They returned to an almost normal family dinner. Mark was fairly quiet, but that was to be expected. When Suzie had finished her bowl-full Chloe went to get her ready for bed.
"Today's been a good day." Susan had finished and Mark was almost done.
"It has." He agreed, licking his fork thoroughly.
"I mean, it would have been good anyway – Chloe's been amazing. But I'll never settle for mediocre again. You may have single-handedly ruined my happy-go-lucky attitude forever." She looked at him as if he should have some excuse or apology.
"I will not apologise," he put his knife and fork on his plate and looked her square in the face, "because I could not bring myself to mean it. And such dishonesty is unacceptable." He cocked his head to one side, a silly smile gracing his lips and a little spaghetti sauce to boot. She wanted to kiss him – wipe the spaghetti sauce and the silly smile, put his mouth to better use…
"What are you thinking?" he stood and took their plates.
She followed with their empty glasses. "I was wondering what you were saving that spaghetti sauce for."
"What sauce?" he turned on the hot tap and turned to face her while it warmed.
She reached up and wiped it away with her thumb, then reached around him to wash her thumb under the faucet. They were so close he could smell her shampoo. She looked up at him, fully aware that if he kissed her now they'd never get those dishes done. So she flicked her wet hand in his face, spraying him with water.
"Hey…" he wiped his face. "You know if this was my kitchen you'd be getting soaked right now. But because I am the gentleman I am, I'll get my revenge later." He flashed her a hardly-evil grin
She just laughed. "I'm drying."
Chloe poked her head into the kitchen, as they were finishing up.
"Oh, you didn't have to do that." She leaned on the doorframe.
"No problem." Susan grinned.
"Thanks for dinner, it was great." Mark grabbed Susan's tea towel to dry his hands.
"Okay, well I'm going to bed. So have a nice evening." She disappeared.
They finished in silence. Mark leaned back on the bench on one side of the kitchen, Susan on the other. They just looked at each other. And when she thought she couldn't bear it anymore, he closed the gap between them. He rested his forehead on hers and searched her eyes. His stare was so penetrating she could hardly stand it. He ran the back of his hand up her side and she shut her eyes.
"Susan?" he whispered hoarsely.
"Yeah." She breathed, her eyes still closed.
"Is this okay?"
"Better than that." She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Come on." She led him to her room.
She sat him on the end of her bed and pulled his shoes off, putting them beside hers. She was so nervous. Mark could tell. He grabbed her hands as she was about to start on his socks.
"Relax." He whispered.
"Okay." She sighed and sat beside him. "I just want to get this right." she turned to face him.
He looked at her for a minute then took off his glasses as if to see her properly. "I know it's a terrible cliché, but I must be the luckiest guy in the world."
Susan laughed. "You're not good for my ego." She shook her head.
"Hey, I just call it how I see it." He stood up and put his glasses on her bedside table. "I have a question for you." He looked at her very seriously.
"Go on." She swivelled on her bed so she was facing him.
"May I have this dance?"
She nodded, stood up and took his hand, stepping easily into his arms. "What are we dancing to?"
"It's the music of the spheres – too perfect for human ears. Better than my singing even, believe it or not."
She pulled him closer. "I don't know how to let you go." She whispered into his collar.
"So don't." he ran one hand up her arm to her face and made her look at him. Her eyes were brimming with tears. One escaped and he tentatively wiped it away with his thumb.
"I won't." her voice broke. He held her eye contact and kissed her top lip so softly she wasn't even sure he'd not kissed the air and she'd just felt the electricity. He kissed her again and this time there was no question. She wasn't sure if she were standing or floating. She ran her hands up his back pulling him as close as she could without causing damage. After only moments of this Mark picked her up and softly laid her on her bed.
"Oh, wait." A thought suddenly hit her, "I haven't got anything."
Mark sat heavily on the bed beside her. "Neither." He sighed. "I wasn't expecting. I mean…"
She sat up, running one hand across his back. "Do you have any idea how sweet you are?"
"Feeling pretty silly right now actually."
"Well, I guess it just depends on what kind of commitment this is."
He turned to face her. "Don't say that Susan, you may not have noticed but I'm teetering on the brink of control right now."
"You're not the only one, but I should know better – I live with a single mum."
"Susan, you would never bring up our children alone." He looked at her earnestly.
"I know." She held his eyes. "Mark, you should know. I'm falling for you. I don't know if I want to because it isn't easy and you're so much to risk…"
"Susan." He stopped her. "I fell in love with you… I can't even remember when. I'm not ducking out of this one. I couldn't if I wanted to. I'm all yours. But tonight is your call." He left the question in his eyes. She knew her answer and softly nodded her head, pulling him down beside her.
