welcome back! it's been a while! this is the final part. (10k)this is pure angst. nothing else. FEEDBACK IS ALWAYS WELCOMED! IN FACT, IT IS ENCOURAGED. as always, you know the drill. happy reading!
or the one where writer!Harry and his wife Safiyya take a break from their marriage, as encouraged by their counselor, for thirty days.
***
Day 15:
Safiyya enters the room hesitantly. Yesterday had been good. Too good in her opinion, so that's why she's cautious when she comes into the room they share. Harry's in the bathroom, so she places her clothes on the bed and roughly ties her hair up in an effort to prepare for this conversation – which seems simple and straightforward in her head, however he's known for complicating easy things, so she's listed pros and cons of what she'd like to fight about, just so she can be in his head before his thoughts are.
The doorknob to the bathroom door turns and he walks out, catching her eyes immediately.
"Hi," he says, confused. "What's the matter?" He's already in his sleepwear, rubbing his arms.
"This is also my room," she starts, monitoring his expressions intently. "I'd like to sleep here."
His tense shoulders relax. "Okay. I didn't mind the guest room yesterday, you know? Just give me a minute to get my things again–"
"No," she cuts him off. "I want to move back here."
He pauses, running a hand over his stumble. "Okay. Give me twenty minutes then and I'll move everything to the guest room."
"No," she repeats. "This is your room as much as it is mine. I don't understand why you want to be separated." That may have come out a little harsher than she'd like. He feels the weight of her words as his eyes widen and focus properly on her, shifting uneasily onto his other foot.
"When we started out, I figured it would be easier for us."
"I think it did its job."
He hums and crosses his arms, looking at her thoughtfully. "What makes you say that?" She falters a bit, suddenly unable to understand his reaction, and he notices, adding, "I'm not upset at this proposal. I'm merely interested in your thoughts."
"Well, I think that it helped me realize that I can't sleep without you. I've become really dependent on you, and realizing this isn't a bad thing. I think it's good actually." She scratches her neck absentmindedly. "Last night, I slept good, but it could have been better and it wasn't because of the mattress. It was because when I got up to pee, you weren't next to me and then I couldn't get over it." She hangs her head down slightly and laughs humorlessly. "It was so pathetic really. I wish it wasn't like that."
His eyes have softened somewhere amidst her speech. "Okay," he says simply, unwinding his arms from around himself. "I'm okay with you moving back in."
Her eyes narrow. "Are you okay with it, or would you like it?"
"I'd really appreciate it."
"Okay good." She reaches down to grab her clothes and begins walking in the direction of the closet. After that. She'll go get some of her hangers, she thinks. And her jewelry box which she hasn't had a chance to open because her wedding ring is enough for her.
"Give me a hug."
She turns around slowly and looks at him. His jaw is clenched as if he's unsure why he'd said it himself, but then his eyes carefully line up with hers and she sees the emotions in his clear green colored windows. He's not asking.