Re-Evaluating Data
Welling up from the deepest parts of the ocean, tidal waves can race across the sea at speeds of five hundred miles an hour. Tremors in the ocean's crust, the thin coating covering the globe, cause upheavals on the water's surface. They build as they travel until they are towering walls of water that hurtle towards the land. Their reach is great. The path of destruction is massive.
Scientists are struggling to understand them. Like hurricanes and tornadoes, they have a system of warnings and watches to alert coastal towns. But the waves, like the weather, do not always conform to the systems.
Her hand swatted lazily at the thing holding her arm down. When it brushed over skin, she bolted upright. Through luck and clumsy choreography, he snagged the blanket as she yanked the sheet around her. They stared at each other from across the bed. He watched as her hand flew to her head, patting down errant strands of hair before settling against her mouth.
Someone needed to start talking, he realized. "Good thing it's Saturday," he tried to smile. It felt more like a grimace.
"Did we just - did you and I have - ?" she broke off.
Because her hand muffled the words, he only nodded, guessing at what she was saying. A sick feeling snaked around inside of him. He watched as she lowered herself on to the bed. "Oh, dear God," she moaned against her hand.
Cautiously, he eased on to the bed beside her. He had a girlfriend. She had a boyfriend. They were both dating people. People that weren't each other. "Well," he said at length, "you've got admit, this a new place for us."
She laughed suddenly and leaned against his wall, crooking her knees. "Yeah, we've definitely never done that before." Angling her head, she murmured, "Maybe that was always the problem."
Stretching his legs out in front of him, he mimicked her relaxed attitude. He turned his head to see her better. "I thought you were going to bolt."
"Me too," she admitted. She blew out a breath and combed her fingers through her hair. "So, what do we do now?
He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to be the person who pointed out all the obstacles that could keep this from happening again. But she was going to make him say it. He could see the look in her eyes. They were soft and compassionate. "Mac, I.."
She thought she could do it. She thought she could hear the words or say them, but she couldn't. She had wanted this for too long to hear what a mistake it was for them to be together. Gently, she laid two fingers against his wrist. "Don't. Don't say it. I know."
"No. Mac. Wait." He grabbed her arm as she started to rise from the bed. "I don't want you to go."
Her back remained to him, but she turned her head and rested her chin on her shoulder. "Do you want me to stay?"
"I - I don't want you to go," he repeated.
"What about Catherine?"
His hand dropped from her elbow. He rubbed his hands over his eyes and sighed. "What about Adam?" he countered.
"I don't know." Her head dropped into her hands. "He deserved better than this. They both did."
"You're right. They do."
She sighed and tucked her sheet more firmly around her body. "Are you going to tell her about this?" She stood up and turned to face him. He lay slumped against the wall, his head turned away from her. If the circumstances were different, she would have tried to soothe the frown away. She wanted, her fingers curled against the temptation, to rub away the lines on his forehead, erasing them.
The thought was incongruous, but it was there nonetheless. He had never seen her like this and he wanted to see her again first thing in the morning. Before the bad coffee and traffic jams. "The truth, I guess." He shrugged. "It's the only thing to tell her."
"Yeah," she nodded and bit her lower lip. "I guess it is." She crossed an arm over her breast and tugged lightly on the sheet until it swirled around her. He heard her shaky indrawn breath and braced himself for the question. He could practically see the words forming on her lips. "So..." she trailed off.
"So." He stood up, searching his drawers for underwear. A sneaky suspicion told him that this wasn't a conversation for which he wanted to be naked. "Do I ask it or are you going to?"
"Would you please?" she asked in a tiny voice.
"Where does this leave us?"
"That would be the question." She nestled her hand between her chin and her chest. "Do you love her?"
"No," he answered. "But I do like her. Do love Adam?"
"No," she sniffled. "But I like him. He's good to me. But I don't love him."
He tried not to sigh at those words. "I don't love her. It's easy with her. We have a good time." It was as close as they would come to an admission.
"Oh," she nodded and sniffled again. She wanted to cry when she heard those words. He was going to pick Catherine and she was probably going to choose Adam in response to his decision. All that remained to be done was saying the words.
"I'll be the bad guy here. I'm not sure I want to break up with Catherine. Although she may dump me," he added as an afterthought. He didn't add the thought that he was hoping it would happen.
"I know. I mean, I understand." She smiled shakily. "So we just pretend this never happened?"
"I guess."
"I should - I should get dressed and go." She tugged at the sheet again and headed off to find her clothes.
"Are you going to stay with Adam?"
"Honestly?" Pausing her quest, she turned around. "I don't know. He doesn't deserve to be treated this way. I guess I'll just have to wait and see."
"Yeah. I guess we'll both just have to wait and see."
She nodded and resumed her hunt.
Years ago, in the Hawaiian Islands, scientists studying the ocean noticed an unusual disturbance in it. The signs pointed to a tsunami. They watched carefully, but when the wave arrived, it was only six inches high. Imagine their confusion when, after all that build up, nothing happened.
