When she started moving again it almost hurt, but what had he been expecting? They didn't have anything to talk about. Neither of them wanted to linger here in this stifling moment. He took a second to swallow and then pushed ahead, taking a step forward past where she'd been without looking back at her. "I'll have her back at eight," he said, because he had to say something, but Melody was already stepping into the floo.
When he heard the fire flare up he turned to look — to watch her leave — and kept looking at the fireplace long after it had died away. The room felt so empty now that she was gone. The whole house did. The whole house was empty, most of the time. Now that he knew what to look for, he could see the dust starting to gather on everything that had once been theirs. The air felt stale and oppressive. Could Nora feel it too? Did she know this was a place abandoned? No wonder she'd had trouble falling asleep.
With nothing to do but wait, Ben eventually moved through the rest of the house. He took a rag from the kitchen and wiped down everything that was collecting dust — in the main living areas, anyway, not in either of their rooms. He opened the windows and shook out the curtains. He did things just to have something to do, and when he'd run out of those things he found a quill and parchment and left a note on the kitchen table: Tell me how to make it easier. Then he went upstairs to Nora's nursery, slipped inside, and watched his daughter sleep.
When he heard the fire flare up he turned to look — to watch her leave — and kept looking at the fireplace long after it had died away. The room felt so empty now that she was gone. The whole house did. The whole house was empty, most of the time. Now that he knew what to look for, he could see the dust starting to gather on everything that had once been theirs. The air felt stale and oppressive. Could Nora feel it too? Did she know this was a place abandoned? No wonder she'd had trouble falling asleep.
With nothing to do but wait, Ben eventually moved through the rest of the house. He took a rag from the kitchen and wiped down everything that was collecting dust — in the main living areas, anyway, not in either of their rooms. He opened the windows and shook out the curtains. He did things just to have something to do, and when he'd run out of those things he found a quill and parchment and left a note on the kitchen table: Tell me how to make it easier. Then he went upstairs to Nora's nursery, slipped inside, and watched his daughter sleep.
MJ made this <3