Episode 730: Stay With Me

Justine relaxed, a little. Just a little. It was not as good a day as she hoped it would be. She couldn’t seem to talk her anxiety down. "I’m sorry, Quent. I’m being such a pain in the-"

"You’re not."

"I feel horrible about this."

"I’m on a mission to fix that."

"You’re not the one who needs to fix anything, I’m-"

Quentin kissed the words right out of her mouth. She knew he meant to end the conversation on that up note, but again, her anxiety just wouldn’t let anything go. "How can you kiss me like that? It’s okay to be mad, you know, I wouldn’t hold it against you. You should be mad at me, and annoyed-"

"I will be if you don’t stop. Just don’t say another apologetic word, and come with me."

Justine stayed quiet until they were outside, in their backyard, in a tent, with the rain pitter-pattering on the canvas. Quentin had it outfitted for their anniversary, with lighting, music, bedding, and a picnic basket.

"I know you weren’t raised on camping, far from it," he said, "but this isn’t so bad, right? I mean, we’re steps away from the kids, my parents can let us know if we’re needed, but we have privacy, too."

Justine frowned. "This isn’t fair to you. You shouldn’t be stuck in this tent. You’re always stuck compromising for me."

"You’ve compromised for me, too," Quent insisted. "You gave up a lot to marry a mechanic. Compromise is good. That’s how you got here, that’s how every year we’re still together on our anniversary while so many other couples we know are not. I’m good with it. I’m good with this tent. I’m not a fancy hotel guy anyway. I don’t need that. I just need you."

Episode 731: This Used To Be My Playground