
"Can you come out this weekend?" Jonathan asked suddenly. He thought she'd be shocked but she replied straight away.
"Sure. You got an address?"
*
Nell was sitting with her friends as the foreign car drove down the main road. No one from Smallville owned a car like that. It was clean, a deep metallic black. Nell caught an impression of the woman behind the tinted windshield, and sighed.
"Who's that?" one of her friends asked.
"Don't know," she lied.
*
Jonathan was cutting wood when he looked up, seeing the car stop in the driveway. Martha got out, pulling out a small bag, and locked the car, looking up as Jonathan put down the axe and took off the glasses, walking up to her. She smiled, welcoming him into her arms as he hugged her, kissing her cheek.
"Welcome to my home," he whispered as she pulled back. "Like it so far?" She leaned in to kiss him.
"So far," she replied. They pulled apart and Jonathan took her bag for her, showing her inside. She looked around. It was a beautiful house, and the furniture was new looking and clean. He took her hand, leading her upstairs. There were two bedrooms and a bathroom. He showed her into the main room and put her bag on the bed. The fact didn't go unnoticed by Martha, who smiled to herself, feeling her cheeks warming. Jonathan took her around the side of the house, to the cellar and another room that, at the moment, was being used as storage. Martha glanced out the window, looking over the countryside, before she turned back to him. "I love it," she said, grinning. He grinned back, pulling her to him once more.
*
"So your parents know where you are?" he asked later that night as they sat on the sofa. She nodded.
"Dad's out of town, mum knows."
"Yeah?"
"Ahuh. I said, I'm off to Smallville for the weekend. Mum dropped a glass." Jonathan smirked. "She asked why on earth, and I told them that's where you were." She looked up at him. "Didn't take it too well, but I left anyway." He nodded.
"They don't even know me."
"I know. They're scared I'll waste my life or something." There was a long pause.
"Would you be? Out here?" She shook her head.
"Not at all. I wouldn't regret a thing." She leant her head against his and began to kiss his jaw, making her way to his lips, where he kissed her back. He took her hand and led her up to the bedroom. Their clothes came off and they lay together, making love into the night.
*
Jonathan woke the next morning to see Martha lying, fast asleep, beside him. It was still early - there were chores to be done - and despite it all, he had to get up. He kissed her cheek gently, before dressing and getting started on today's work outside.
An hour and a half later he returned to see Martha making herself breakfast at the kitchen. She had a t-shirt pulled on over crumpled jeans and was leaning over the toaster. He slid his arms around her waist and she smiled, leaning back into him.
"Mornin'," he said, nuzzling her neck.
"Hey," she replied, leaning her head back and kissing him softly.
"You just get up?"
"Yep."
"Ready to learn how a farm works?" She laughed.
"Gimme some time to change and wake up, yeah?" He kissed her again.
"You'll get used to it," he said. "I'll see you out in half an hour." She nodded. That was certainly enough time, she knew. It seemed strange that they were already talking about getting used to being out here together, but it felt right. Even though she had to go back that night for class tomorrow, she knew she'd be back.
*
Then suddenly, she was gone. Jonathan scanned the area, and knew that he hadn't taken his eyes off her for more than a second. He looked for traffic - there wasn't much - before jogging across the street. Martha was further into a nearby alley, struggling against another person as he held a hand over her mouth. She bit his fingers and he cried out as she tried to push him off her.
"Hey!" Jonathan called out, running forward. He had no idea what he was going to do, but he wasn't going to just stand around and watch. The offender looked up, saw Jonathan, and then turned and ran quickly in the other direction. Jonathan wasn't going to chase him. Instead he took Martha in his arms and looked her over. "You okay?" he asked, his heart skipping a beat as she composed herself.
"Y-yeah," she sighed, before realising who it was and instinctively pushing away. "You sure?" Jonathan asked again.
