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"THE KIDS TOLD ME THEY HAVEN'T SEEN YOU IN A COUPLE OF DAYS." Marie made her presence known as she walked into Johns home in the late hours of the night.
"Yeah. Been busy." He replied, not removing his gaze from the fireplace.
"Fuck off John. We both know your lying." She laughed, however there was no humour present.
"I have been. Lots to do."
Maries light footsteps could be heard as she timidly sat beside him on the chair.
"No you bloody well haven't. For godsake they're your kids John. They look up to you, they love you."
He turned to her. One hundred different emotions fleeting through his eyes.
"I know."
"So do something. Please. Just talk to them, love them. Alright, and I get your doing it alone, and that means twice the work, twice the stress and twice the tears. But it also means twice the hugs, twice the love and twice the pride." She spoke quietly, resting her head against his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her.
The peaceful crackling of the fire filled the empty silence once again.
"Thank you." John whispered.
Raising her head Marie gazed at him. "For what?"
"For coming back."
Marie had become a silhouette when she left, as if she walked from a photograph and left behind blackness. There was always an ache that came and left, always returning in quiet moments. John wanted so much to keep her close, to talk and laugh like they once did and he always knew that her absence was down to him. So to have her back... Well, it was everything he ever wanted.
"You were the first person who made me feel loved, and visible, and perfect. You were my first love John. If you thought I would never come back, your mad." She whispered.
"I don't think I deserve love. Not after what I did to you."
"I believe that each of us deserve a chance at love. And I know it sounds silly that there’s someone out there for everyone but I believe in love. Now I know some say there’s no such thing as true love, that it all ends in heartbreak and pain, but I think that’s the beauty of it." She smiled.
"To have something so perfect for such a short while, and then for it to disappear into nothing. It’s an endless loop, never ending, always on the move. You never know where it will take you. That's the thing about love, it's so beautiful and mysterious and magical." Lifting her head she met his gaze.
"You will find love again John, I promise."
"What if I never lost it?"
"You never will. You loved Martha, John. Lord, she was the mother of your children." She smiled softly.
"I wasn't talking about Martha."
And suddenly nothing else mattered. Not the rain that patterned against the roof. Not the speckles of dust the rested above the mantle. Not the mess of shoes that lay at the bottem of the stairs.
Everything was hazy.
Every kiss was a raw intensity - breathing fast, heart rates faster. Then before she knew how it happened they were naked and their skin moving softly together, like the finest of silk.
Marie Brown lost herself that night. Every touch, kiss, and nerve that exploded brought back every emotion she had withheld for so long, coming back to the surface.
