Theme song: God Only Knows (Beach Boys) - yeah, i used it before, but it really is perfect...
"We're standing on solid ground." Mark announced, hoping to calm Susan's breathing.
"Yeah, yeah. Give me a minute." She kept walking, looking straight ahead. "I'm fine." She assured him as he took her hand. "I'm getting better right?"
"Yup. That was definitely better than Chicago to Phoenix. But then I couldn't do this." He kissed her jaw, missing her cheek quite nicely.
She laughed and turned to him for a proper one, only breaking the connection for a yawn.
"I should take you home."
"Oh is that so?" Susan raised her eyebrows playfully
"'tis." He led the way to baggage claim.
"So… how was it?" Carol repeated the question she'd asked earlier. But now they were alone in the lounge and she hoped for a more appeasing answer.
"It was great." Susan grinned. "Notice the tan?"
"Yeah, so how did it go with Mark?" Carol gave up playing subtle.
"It was great." She grinned innocently, not giving anything away.
Carol rolled her eyes and turned to leave, "Just tell me when you set a date." She yelled back.
"Well…?" Carol sidled up beside Doug at admittance.
"Either nothing really happened or they got tight lips where they got that tan." He turned to her.
"Something happened." Carol looked toward the lounge door, trying to figure out a way to disclose the juicy story, just as Mark went inside. "Hey." She grabbed Doug's attention and pointed toward the door as it swung shut.
"Doug's going to have a coronary if I don't fess up soon." Mark kissed her lightly by way of greeting. But Susan didn't let him get away that lightly. "What was that for?" Mark didn't really mind at all.
"Oh, nothing. I missed you last night, that's all."
"Shifts happen. You know where I'd rather be. You off tonight?"
She shook her head. "I think we're opposite all week."
Mark sighed. "I'll quit." He kissed her again.
She welcomed the kiss, laughing a bit and pulling him into an embrace. She didn't let go.
"You okay?" Mark said
"Oh, yeah." She let go. "I should get back to work."
"Oh, probably."
Neither made any move to leave.
She smiled at him and let it fade to seriousness. "We're crazy right now but… Well you know what this place is like and this… this amazing thing we have… it won't stay like this. I mean, that's not a bad thing it's just… I dunno, you see so many relationships go sour around here and I just don't want to…"
Mark nodded, "Yeah, I know."
"Well, we could catch them at it. Then we'd know." Doug suggested, half joking, half serious.
Carol laughed, assuming he was joking. But then it faded – that would work. She met his eyes cheekily.
Doug lifted his hands and made a pretend gun, ducking down behind admittance and pulling her down beside him.
"They can't see us." She laughed and stood up, walking confidently toward the lounge.
Doug ran to catch up and they waited outside, trying to hear what was going on inside. "I can't hear anything." Doug whispered.
"Then they can't hear you so you don't have to whisper." Carol grinned waiting for him to push open the door and reveal… whatever?
"Ladies first." He pulled out a delightfully clooney-esque smile. Mmm.
Carol hesitated for a moment then pushed the door open.
Mark and Susan turned to the opening door, expecting a call to trauma.
"You okay?" Carol asked – it almost passed. But Doug's 'you getting dirty?' look totally blew it.
Susan rolled her eyes. Mark just glared at them as they backed out the door apologizing.
"Well?" Malik asked the retreating figures.
"Nothing." They shrugged and went back to work.
Susan laughed but Mark was still thinking about what she'd said. He took her hands. "I don't want this to fade – I mean, I know some of it will, but…" he exhaled. "Not the important stuff."
She nodded in agreement, not sure if her fears had been allayed.
"I'll always love you."
She smiled.
"I know that doesn't help much but…"
"No, it does. That's the most important thing right? I'm just being silly."
"No you're not. You're right. Everyone gets sucked into this place – it demands to be your top priority."
She thought for a minute. "We just won't let that happen." She said it like it was that simple but she wasn't convinced and she knew he could tell. She shrugged, "I'm just… I guess I'm scared that I'll mess it up or…"
"So am I." He confessed. He reached out, touching her face so she'd meet his eyes. "But there's never any assurance about anything. I only know that I don't want this to end. Ever. I mean, I can't stand just a night or two without you so how the hell would I ever survive… We'll make it work."
"Yeah. And in the meantime, I'll bribe someone to take my shift tonight."
"Fake sick?"
"You're quite the rebel when you want to be."
"Na, I'm all talk." He pulled her into an embrace.
"Sorry for bringing all that up here – I mean it's hardly a ten-minute break conversation." She squeezed him tight, trying to laugh it off.
"I love you." He silenced her, "So stop apologizing for nothing."
She laughed and reluctantly stepped back. "Now I really have to get back to work."
"Yeah, I wonder what Doug and Carol thought they saw."
"Oh, I don't care. I want to yell it from roof tops or something ridiculous." She laughed at herself. "But we would miss out on all the fun of being the hot topic of conversation."