"Today's been a good day." Susan had finished and Mark was almost done.
"It has." He agreed, licking his fork thoroughly.
"I mean, it would have been good anyway – Chloe's been amazing. But I'll never settle for mediocre again. You may have single-handedly ruined my happy-go-lucky attitude forever." She looked at him as if he should have some excuse or apology.
"I will not apologise," he put his knife and fork on his plate and looked her square in the face, "because I could not bring myself to mean it. And such dishonesty is unacceptable." He cocked his head to one side, a silly smile gracing his lips and a little spaghetti sauce to boot. She wanted to kiss him – wipe the spaghetti sauce and the silly smile, put his mouth to better use…
"What are you thinking?" he stood and took their plates.
She followed with their empty glasses. "I was wondering what you were saving that spaghetti sauce for."
"What sauce?" he turned on the hot tap and turned to face her while it warmed.
She reached up and wiped it away with her thumb, then reached around him to wash her thumb under the faucet. They were so close he could smell her shampoo. She looked up at him, fully aware that if he kissed her now they'd never get those dishes done. So she flicked her wet hand in his face, spraying him with water.
"Hey…" he wiped his face. "You know if this was my kitchen you'd be getting soaked right now. But because I am the gentleman I am, I'll get my revenge later." He flashed her a hardly-evil grin
She just laughed. "I'm drying."
Chloe poked her head into the kitchen, as they were finishing up.
"Oh, you didn't have to do that." She leaned on the doorframe.
"No problem." Susan grinned.
"Thanks for dinner, it was great." Mark grabbed Susan's tea towel to dry his hands.
"Okay, well I'm going to bed. So have a nice evening." She disappeared.
They finished in silence. Mark leaned back on the bench on one side of the kitchen, Susan on the other. They just looked at each other. And when she thought she couldn't bear it anymore, he closed the gap between them. He rested his forehead on hers and searched her eyes. His stare was so penetrating she could hardly stand it. He ran the back of his hand up her side and she shut her eyes.
"Susan?" he whispered hoarsely.
"Yeah." She breathed, her eyes still closed.
"Is this okay?"
"Better than that." She opened her eyes and smiled at him. "Come on." She led him to her room.
She sat him on the end of her bed and pulled his shoes off, putting them beside hers. She was so nervous. Mark could tell. He grabbed her hands as she was about to start on his socks.
"Relax." He whispered.
"Okay." She sighed and sat beside him. "I just want to get this right." she turned to face him.
He looked at her for a minute then took off his glasses as if to see her properly. "I know it's a terrible cliché, but I must be the luckiest guy in the world."
Susan laughed. "You're not good for my ego." She shook her head.
"Hey, I just call it how I see it." He stood up and put his glasses on her bedside table. "I have a question for you." He looked at her very seriously.
"Go on." She swivelled on her bed so she was facing him.
"May I have this dance?"
She nodded, stood up and took his hand, stepping easily into his arms. "What are we dancing to?"
"It's the music of the spheres – too perfect for human ears. Better than my singing even, believe it or not."
She pulled him closer. "I don't know how to let you go." She whispered into his collar.
"So don't." he ran one hand up her arm to her face and made her look at him. Her eyes were brimming with tears. One escaped and he tentatively wiped it away with his thumb.
"I won't." her voice broke. He held her eye contact and kissed her top lip so softly she wasn't even sure he'd not kissed the air and she'd just felt the electricity. He kissed her again and this time there was no question. She wasn't sure if she were standing or floating. She ran her hands up his back pulling him as close as she could without causing damage. After only moments of this Mark picked her up and softly laid her on her bed.
"Oh, wait." A thought suddenly hit her, "I haven't got anything."
Mark sat heavily on the bed beside her. "Neither." He sighed. "I wasn't expecting. I mean…"
She sat up, running one hand across his back. "Do you have any idea how sweet you are?"
"Feeling pretty silly right now actually."
"Well, I guess it just depends on what kind of commitment this is."
He turned to face her. "Don't say that Susan, you may not have noticed but I'm teetering on the brink of control right now."
"You're not the only one, but I should know better – I live with a single mum."
"Susan, you would never bring up our children alone." He looked at her earnestly.
"I know." She held his eyes. "Mark, you should know. I'm falling for you. I don't know if I want to because it isn't easy and you're so much to risk…"
"Susan." He stopped her. "I fell in love with you… I can't even remember when. I'm not ducking out of this one. I couldn't if I wanted to. I'm all yours. But tonight is your call." He left the question in his eyes. She knew her answer and softly nodded her head, pulling him down beside her.