At 3:00 AM there was a knock at the front door. She jumped, though she knew it was him.
She cleared her throat and, rose from the sofa, making her way to the front door.
She hadn't moved since she had hung up. She couldn't quite believe that she had pressed call, and that he would somehow make his way to her on this sleeting winters night.
She unlocked the door and opened it, holding it against her body.
"Come in."
She said quietly, and the wind bustled him in, his coat flapping about his legs, the collar of it pulled up about his jaw.
"You must be freezing."
She murmured, he had no scarf, no gloves, no hat...
He glanced down at himself.
"I left in a hurry."
He said, and she closed the door.
The wind was locked out now, and the house was once again still and silent.
It seemed odd having him here, standing in her hallway, his face flushed from the cold. After all these weeks of struggling to avoid him, and now here he was.
"Are you ok?"
He asked, breaking the silence. She looked momentarily flustered.
"I must look awful..."
She began, running the side of her index finger beneath her eyes, surely her tears must have smudged her mascara?
He smiled, no jokes, no quick remarks...His fingers paused at the buttons of his coat.
"Shall I take that for you?"
She asked, gesturing to his coat. He paused, his eyes narrowed and he looked directly at her so that she found it a struggle to breathe easily.
"Zoe, I just want to make sure that this is what you want...me being here? You seem a bit..."
He gestured with his hand, the words he wanted evading him.
She glanced down at the floor and sucked in a breath, releasing it before she was quite ready.
"I'm not sure that it's my best decision ever, but I'm sure that I want you here."
She said eventually, and glanced up at him again. He nodded slightly.
"I know I said that I wanted you to be sure, for you..."
He hesitated, touched his tongue to his lip and shot a nervous smile in her direction before concluding.
"I really don't want to be hurt any more, Zoe."
He whispered, and he pressed his lips together, his eyes so steady, so serious that she barely recognised him.
She shook her head, the painful throbbing ache returned within her throat and she struggled to swallow.
"I won't."
She promised, her voice little more than a whisper in the quiet.
She saw his chest expand with the breath that he drew in, and watched him slowly exhale before his fingers regained their movement at his coat, undoing each button until he was able to shrug it from his shoulders.
She took it from, briefly touching her fingers against his before she hung it over the banister of the stairway that led up behind her.
"Shall we?"
She asked, tossing a hand in the direction of the sitting room.
He followed her in, she felt her body tense, felt every movement she made become awkward, jerky, and she felt relieved to finally be in the expanse of the sitting room, where the fire burned a brilliant amber, smouldering in the fireplace.
Yet again it seemed so strange to have him here. She found she kept telling herself over and over... Max was really here...Max Walker, this man who's persistence had finally paid off, this man who made her feel so breathless...
"You haven't eaten your chocolate."
He said, breaking her train of thought. She followed his gaze to the unopened bar on the coffee table.
"I was worried..."
She began, and dipped her head, embarrassed.
"Worried?"
He repeated. She smiled.
"That if I ate it, I would be giving in to you...to us..."
She pushed her fingers into the bridge of her nose, closed her eyes, she knew how ridiculous she sounded, and she heard the almost silent breath of his laugh.
"Zoe, it's a chocolate bar not a marriage proposal."
He made his way over to the coffee table – one of his shoes was squeaking - he picked up the chocolate bar and held it out to her.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'll share it with you?"
He asked, and she smiled, the first real smile that she had felt In a long, long time.
More very soon xxx
Just to answer a question that someone asked: Yes, this (probably) will be ending once Max reaches number 12. There's always the chance that I will get carried away and decide to continue it, but that was the original plan..x
She cleared her throat and, rose from the sofa, making her way to the front door.
She hadn't moved since she had hung up. She couldn't quite believe that she had pressed call, and that he would somehow make his way to her on this sleeting winters night.
She unlocked the door and opened it, holding it against her body.
"Come in."
She said quietly, and the wind bustled him in, his coat flapping about his legs, the collar of it pulled up about his jaw.
"You must be freezing."
She murmured, he had no scarf, no gloves, no hat...
He glanced down at himself.
"I left in a hurry."
He said, and she closed the door.
The wind was locked out now, and the house was once again still and silent.
It seemed odd having him here, standing in her hallway, his face flushed from the cold. After all these weeks of struggling to avoid him, and now here he was.
"Are you ok?"
He asked, breaking the silence. She looked momentarily flustered.
"I must look awful..."
She began, running the side of her index finger beneath her eyes, surely her tears must have smudged her mascara?
He smiled, no jokes, no quick remarks...His fingers paused at the buttons of his coat.
"Shall I take that for you?"
She asked, gesturing to his coat. He paused, his eyes narrowed and he looked directly at her so that she found it a struggle to breathe easily.
"Zoe, I just want to make sure that this is what you want...me being here? You seem a bit..."
He gestured with his hand, the words he wanted evading him.
She glanced down at the floor and sucked in a breath, releasing it before she was quite ready.
"I'm not sure that it's my best decision ever, but I'm sure that I want you here."
She said eventually, and glanced up at him again. He nodded slightly.
"I know I said that I wanted you to be sure, for you..."
He hesitated, touched his tongue to his lip and shot a nervous smile in her direction before concluding.
"I really don't want to be hurt any more, Zoe."
He whispered, and he pressed his lips together, his eyes so steady, so serious that she barely recognised him.
She shook her head, the painful throbbing ache returned within her throat and she struggled to swallow.
"I won't."
She promised, her voice little more than a whisper in the quiet.
She saw his chest expand with the breath that he drew in, and watched him slowly exhale before his fingers regained their movement at his coat, undoing each button until he was able to shrug it from his shoulders.
She took it from, briefly touching her fingers against his before she hung it over the banister of the stairway that led up behind her.
"Shall we?"
She asked, tossing a hand in the direction of the sitting room.
He followed her in, she felt her body tense, felt every movement she made become awkward, jerky, and she felt relieved to finally be in the expanse of the sitting room, where the fire burned a brilliant amber, smouldering in the fireplace.
Yet again it seemed so strange to have him here. She found she kept telling herself over and over... Max was really here...Max Walker, this man who's persistence had finally paid off, this man who made her feel so breathless...
"You haven't eaten your chocolate."
He said, breaking her train of thought. She followed his gaze to the unopened bar on the coffee table.
"I was worried..."
She began, and dipped her head, embarrassed.
"Worried?"
He repeated. She smiled.
"That if I ate it, I would be giving in to you...to us..."
She pushed her fingers into the bridge of her nose, closed her eyes, she knew how ridiculous she sounded, and she heard the almost silent breath of his laugh.
"Zoe, it's a chocolate bar not a marriage proposal."
He made his way over to the coffee table – one of his shoes was squeaking - he picked up the chocolate bar and held it out to her.
"If it makes you feel any better, I'll share it with you?"
He asked, and she smiled, the first real smile that she had felt In a long, long time.
More very soon xxx
Just to answer a question that someone asked: Yes, this (probably) will be ending once Max reaches number 12. There's always the chance that I will get carried away and decide to continue it, but that was the original plan..x