A glass pushes at me; Michael offering me wine. “Um, yes, thanks. Just give me a minute.”
As the battering inside my chest subsides, suddenly conscious that I’m crushing her with my weight, I roll to one side then stare at the ceiling, chest heaving.
Has it worked?
Shifting my eyes to Michael, to Charlotte and back. “You two good now?”
She doesn’t speak, but her answering smile is soft and bright. Michael’s voice and face are clear. “Yeah, we’re good.”
“I’m pleased to hear it. I’ll have that wine now.”
Three glasses, three people, one Triad, we sit together on the bed.
And for the first time in…. too long…. It feels right. We don’t speak much. Companionable silence seems natural.
Michael, a little hesitantly, offers her an arm. She slides in beside him, her face turning into him as
