Chapter 23

They sat, still leaning their heads against the opposite sides of the door. She could hear him tapping his feet against the door and couldn't help but smile. It was something they argued about so many times. He'd do it just to wind her up, and it worked. She knew he usually did it to annoy her, but she wasn't sure if that was why he was doing it now. But this time was different; the sound of him tapping his feet made her smile, much to her amusement. Aside from that, and the occasional cough or sneeze from one of them, there was silence. It drove them both mad, hoping for the other to speak first. She was about to speak when suddenly she heard his voice speak. "I don't care what it is Martha. I'll always love you" she closed her eyes. She wanted to say it back. So badly. She had opened her mouth, but the words just wouldn't come out. He sighed loudly, a wave of disappointment spreading over him. Why wouldn't she say it back?

She lifted her head to look at the clock that hung on the wall. It was eight thirty in the evening. She could here him moving around. Then his voice spoke again. "Why won't you tell me?" he said. She wasn't sure whether she was or not, but she could have sworn she'd heard him gently sobbing. It pained her that she was hurting him so much, but she knew if he discovered she was married, it would hurt him so much more. "Martha?" he spoke again. She finally broke her silence with a cold reply. "What?"

"What's happened to us?" She felt her mind spin. What did he mean? As though he knew what she was thinking, he continued, "A few weeks ago, we were best friends. Laughing. Joking. What's changed?" She knew the answer to it. She knew it was her secret that was separating them, and that upset her. She placed her head in her hands and then looked back up. She stood on her feet and slowly opened the door. He stood in front of her. "You really want to know? You won't like it" she said. He looked at her so seriously. "I really want to know" he replied. She took a deep breath, took his hands into hers and looked into his eyes. "I do love you Jack" she spoke. He smiled at her. "But, I can't go on fooling you"

"What do you mean?" he asked. He was slightly panicking now. Her heart racing, and palms sweating, she looked into his eyes once more, and replied "I'm married, Jack"...