"Yeah, thanks," she replied, this time more curtly. She bent down and picked up her bag, checking her money and cards were still safe somewhere in there. They were. He was still standing there. Please go away, she willed. I'm okay, I don't want you to see me cry. But he wasn't going anywhere.
"You were at the hospital this afternoon-"
"I'm sorry about your dad," she cut him off. "Where's your girlfriend?"
"Who said she was my girlfriend?" Martha gave him a look that said 'don't try to mess with me', and he nodded. "Okay. She's gone back to Smallville." "So you think that fixes everything?" She turned and started walking in the opposite direction, following the path of her offender. Jonathan chased after her, grabbing her elbow. She spun back to face him once more.
"I don't want her. I want you." Tears stung Martha's eyes and she realised she couldn't keep it in. They fell down her cheeks.
"You hardly know me. You must be really serious with her-"
"We've known each other a long time."
"You hardly know me," she repeated, this time with tears falling down her cheeks. Jonathan cupped her face with his hands, picking up each tear as it fell from her eye and brushing it along her cheek, away from her face.
"I want to know you," he replied, his voice catching in his throat. "I want to know everything about you." She looked up at him, and started crying. He shushed her, pulling her into a hug, revelling in the feel of her pushed against him. She was shaking terribly and he realised that she must still be shocked about what had just happened. He led her a bit closer to the street and sat her down on the ground against the wall. Sitting next to her, she rested against him. "Are you sure he didn't hurt you?" Jonathan whispered into her ear, his hand running through her hair, brushing it down her shoulders. Martha nodded.
"I think I hurt him more-" Jonathan chuckled.
"I can't believe you bit his finger," he whispered still. He felt her laugh, and she bit her bottom lip, looking up at him. "I'm sorry Nell came here-" She shook her head.
"No, you needed her."
"She's helped me look after dad quite a bit."
"Then she needed you as well." Martha wiped her cheeks and sighed, preparing to stand. Jonathan got up with her and held onto her. She watched him. He was still worried, still watching her as though she might collapse any second. She had to prove to him that she was all right. She smiled the biggest smile she could muster, taking his hand and squeezing it sincerely. "Thankyou Jonathan." He seemed to relax. "You wanna take me up on my offer and grab something to eat?" She was feeling ever more confident with this man the more time she spent with him.
"Don't you have to be home?" Martha shrugged.
"There's no rush." He nodded.
"Try again, will we?" She nodded, walking close to him as he led her back to his place. "What've you got?" she asked as he fumbled around in the fridge. He didn't reply, and she heard the microwave start as she took a seat on the ratty couch, switching on the television. There were a couple of movies on tonight that she really wanted to see, but Jonathan had other plans. He came back carrying a large microwave-safe bowl with the lid on and a small freezer bag. She took the freezer bag from him, eyes wide.
"Follow me," he said, leading her out and up, until they got up to the roof. "I love it up here." She smiled, looking up.
"You can see the stars," she stated. He nodded.
"Yeah." He sat down on a couple of old cushions that someone had abandoned up there, and she followed suit. He reached into the freezer bag and pulled out two forks, before sitting the heated bowl between them, opening the lid. Martha laughed. "Granted it's been reheated-" She shook her head.
"No, I love spaghetti!" she exclaimed, smiling as she took a fork. "Is it good?"
"I'm not sure. I'm the only one I cook for these days." She shrugged, holding her hair back with one hand as she leant down and twirled some noodles around her fork, lifting it to her mouth. She half-missed, and laughed, leaning her head back as her other hand let her hand go, wiping her chin. Jonathan laughed also, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping her chin for her.
"It's great," she replied, looking over at him. "What's in the bag but?" He grinned, pulling out a tub of triple choc icecream. Her mouth fell open. "Oh my God," she whispered softly. "What?" he asked, putting it back into the bag for later. "I love that stuff."
