Episode 972: Walking After Midnight

She dropped her purse to the floor and slipped out of her shoes. “You almost scared me to death.”

“Well, the feeling is mutual,” her husband said.

“What is that supposed to mean? How did I scare you? I wasn’t the one sitting on the floor in the dark.”

“No. You were just the one who refused to talk to me all day, and when you finally did, it was just to tell me you didn’t know when you’d be home. So, here you are, home at the awesome hour of three in the morning. That’s scary, Avalon. It’s scary to not know where your wife is at in the middle of the night.”

“I’m sorry. But,” she said, and folded her arms. “Like you said, I did tell you I didn’t know when I’d be back.”

“Yeah, that was really comforting.”

“Do you think I’ve had a comfortable day? It wasn’t particularly comforting to have my husband and friends gang up on me and treat me like a bad guy.” Tears gathered in her eyes and her throat.

Shelby wandered over and nuzzled Ava’s leg. Ava bent to pick up the cat, finding some comfort in cradling the warm soft body in her arms. Sebastian chose that moment to stand and walk over to her. His thumb swiped aside a tear on her cheek.

“I’ve been worried,” he quietly said. “I’m sorry.”

“Me, too.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Where were you tonight?” He asked quietly, not full of anger or anything, more like, a question he didn’t want to ask, but couldn’t let go.

“I just need to think. I drove and I walked and drove some more.” Ava let Shelby down from her arms. The cat scurried off, presumably to bed. Ava felt tired, too, though unfortunately not sleepy.

“Do you want some tea? I’m going to have some tea.” She went to the kitchen and put on the kettle. “You don’t have to stay up with me.”

“Can’t sleep. There’s too much...” Sebastian paced the kitchen. “All that walking and driving, did it...” He winced. “Did it lead you to his door at any point?”

This time Ava was the one who went to him. She touched his arm. “I didn’t go to his place the way you’re thinking. I wish it wasn’t your first instinct to think that way. It’s not like that for me with him anymore. I do still care about him and I care about Jesse, I went there to learn more about his life now, not to just judge by his past. I want to make an informed decision. And he gave me a lot to think about.”

“Like what?” Sebastian asked, not unkindly. “Am I allowed to ask? Could you maybe let me in on what you’re thinking about? It might help me feel better about things. And maybe I could actually listen and help you with this decision like a spouse is supposed to.”

Episode 973: All I Wanna Do