"We're standing on solid ground." Mark announced, hoping to calm Susan's breathing.
"Yeah, yeah. Give me a minute." She kept walking, looking straight ahead. "I'm fine." She assured him as he took her hand. "I'm getting better right?"
"Yup. That was definitely better than Chicago to Phoenix. But then I couldn't do this." He kissed her jaw, missing her cheek quite nicely.
She laughed and turned to him for a proper one, only breaking the connection for a yawn.
"I should take you home."
"Oh is that so?" Susan raised her eyebrows playfully
"'tis." He led the way to baggage claim.
"So… how was it?" Carol repeated the question she'd asked earlier. But now they were alone in the lounge and she hoped for a more appeasing answer.
"It was great." Susan grinned. "Notice the tan?"
"Yeah, so how did it go with Mark?" Carol gave up playing subtle.
"It was great." She grinned innocently, not giving anything away.
Carol rolled her eyes and turned to leave, "Just tell me when you set a date." She yelled back.
"Well…?" Carol sidled up beside Doug at admittance.
"Either nothing really happened or they got tight lips where they got that tan." He turned to her.
"Something happened." Carol looked toward the lounge door, trying to figure out a way to disclose the juicy story, just as Mark went inside. "Hey." She grabbed Doug's attention and pointed toward the door as it swung shut.
"Doug's going to have a coronary if I don't fess up soon." Mark kissed her lightly by way of greeting. But Susan didn't let him get away that lightly. "What was that for?" Mark didn't really mind at all.
"Oh, nothing. I missed you last night, that's all."
"Shifts happen. You know where I'd rather be. You off tonight?"
She shook her head. "I think we're opposite all week."
Mark sighed. "I'll quit." He kissed her again.
She welcomed the kiss, laughing a bit and pulling him into an embrace. She didn't let go.
"You okay?" Mark said
"Oh, yeah." She let go. "I should get back to work."
"Oh, probably."
Neither made any move to leave.
She smiled at him and let it fade to seriousness. "We're crazy right now but… Well you know what this place is like and this… this amazing thing we have… it won't stay like this. I mean, that's not a bad thing it's just… I dunno, you see so many relationships go sour around here and I just don't want to…"
Mark nodded, "Yeah, I know."
"Well, we could catch them at it. Then we'd know." Doug suggested, half joking, half serious.
Carol laughed, assuming he was joking. But then it faded – that would work. She met his eyes cheekily.
Doug lifted his hands and made a pretend gun, ducking down behind admittance and pulling her down beside him.
"They can't see us." She laughed and stood up, walking confidently toward the lounge.
Doug ran to catch up and they waited outside, trying to hear what was going on inside. "I can't hear anything." Doug whispered.
"Then they can't hear you so you don't have to whisper." Carol grinned waiting for him to push open the door and reveal… whatever?
"Ladies first." He pulled out a delightfully clooney-esque smile. Mmm.
Carol hesitated for a moment then pushed the door open.
Mark and Susan turned to the opening door, expecting a call to trauma.
"You okay?" Carol asked – it almost passed. But Doug's 'you getting dirty?' look totally blew it.
Susan rolled her eyes. Mark just glared at them as they backed out the door apologizing.
"Well?" Malik asked the retreating figures.
"Nothing." They shrugged and went back to work.
Susan laughed but Mark was still thinking about what she'd said. He took her hands. "I don't want this to fade – I mean, I know some of it will, but…" he exhaled. "Not the important stuff."
She nodded in agreement, not sure if her fears had been allayed.
"I'll always love you."
She smiled.
"I know that doesn't help much but…"
"No, it does. That's the most important thing right? I'm just being silly."
"No you're not. You're right. Everyone gets sucked into this place – it demands to be your top priority."
She thought for a minute. "We just won't let that happen." She said it like it was that simple but she wasn't convinced and she knew he could tell. She shrugged, "I'm just… I guess I'm scared that I'll mess it up or…"
"So am I." He confessed. He reached out, touching her face so she'd meet his eyes. "But there's never any assurance about anything. I only know that I don't want this to end. Ever. I mean, I can't stand just a night or two without you so how the hell would I ever survive… We'll make it work."
"Yeah. And in the meantime, I'll bribe someone to take my shift tonight."
"Fake sick?"
"You're quite the rebel when you want to be."
"Na, I'm all talk." He pulled her into an embrace.
"Sorry for bringing all that up here – I mean it's hardly a ten-minute break conversation." She squeezed him tight, trying to laugh it off.
"I love you." He silenced her, "So stop apologizing for nothing."
She laughed and reluctantly stepped back. "Now I really have to get back to work."
"Yeah, I wonder what Doug and Carol thought they saw."
"Oh, I don't care. I want to yell it from roof tops or something ridiculous." She laughed at herself. "But we would miss out on all the fun of being the hot topic of conversation."