Persist (Part 3)

Part one and two here (important to read first!)

~*~

As the young man closed the door, he had a quick moment of guilt. He should have told her the truth about what he was doing. It wasn’t like him to keep things from her - they talked about absolutely everything - but this could be big. This could be a game changer. And until it was real, until it was tangible, until it was actually a possibility, he would keep it to himself.

He turned the computer on, entered the meeting information, and waited to be greeted. The conversation went smoothly. He talked with a few different people. He asked a lot of questions based on the research he had done. He was impressed by the philosophy behind their answers, and inside, felt a glimmer of hope. He asked his last question, and it felt like his feet fell out from under him.

~*~

She was cooking dinner, a new recipe she felt like trying. She set the table with their new plates and poured herself a glass of wine.  Today had been a good day.  The idea she had presented to her boss had been accepted, and she was put in charge of carrying it out. It was the biggest job she'd been put on so far.  She couldn't wait to tell him about it. Maybe hearing about her good day would get him to talk about his day - more than just saying "it was fine."

When he walked in the door, she turned to him with a smile - which immediately fell from her face.  Something happened, she thought. Something bad. She put the smile back on her face.

She greeted him with a kiss, giving him space to come in, change into some sweatpants, pour himself a glass of whiskey.  Please talk to me, she silently said to herself. Don't make me pry it out of you.

~*~

As the ice cubes clinked together, he watched the amber liquid fall into the glass.  How to go about telling her.  It was all he had thought about for the rest of the day.  He was pretty sure someone at work would notice that he was completely distracted, but the day went on like all the other days had.  He had to just tell her. It wasn't fair to keep this from her, not now. Now that it was real and possible and was filling him with such hope.

He turned towards the table, put his glass down, and went to her in the kitchen.  She was stirring dinner on the stove and it smelled amazing. He put his arms around her, then reached down to turn the burner to low.

It was now or never.

~*~

She heard the clink of the ice cubes. Good. Have a drink and relax, she thought, and then talk to me.

She felt rather than heard him come up behind her as she stood at the stove.  She felt her love for him fill her up as his arms wrapped around her. She closed her eyes as tears threatened. When she opened them, she noticed that he had turned the burner down. She was afraid to turn around, afraid to meet his eyes, afraid that he would see her upset.  She steeled herself for the conversation that was obviously going to take place. She was ready, ready to get it all out in the open, ready to really talk, like they hadn't in months.

It was now or never.