Courtship

Part 57

Rafe's eyes reflected just how serious he was when he nodded. "Last week, when we had that misunderstanding, I came home, and everything, I mean everything felt a washed out grey. The house looked dreary. My life felt colourless. I went to bed, and the minute I closed my eyes, there you were. I opened my eyes and all I heard was you saying you wanted to break up. And deep down I just did not believe it. Why, I don't know, but I just did not believe it." He put his finger to her lips to stop her when she looked like she was going to interrupt. "I couldn't sleep. So I went thought the conversation, from the time I picked you up that evening to the end of the evening, and nothing I could remember suggested you wanted to break up with me. Nothing. So that got me thinking. You have never ever had any difficulty speaking your mind." His eyes twinkled, "Whether it was to tell me respect had to be earned." Marina blinked, he remembered her words from all that time ago, "To tell me I was smart and could figure out why you hadn't said you could lip read!" Marina's eyes widened. "You were never one to hold back! So if you wanted out, over the weeks as you claimed, you would have told me." He said softly. "It might have taken me till two in the morning to reach that conclusion, but I reached it." He inched closer, so that they were nearly nose-to-nose. "That's when I knew that something had spooked you into dumping me that night!" He rubbed his nose gently to hers, "I didn't know what, but I sure as hell knew it wasn't because you had gone off me!" Her lips curved into a smile, and he angled his head and placed a kiss on her lips. "So I decided a good nights sleep is what I needed, and then we were going to have a talk."

"That's why you phoned." She whispered against his lips. Rafe nodded. Marina smiled.

"Yes. That's why I called. We weren't over. The two months we'd been together were just the start. I knew that. My head knew that. My heart knew that. I knew that with every single fibre of my being. We were just at the start." He reached for her shoulder, drew her to him and rolled so that he now lay on his back and her head was on his shoulder. Marina placed her palm on his chest, just above his heart. It was instinctive. He wrapped an arm around her, leaving his palm to caress the indent of her waist. "I wasn't sure you'd agree to meet for coffee or a meal, but I was sure that we weren't over." His lips brushed the top of her head. "So that's why the first thing I did that morning was call you."

"I was about to phone you." She admitted.
"When? That morning?"

Marina nodded, "I'd just told Isabelle that we were over, and she, well she did not believe it!"

"Always knew she was smart, your sister!"

"She made me stop being emotional and start thinking rationally. And she was right. She said to phone you, and explain to you why we'd had to keep it hush hush. I thought her idea had merit. What she said made sense, so I was going call you, and ask to meet up so that I could explain about our situation and why we did what we did. I was about to do call you when you phoned."

Rafe smiled, "Which bodes well for our future, don't you think?"

"In what way?"

"In that we don't give up on each other! We can argue with each other, but we don't give up on each other!" He told her steadfastly, his voice and tone one of awe. "Look at how we both dealt with our misunderstanding. Neither of us walked away. We might have given each of us some space, but both of us made a decision to talk it over. When we have misunderstandings, we don't hide, we don't pretend they don't exist we talk! That bodes well for us, I think." They had a glorious future ahead, given they already had this unspoken understanding.
Marina nodded. "It does, doesn't it?"

"And the fact we both knew, in our hearts that we'd listen to each other, that's not something to be sniffed at either." He said it as if it was something that was rare.

"No, I know."

"We both decided to meet up to talk about what had happened, and we were both open to listening. That's priceless." He smiled. That's what they had. Underneath everything that went on on the surface was this steadfast understanding of the other. This steadfast belief in the other. Of course they would bump heads in the future. They were both strong characters. And their opinions on core values were shared, but they did not share the same view on everything. So of course there would be times when they annoyed each other, but what recent days had shown them, was that even if they had an argument, when they cooled down they would gravitate toward each other.

"Well, maybe, but maybe we need to agree to be up front with each other. No matter what, I want to know that if I do or say something stupid, you will tell me!"

He chuckled. "What you don't think I've done that already?"

"In a professional capacity, yes. But at a personal level no." She replied. "The last couple of months were amazing."

"And that's not a good thing?" His brow furrowed.

"It is. It was. It's just that starting out, you know when you start seeing someone, it's all rose-tinted glasses, and no one wants to put a foot wrong, so it's like being on honeymoon!"

"Not quite reality." He said as he understood the point she was trying to make.

"It's when everything goes to plan, and nothing negative gets a look in. But that's not real." She mumbled. "I mean it is, but it's not, if you know what I mean." She rolled her eyes, and said with a wry shake of her head, "I'm not explaining myself am I?"

"I think I know what you mean." He brushed an errant lock of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear in a gesture of revealing tenderness. "You want it real." He looked into her eyes, and saw the answer. It made his heart swell.

Marina nodded. "When we made love, just now, it was primal, it was authentic, it was real." She looked at him and asked with a directness he associated only with her. "Wasn't it?"