"That's my favourite. When I was little I used to eat it forever - mum always warned me I'd get so fat-" He smiled, cutting her off as he leaned in and kissed her. He wouldn't ordinarily be so forward, but every time she looked at him he felt that little bit more confident, and rightly so it seemed. She leaned back, letting him fall across her as they kissed. Jonathan felt his hand slip under the back hem of her jeans as he rubbed her back, Martha's own hands pressed against his chest, drawing her to him. He started to lose his balance, and put a hand down to steady himself on the ground. Instead, he rested it in the spaghetti, and cursed at the heat, breaking away. Martha was momentarily concerned, but saw the laughter in Jonathan's eyes, and started giggling. He looked at her, wiping the spaghetti off him. He didn't say anything, moving it aside. She was still giggling, her nose and cheeks pink from the cool night air. Jonathan didn't waste a second more, moving back beside her and pressing his lips into hers. That stopped her laughing, he thought to himself as she kissed him deeply, before breaking away.
"Jonathan, I-" He read her eyes and nodded, moving over and simply pulling her close to him. "I've only done this twice before and-"
"Shh," he replied. "It's okay." She glanced up at him and smiled, kissing him softly. He glanced up at the sky.
"I'm going to have to go back home in a couple of days," he whispered after moments.
"For the funeral?"
"Forever." He looked down at her. "I'm not finishing the course-"
"But I thought you-"
"I know enough now. I can't waste any more time. There are things."
"Of course." She paused. She wanted to say 'I'll come with you', but she didn't feel that it was appropriate. "So will we, I mean, can we still-"
"I want you to come and visit me," he replied, running his fingers along her collarbone, across her shoulder and down her arm, before taking her hand and letting his fingers curl between hers. "On weekends, when there's no school," he added.
"What about when it's finished?" she asked. Final exams were only a month away. He looked at her carefully. Martha felt as though she'd faint if she looked into his eyes for any longer. They were so blue, she could see so much in them, so much of herself reflected back through them.
"We'll work it out when we come to it," he replied. "After the funeral, I'm going to break up with Nell."
"Are you sure?" He leant down, nuzzling her cheek.
"I want you," he whispered in her ear. "I wasn't joking before." She turned and their lips met briefly.
"I know," she replied. "I'd love to visit you."
*
Martha tried to walk as quietly into the house as possible without being detected. No such luck.
"It's eleven am!" her mother exclaimed. "Where on earth have you been?"
"Out," Martha replied, surprised her mother hadn't called the police or something like that. "Where's dad?"
"Out looking for you!"
"Oh."
"Oh!" her mother mocked. "What were you doing? Were you with a man?"
"Yes," Martha replied. "Don't worry mom, nothing happened."
"Who is he? How do we know we can trust-"
"You trust me, don't you? His name's Jonathan."
"You couldn't call and let us know where you were?"
"I kind of, lost track of time, and I didn't want to-"
"All right, so you're all right?"
"I'm fine. Sorry, mom."
"It's all right, but I'd work on a story for your father."
*
As Jonathan drove into Smallville all he could think about was Martha. He couldn't wait until he brought her back to his home. He hoped it would become their home someday. It was different with Martha than it was with Nell. Nell was a bit older than Martha, not that Martha was that much younger, and Jonathan couldn't quite describe it. All he could think about was Martha, his Martha.
*
Nell stood beside Jonathan at the burial and as everybody left, took his hand supportively.
"You ready to do it?" she asked. He glanced at her.
"Yeah, I think I got it all under control. Got a bit of cleaning up to do but. Nell-" He stopped half way back to their cars. "I can't do this."
"I thought this might be coming. It's the woman, isn't it? From the city-"
"Martha, yes. I think I'm in love with her."
"After a week?" A couple of days, Jonathan corrected in his head, but didn't voice it. He simply looked at Nell.
"I'm sorry."
"We're more than a week, Jonathan. You can't-"
"Whatever it is I feel," Jonathan tried again. "It's with her, Nell. I'm sorry." He walked off, leaving her standing there. She sighed. Shit, she cursed. Shit!
