Unlike their silent meal earlier this year, the silence now felt stiff and uncomfortable. Melody wasn't burning with rage, nor was she ready to openly sob at the table. This silence was the result of two years worth of stress and arguments with no legitimate working resolutions. Reuben had claimed to love her, and yet none of his actions portrayed any such emotion. Reuben had promised them a path to happiness and had buried it away just as easily. Melody didn't know what love was supposed to look like, wasn't sure she had ever experienced it herself, but she knew it wasn't this.

With her tea now in hand she didn't have a reason to linger downstairs. If he wouldn't think to comfort her as she explained her fears, she wouldn't make an effort to absolve him of his presumed guilt. "I should be heading back upstairs," she excused herself lamely before slowly pushing herself to standing.

  

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beautiful set by mj

Ben didn't want her to leave, but as she excused herself he still didn't know what he wanted to say. He felt a small rush of panic and he slid his chair back slightly as though he were going to stand, but remained seated at the last second.

"I think we could be okay," he said quickly, not sure if even he knew what he meant by that. "Not that we will be, because I don't know what will happen. But I think we could be."

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MJ made this <3

As always, Reuben could never allow them a moment's peace. It was always some last minute plea, some heartfelt confession, some scathing accusation that held her in place. Melody sighed, keeping her eyes downcast on her mug. Of course they would be okay, that's what they were now, was it not? Distant, unloving, two ships passing in the night, but otherwise okay.

She turned towards him after a single poignant moment and looked to him with weary eyes. "We're okay, Reuben. We'll love the baby whatever the baby turns out to be and we'll be fine."

  

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beautiful set by mj

Ben wanted to say more, but the look on her face dissuaded him. He didn't mean about the baby, though of course he would love the baby. He meant the two of them. He meant that he wanted to love her. But she didn't want to hear that. She hadn't wanted to hear it in January, and she hadn't wanted to believe it at any point after. She didn't want to talk about it now, when she was only trying to get a cup of tea and go back to bed.

If there was one thing they'd learned over the past year and a half of their marriage, it was that it took two people to fix a relationship. Neither of them could do it alone, and somehow Ben and Melody always seemed to be out of sync in their efforts.

He offered her a small, taut smile and nodded. The conversation was over. It had probably been over before it ever started.

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MJ made this <3