Grace stayed in her room until bed time. Connie glanced at the clock on the mantle piece from where she was sat on the sofa, Rita by her side, her blonde head resting on her shoulder.

"What're you thinking?"

Rita murmured. She could tell by the gentle change in pace of the pulse that beat against her ear that Connie was worrying again.

"I should go and say goodnight to her."

She said quietly. She ran her fingers down the stem of the wine glass that she held. She couldn't help worrying. Rita had tried to put her mind at rest, but nothing seemed to be able to rid her of the feeling that this, this relationship that caused her so much joy, could cost her everything.

Rita raised her head from Connie's shoulder and looked at her, her dark eyes narrowed.

"You know this is all going to be ok...?"

Connie raised her eyebrows and inhaled slowly, her chest rising and she splayed her hands flat out on the denim that covered her thighs.

"What's going on in there?"

Rita asked, raising her hand and touching a finger against the side of Connie's head, smoothing her hair, letting Connie lean into her touch.

"I'm thinking I hope you're right."

She sighed, and she turned her head to kiss Rita's fingers before pushing herself up from the sofa. She cast an eye back to the other woman as she left the room, catching the strained smile at her lips, before she turned the corner into the hallway.

She climbed the stairs slowly, letting her fingers trace the grain in the wood of the banister. It would be fine. She told herself, Rita's voice replacing her own in the back of her mind, repeating over and over, though it didn't seem to help to quell the nervous butterflies that swarmed within her stomach.

She pushed open Grace's door. It was dark, and she paused in the door frame, wondering whether to retreat. She squinted into the dark, holding her breath, and then, against the pillow she caught the glimmer of the white of Grace's eye as she blinked. She balled her hands beside her and made her way over to the bed.

"Grace?"

The little girl didn't move, but again she caught the glitter of her eyes as she sat down, as Rita had, on the bed beside her.

"I just came up to say goodnight."

She reached out a hand and with the very tips of her index finger and thumb she drew the strands of Grace's hair from across her forehead and tucked them neatly behind her ear.

"Are you ok?"

She asked, wishing she knew what to say, what to do...she felt Grace shrug beneath the duvet.

"I was so scared of telling you."

She whispered, running her hand lower, tentatively feeling the rise and fall of the duvet where, beneath the covers, her daughter's body lay stiff, unmoving, only the slow blink of her eyes giving her away.

"Why?"

Finally Grace spoke. Her voice was cracked, as though she needed to clear her throat.

Connie blew a breath from between her lips. Why? She wasn't really sure. She drew up her shoulders and edged nearer, gazing into the dark.

"I've never spoken to you before about things like this. You know as well as I do, that I'm not very good at talking about how I feel..."

She saw the grey shadow of Grace's face as she frowned and she knew that this was just as uncomfortable for Grace as it was for her.

"What I feel for Rita...It's like -"

She paused, drawing her hands back to her lap, twisting her fingers together.

"I don't know what it's like. It's as though I never saw anything at all before. It's like I'm filling up, like a glass when it's filled with water. Everything I worried about before, all of it, all of those worries – now they're like dust. She's so pretty, she's so sweet...She makes me want to smile and cry all at once."

Grace was staring at her, unblinking.

"She makes me sore, here."

She placed a hand upon her chest, upon the breast-bone.

"I've never met anybody like her before."

Her voice became a trembling whisper then, and she found that she could say no more. There was another silence. She looked at Grace - and knew at once that she shouldn't have spoken. There was a look on her face that she could see even in the dark - it was not ambiguous at all now - a look of mingled shock, and nervousness, and embarrassment or shame. She had said too much.

She stood up abruptly and folded her arms tightly across her chest.

"I'll see you in the morning."

She said quietly, the façade that she had let slip was now firmly back in place, and she made her way back to the doorway, her body illuminated as just a black silhouette against the landing light, just a shadow where her face should be.

"Night night, Mummy."

Grace's voice made her breath falter.

"Good night sweetheart."

She whispered, glancing down to the floor at her feet, blinking against the sting of her eyes.

"Sweet dreams."

-.-

Apologies for the delay, I've been so busy with my son's third birthday and my daughter starting primary school that I haven't had the chance to get any writing done! I'll get back into the swing of things now :)

Somebody asked me if there will be more 'smutty' scenes, like the sofa and bath scenes. Yes! There will be many of them. I have planned an office 'scene', an office 'scene' at home, and a drunk one, to name a few for you to look forward to. And I'm always open to suggestions, if you would like to see any particular 'smutty' scenes, just let me know xxx