Welling up from the deepest parts of the ocean, tidal waves can race across the sea at speeds of five hundred miles an hour. Tremors in the ocean's crust, the thin coating covering the globe, cause upheavals on the water's surface. They build as they travel until they are towering walls of water that hurtle towards the land. Their reach is great. The path of destruction is massive.
Scientists are struggling to understand them. Like hurricanes and tornadoes, they have a system of warnings and watches to alert coastal towns. But the waves, like the weather, do not always conform to the systems.
Her hand swatted lazily at the thing holding her arm down. When it brushed over skin, she bolted upright. Through luck and clumsy choreography, he snagged the blanket as she yanked the sheet around her. They stared at each other from across the bed. He watched as her hand flew to her head, patting down errant strands of hair before settling against her mouth.
Someone needed to start talking, he realized. "Good thing it's Saturday," he tried to smile. It felt more like a grimace.
"Did we just - did you and I have - ?" she broke off.
Because her hand muffled the words, he only nodded, guessing at what she was saying. A sick feeling snaked around inside of him. He watched as she lowered herself on to the bed. "Oh, dear God," she moaned against her hand.
Cautiously, he eased on to the bed beside her. He had a girlfriend. She had a boyfriend. They were both dating people. People that weren't each other. "Well," he said at length, "you've got admit, this a new place for us."
She laughed suddenly and leaned against his wall, crooking her knees. "Yeah, we've definitely never done that before." Angling her head, she murmured, "Maybe that was always the problem."
Stretching his legs out in front of him, he mimicked her relaxed attitude. He turned his head to see her better. "I thought you were going to bolt."
"Me too," she admitted. She blew out a breath and combed her fingers through her hair. "So, what do we do now?
He didn't want to say it. He didn't want to be the person who pointed out all the obstacles that could keep this from happening again. But she was going to make him say it. He could see the look in her eyes. They were soft and compassionate. "Mac, I.."
She thought she could do it. She thought she could hear the words or say them, but she couldn't. She had wanted this for too long to hear what a mistake it was for them to be together. Gently, she laid two fingers against his wrist. "Don't. Don't say it. I know."
"No. Mac. Wait." He grabbed her arm as she started to rise from the bed. "I don't want you to go."
Her back remained to him, but she turned her head and rested her chin on her shoulder. "Do you want me to stay?"
"I - I don't want you to go," he repeated.
"What about Catherine?"
His hand dropped from her elbow. He rubbed his hands over his eyes and sighed. "What about Adam?" he countered.
"I don't know." Her head dropped into her hands. "He deserved better than this. They both did."
"You're right. They do."
She sighed and tucked her sheet more firmly around her body. "Are you going to tell her about this?" She stood up and turned to face him. He lay slumped against the wall, his head turned away from her. If the circumstances were different, she would have tried to soothe the frown away. She wanted, her fingers curled against the temptation, to rub away the lines on his forehead, erasing them.
The thought was incongruous, but it was there nonetheless. He had never seen her like this and he wanted to see her again first thing in the morning. Before the bad coffee and traffic jams. "The truth, I guess." He shrugged. "It's the only thing to tell her."
"Yeah," she nodded and bit her lower lip. "I guess it is." She crossed an arm over her breast and tugged lightly on the sheet until it swirled around her. He heard her shaky indrawn breath and braced himself for the question. He could practically see the words forming on her lips. "So..." she trailed off.
"So." He stood up, searching his drawers for underwear. A sneaky suspicion told him that this wasn't a conversation for which he wanted to be naked. "Do I ask it or are you going to?"
"Would you please?" she asked in a tiny voice.
"Where does this leave us?"
"That would be the question." She nestled her hand between her chin and her chest. "Do you love her?"
"No," he answered. "But I do like her. Do love Adam?"
"No," she sniffled. "But I like him. He's good to me. But I don't love him."
He tried not to sigh at those words. "I don't love her. It's easy with her. We have a good time." It was as close as they would come to an admission.
"Oh," she nodded and sniffled again. She wanted to cry when she heard those words. He was going to pick Catherine and she was probably going to choose Adam in response to his decision. All that remained to be done was saying the words.
"I'll be the bad guy here. I'm not sure I want to break up with Catherine. Although she may dump me," he added as an afterthought. He didn't add the thought that he was hoping it would happen.
"I know. I mean, I understand." She smiled shakily. "So we just pretend this never happened?"
"I guess."
"I should - I should get dressed and go." She tugged at the sheet again and headed off to find her clothes.
"Are you going to stay with Adam?"
"Honestly?" Pausing her quest, she turned around. "I don't know. He doesn't deserve to be treated this way. I guess I'll just have to wait and see."
"Yeah. I guess we'll both just have to wait and see."
She nodded and resumed her hunt.
Years ago, in the Hawaiian Islands, scientists studying the ocean noticed an unusual disturbance in it. The signs pointed to a tsunami. They watched carefully, but when the wave arrived, it was only six inches high. Imagine their confusion when, after all that build up, nothing happened.
