Susan sat back on the couch and hugged a pillow.
Mark came behind her, handing her a lemon tea and then sitting beside her with a mug of hot coffee. "You want anything?"
She shook her head and reached for a book on the table. She didn't want to think. She wanted to escape. But she couldn't be bothered moving to get the book. Mark reached over and picked it up, opening it to her bookmark.
"How many times have you read this?" he looked at the open pages.
"I'm not counting." She half-smiled.
He half-smiled back and started reading from where he'd stopped that night he'd got the phone call from Doug.
Susan turned herself around and lay back between his legs. He held the book in front of her but she shut her eyes to listen to him read. Well, at first… then he started getting confused with the language. Susan stopped him and explained the story in layman's terms.
"That's why you generally start a story from the beginning, not the last chapter." She lay back again.
"I'd be fine if it were in English." He kissed her hair and resumed reading. Then he fumbled a word. A few words. A sentence.
Susan laughed.
He couldn't believe it. She was laughing at him – well, that wasn't hard to believe, but she was laughing. She took the book out of his hands and replaced it on the coffee table. "You slaughtered it." She pulled his arms around her and nestled into his chest.
"Yeah, well…" he pulled her close, still careful not to hurt her, inhaling the smell of her hair, her warmth and closeness.
"Mark." She whispered, her eyes shut
"mmm." He acknowledged he'd heard her.
"I love you."
Mark smiled, then realised she'd drifted off to sleep. She needed it so he didn't move. And despite his leg falling asleep, pressed between Susan's body and the back of the sofa, it didn't take to long for him to follow suit.
Mark came behind her, handing her a lemon tea and then sitting beside her with a mug of hot coffee. "You want anything?"
She shook her head and reached for a book on the table. She didn't want to think. She wanted to escape. But she couldn't be bothered moving to get the book. Mark reached over and picked it up, opening it to her bookmark.
"How many times have you read this?" he looked at the open pages.
"I'm not counting." She half-smiled.
He half-smiled back and started reading from where he'd stopped that night he'd got the phone call from Doug.
Susan turned herself around and lay back between his legs. He held the book in front of her but she shut her eyes to listen to him read. Well, at first… then he started getting confused with the language. Susan stopped him and explained the story in layman's terms.
"That's why you generally start a story from the beginning, not the last chapter." She lay back again.
"I'd be fine if it were in English." He kissed her hair and resumed reading. Then he fumbled a word. A few words. A sentence.
Susan laughed.
He couldn't believe it. She was laughing at him – well, that wasn't hard to believe, but she was laughing. She took the book out of his hands and replaced it on the coffee table. "You slaughtered it." She pulled his arms around her and nestled into his chest.
"Yeah, well…" he pulled her close, still careful not to hurt her, inhaling the smell of her hair, her warmth and closeness.
"Mark." She whispered, her eyes shut
"mmm." He acknowledged he'd heard her.
"I love you."
Mark smiled, then realised she'd drifted off to sleep. She needed it so he didn't move. And despite his leg falling asleep, pressed between Susan's body and the back of the sofa, it didn't take to long for him to follow suit.