*
Jonathan got home to find the phone ringing. He picked it up, collapsing on a chair.
"Yeah?" he asked.
"Jonathan?"
"Martha," he started again. "Sorry I-"
"Bad time?"
"No, not at all. I just got home, is all."
"How was it?"
"Went all right, as you'd expect. Glad it's over." Martha wasn't sure whether he was talking about the funeral or Nell, so assumed both, just to be safe. "How are you?"
"Dad's not talking to me," she stated. "Not happy about me staying out all night. He was out looking for me all night, so he's kinda peeved."
"To put it lightly?" Jonathan asked. She laughed.
"Yeah. Mum knows better I think. At least, she's talking to me."
"You tell them about us?" Us, Martha thought, blushing even over the phone. God, she wanted to kiss him so badly.
"Not really. Kinda. I don't know. They know your name. That's all."
"Can you come out this weekend?" Jonathan asked suddenly. He thought she'd be shocked but she replied straight away.
"Sure. You got an address?"
*
Nell was sitting with her friends as the foreign car drove down the main road. No one from Smallville owned a car like that. It was clean, a deep metallic black. Nell caught an impression of the woman behind the tinted windshield, and sighed.
"Who's that?" one of her friends asked.
"Don't know," she lied.
*
Jonathan was cutting wood when he looked up, seeing the car stop in the driveway. Martha got out, pulling out a small bag, and locked the car, looking up as Jonathan put down the axe and took off the glasses, walking up to her. She smiled, welcoming him into her arms as he hugged her, kissing her cheek.
"Welcome to my home," he whispered as she pulled back. "Like it so far?" She leaned in to kiss him.
"So far," she replied. They pulled apart and Jonathan took her bag for her, showing her inside. She looked around. It was a beautiful house, and the furniture was new looking and clean. He took her hand, leading her upstairs. There were two bedrooms and a bathroom. He showed her into the main room and put her bag on the bed. The fact didn't go unnoticed by Martha, who smiled to herself, feeling her cheeks warming. Jonathan took her around the side of the house, to the cellar and another room that, at the moment, was being used as storage. Martha glanced out the window, looking over the countryside, before she turned back to him. "I love it," she said, grinning. He grinned back, pulling her to him once more.
*
"So your parents know where you are?" he asked later that night as they sat on the sofa. She nodded.
"Dad's out of town, mum knows."
"Yeah?"
"Ahuh. I said, I'm off to Smallville for the weekend. Mum dropped a glass." Jonathan smirked. "She asked why on earth, and I told them that's where you were." She looked up at him. "Didn't take it too well, but I left anyway." He nodded.
"They don't even know me."
"I know. They're scared I'll waste my life or something." There was a long pause.
"Would you be? Out here?" She shook her head.
"Not at all. I wouldn't regret a thing." She leant her head against his and began to kiss his jaw, making her way to his lips, where he kissed her back. He took her hand and led her up to the bedroom. Their clothes came off and they lay together, making love into the night.
*
Jonathan woke the next morning to see Martha lying, fast asleep, beside him. It was still early - there were chores to be done - and despite it all, he had to get up. He kissed her cheek gently, before dressing and getting started on today's work outside.
An hour and a half later he returned to see Martha making herself breakfast at the kitchen. She had a t-shirt pulled on over crumpled jeans and was leaning over the toaster. He slid his arms around her waist and she smiled, leaning back into him.
"Mornin'," he said, nuzzling her neck.
"Hey," she replied, leaning her head back and kissing him softly.
"You just get up?"
"Yep."
"Ready to learn how a farm works?" She laughed.
"Gimme some time to change and wake up, yeah?" He kissed her again.
"You'll get used to it," he said. "I'll see you out in half an hour." She nodded. That was certainly enough time, she knew. It seemed strange that they were already talking about getting used to being out here together, but it felt right. Even though she had to go back that night for class tomorrow, she knew she'd be back.
*