Zoe sat, curled into the corner of her sofa against the cold. The fire was lit, the reflection of it playing inside the glass of water that she held. The flames seemed to relax her, captivating her so that when the front door eventually opened with a wail of wind and spatter of rain she found herself startled from her daze. She turned so that she could see over the back of the sofa, heard Max kicking off his shoes, the scrape and thump of them landing on the door mat and the quick unzipping of his coat.
His socks made a slapping noise as he moved across the hall, poking his head around the doorway, smiling that smile of his.
"Hello you."
He said, glancing from her to the fire. It was dark outside and the dim light in the room made it look as though her skin was glowing, as golden as amber in the firelight.
She smiled back at him, silently reaching out a hand to him over the back of the sofa as he neared. He took hold of it, bending down to kiss it before leaning over the sofa and kissing the top of her head.
She yawned, watching him as he moved around to sit next to her, slipping a finger into his wet socks and pulling them off, tossing them in front of the fire to dry.
"How is he?"
Zoe asked, moving into him, letting her head fall against his chest where it fit perfectly between his chin and his shoulder.
"He'll be ok, he's awake. Robyn and Mum are still with him."
He spoke as he let his lips brush against the top of her head.
"Sorry I was so long."
He added, raising a hand to stroke the soft hair that fell against her cheek, pushing it back so that he could feel her skin and the edge of her jaw.
"S'ok..."
She murmured, yawning again into the back of her hand, she raised her head, looking up at him sleepily.
"I spoke to Connie."
She said, tilting her head back so that she could focus on him properly with him being in such close proximity to her.
"What did she say?"
He asked, she could hear the slight apprehension behind his words.
"She's asked me to come back."
She said, watching him for a reaction, but he remained impassive.
"And you said...?"
He asked, stroking the soft cotton of the pyjamas that she wore.
"I said yes..."
She paused.
"I said yes for you too."
She added. He raised an eyebrow.
"I can't believe Connie asked for me to come back."
He smiled as he spoke and she slipped a hand slowly behind his back to pull him closer to her.
"She asked me to bring my porter back."
Amusement glittered behind her eyes as she spoke, he could feel the warmth of her finger tips at the bare skin where his t-shirt met his trousers.
"Your porter, hmm?"
He smiled again, dipping his head to kiss the warm skin of her forehead as she murmured a response.
"She must be desperate."
He joked, running his palm up the length of her thigh.
"I think she might be..."
She mused, letting her head rest again against his shoulder. She remembered Connie's words. 'Especially now...', she'd said. Why especially now?
More to come later, assuming my children actually sleep tonight! xxx