bring on the agony…
Susan let herself in quietly. She'd all but officially moved in with Mark and Rachel. Tonight she wasn't sure. Mark had taken Rachel home half way through her shift. They'd both be exhausted and probably asleep.
She didn't turn the lights on. She felt the wall and the door frame, the bench, the cupboards, the sink… she drank a cool glass of water in the darkness.
"Hey." Mark whispered from the doorway, giving her a fright.
She smiled, "hey."
He turned on the light.
"How is she?" Susan put her glass in the sink walked over to him.
He nodded, "I just hope this was enough to get the message through."
Susan offered a wry smile and reached out to hug him. She'd needed that all day. So had he.
"Thank you for coming tonight." He whispered into her hair.
"I thought you'd be asleep by now."
"I went to bed straight after dinner, I've already had my usual six hours, or whatever."
She smiled up at him.
"But you must be exhausted." He brushed her hair back off her face.
She nodded and reached up to kiss him. "I've missed you this week."
"You've been here every day."
"Yeah, but you've been a long way away… just distracted. When are you going to New York?"
"Next weekend." He turned off the light, "Come on, you're exhausted."
He followed her to the bedroom and waited while she got ready for bed. "Are you okay?" he only lay down when she did.
She rolled on her side to face him. "I'm okay." She took a deep breath. "Do you want me to go with you?"
"To New York?"
She nodded.
He lay back on his back, still looking at her, and smiled. He touched her face fondly and kissed her. Then he answered her question with a bashful nod.
"Okay." Her voice faltered and she lowered her head to rest on his shoulder, wrapping one arm around his chest. She felt him kiss her forehead as she slipped into much-needed sleep.