Mort felt a bit embarrassed about the state of his bedroom, but opened the door anyway.  "Remember the mess I warned you about?"

            Alex smiled.  "Don't worry about it."

            Mort's bedroom was, indeed, quite disheveled, but it wasn't as if it were filthy.  An unmade queen sized bed was pushed up against the wall on left side of the room.  There were several pillows of different sizes scattered about it.  The sheets were a plaid, flannel material and the comforter was a deep, forest green.  Mort tried to shove some clothes out of sight with his foot, but failed.

            "Believe me, it's fine, Mort."  Alex began to straighten out the covers and found a tattered, striped bathrobe between the sheets.  "Comfy?" she asked.

            Mort's face reddened.  "I'm really not a, um, unkempt person," he said nervously.

            "I have a few security blankets of my own," Alex confessed.  Mort was glad that she understood.  He watched as Alex arranged the pillows to form a makeshift crib.  "You can put her down."

            Carefully, Mort placed Julia on her back – she never so much as stirred.  "Out cold?"

            "Oh yeah.  She's out for the night."  Alex pulled a pink blanket out of the diaper bag and covered her daughter.  "We'll hear her if she wakes up."  They left the room.

            Alex sat on the couch and Mort placed himself on the other end.  "I'm really glad that you came," he said nervously.

            "You already said that," Alex said, once again blushing.

            "Well, I really mean it.  I don't have many people over."

            "Why not?"

            "I'm used to being by myself, I guess."

            Alex looked slightly pitying.  "It has to get lonely."

            Mort settled himself into the couch a bit more before answering her.  "It does…at times.  I used to have a dog for company, but he ran off some time ago.  I guess I never really was all that social – seems stereotypical doesn't it?"

            Not wanting to jump to conclusions, Alex said, "What do you mean?"

            "It just seems that writer's have to be loners.  I mean, it's assumed that so much is going on inside their head that…"  His voice trailed.

            "Well, one's mind certainly isn't enough company.  It's fine for a child to have an imaginary friend and all, but 'grown ups' need a bit more, um, sustenance." 

            Mort smiled.  "Your adult vocabulary has returned."

            "Yeah, that tends to happen after Julia's asleep."  She looked down into her lap for a moment, her voice becoming softer.  "Mort?"

            "Hm?"

            "You said you haven't been writing lately, right?"  He nodded.  "How long is lately?"

            He thought for a moment.  "Well…the last story I had published was an updated version of 'Secret Window' – that was almost two years ago."

            "And you've written nothing since?"  Alex found that rather hard to believe.

            "Nothing that I've been satisfied with.  I tried a few times, but then I decided to move, to give myself a break.  To be honest, I haven't opened my laptop since I moved in here."

            "Nothing sparking your mind?"

            Mort laughed.  "Every time I look at something my mind sparks some line or another, Alex.  I just need to live outside my mind for a while.  Adjusting to that wasn't going very well for a while."

            "No?"

            He shook his head and smiled at her.  "I'm getting used to it now though.  I've missed the world outside of deadlines and solitude, publishers and fiction.  What good is it to write about a beautiful woman if you can't see one in front of you?  If you can't smell her perfume or hear her laugh?"

            Alex felt her face grow terribly warm.  Something he's written before…or a compliment?  Hell, does it really matter?  "And how's that 'world outside your mind' going now?"

            "Much better than I thought it would."  He moved a bit closer to Alex.  "I never realized how much I missed having a conversation with someone."

            Alex furrowed her eyebrows.  "You can't tell me that you haven't talked with anyone in so long."

            "No, I'm not a total hermit," he said, taking Alex's hand.  "Meaningless conversations come and go – even with myself – but to just sit with someone and talk about more than the weather or…"  Gently, he lifted her hand to his lips, kissed it, and then lowered it.  "…it's nice."

            Impressive…

            Alex found herself moving so that she was right next to Mort.  "If I told you that I felt like I was in high school again, would you laugh?"

            "No.  I understand what you're feeling.  I still mean it though, we won't rush into anything."

            Alex sighed.  "Good.  Wait, I mean…I didn't mean for…"

            "Shh.  You don't need to get nervous again."

            Alex pulled slightly away from Mort.  "Nervous?"

            "Your voice shakes."

            "It does?"

            Mort smiled.  "Just a little – I bet nobody else ever notices.  Details just happen to be something that I tend to pick up on."

            "I guess that's because of your job?" she asked, feeling more relaxed again.

            "Yeah.  A story without details is…well, it won't get you published."

            "Speaking of which, why did you republish 'Secret Window?'"

            There wasn't a single moment of hesitation.  "The ending just never seemed right to me.  If the ending isn't perfect, it takes away from the rest of the story."

            Tris, you know that I love you…this just feels right.  At least I think it does…  Alex brushed her hand over Mort's cheek, then leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his lips.  He responded, kissing her back, equally as soft.  "I know that you usually write in the genre that rarely has a happy ending but…"

            "That's never real," Mort whispered.  "This is."  Their lips met again and Mort pulled Alex as close to him as he could get her.  Their kisses weren't wanton as they were the night before – this time they were gentle, but lingering, and most importantly, comforting to each of them.

            When the time came for Alex to go, neither of them felt any of the awkwardness of the night before.  Each of them was still scared, still uncertain, but now those feelings were accepted rather than feared.  Each of them felt that their lives were going to change…in one way or another.