"Well...I think that's enough work for right now," Dominic said, standing up to stretch.

Yawning, Maya closed her eyes and slouched down in her seat, head tilted back. Oww.... She probably should've taken a break earlier. She hadn't, though, and now her neck was killing her.

"Would you like something to eat, sir, ma'am?"

Dominic shook his head. "Not really in the mood to eat right now, thanks."

The attendant looked over at Maya questioningly.

Maya blinked and looked up at the clock. That late already? She was surprised how much time had passed. It was several hours after their normal dinner time, but she'd been too absorbed in her work to notice.

Come to think of it, she'd barely eaten at all that day - - she'd skipped breakfast, and the only thing she'd had for lunch was a donut she grabbed at the office. Even so, she didn't have much of an appetite. "I'm not that hungry, either," she shrugged.

"I didn't say I wasn't hungry," Dominic said as soon as the attendant was gone. "I said I didn't feel like eating. There's a pretty big difference between the two, Maya."

She looked down and swallowed.

Great. Dominic sighed and folded his arms. "How about a movie?" he finally suggested, his voice a little softer this time.

"I guess," Maya shrugged, not really caring either way.

"Come on," he smiled, leading her over to a seating area centered around a large flat-screen TV. He sat down on the leather couch and handed her a sheet of paper from off of the coffee table in front of him.

Brushing her long, reddish-brown hair away from her face, Maya eased down next to him and took a gander at the list. No...nope...no...

She felt a lump form in her throat as her gaze came to rest on one particular title. It was a movie that she and Dominic had planned on watching together that weekend with their friends. It was more than just a movie, though - - it was a part of her old life. Their old life.

She could feel the tears welling up again. "That one," she abruptly said, haphazardly picking a title from the list as she tried to shake off the feelings.

"Sounds good," Dominic shrugged, quickly putting it on.

As it turned out, the movie was good, and as the two settled in for the evening, Maya was grateful to have something to take her mind off of things, even if only for a bit. It wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep.

Dominic gazed at his wife for a moment. Any other time, he probably would've kissed her goodnight...but they had a deal. He sighed and resigned himself to simply tucking a blanket around her and whispering, "Goodnight."

*************

"Is there anything I can get you, sir?" a quiet voice said.

"No, thank you," Dominic replied, his voice also more quiet than usual.

Maya vaguely wondered whom the other voice belonged to, but didn't care enough to open her eyes. She couldn't remember where they were or why, but she remembered just enough to know that the answers to those questions were fraught with pain - - pain she didn't want to deal with...ever.
Instead, she remained still, listening to Dominic's heartbeat and feeling his chest rise and fall under her with each breath. The steady rhythm was soothing, and she would've fallen back asleep, were it not for the jarring voice from a speaker overhead. "We may be running into a bit of turbulence here," the voice announced.

So they were on a plane. Maya tried to push the thought out of her head, but the memories came flooding back all at once. She replayed the whole sequence of events...coming home, the arguments, the car ride, Audryn, the deal.... The deal. That was the memory that hit the hardest. Again, she tried to ignore it, but couldn't.

Finally opening her eyes, she saw that Dominic was already wide awake and working - - as usual. If the past was any indication, he'd probably already been awake for hours...

Reluctant to move, she kept her head on his chest a moment longer before finally righting herself. "Um, sorry..." she mumbled sheepishly, not making eye contact.

Dominic shook his head. "It's fine," he replied, a slight smile on his face as he continued going through the remaining papers from the previous day.

"I, um...I think I better go freshen up," Maya finally said, hurrying off to the bathroom.

As soon as the door was closed, the tears began to flow freely. Oh, my God...oh, my God...oh, my God.... She could feel her chest tightening with each breath. She wanted to scream, but knew she couldn't.

Idiot!! What were you thinking? She was alone, cut off from her family and friends...and had chosen to push away the one person she needed the most. Not only that, but he was also the one thing tying her to her old life.

Leaning against the door, she buried her head in her hands and sobbed uncontrollably, struggling to keep quiet. After a few minutes, she finally forced herself to calm down. Drawing in a few sharp gasps, she found her fingers wandering again to her prized necklace...her grandmother...what would she have told her now? The same thing her mother would've said.
"You're not alone. You're only alone if you choose to be. There's Someone who's always there for you. He'll give you the strength you need to do what you need to do."

Ok, calm down...calm down.
Chewing on her thumbnail, she took a deep breath and quickly assessed the situation.

Even if they weren't together as a couple anymore, Dominic was still there with her and there for her. Despite her rash decision, things were still better than they might've been.

Her throat and lungs were aching, but with each additional breath, she felt the panic quieting. Finally, she stood upright and gazed at her reflection in the mirror, now realizing what she had to do: Wait.

It seemed like an impossibly simple and incomplete answer, but failing to do so is what had landed her in this situation in the first place. Caught up in the pain of the moment, she had made a decision she was already regretting. She needed time, real time, to decide what she truly wanted.

Despite the pain she was in at the moment, she still couldn't say for sure that she wanted to be together again for good...and she knew that to change her mind yet again after asking him to take her back would've been unforgivable. She couldn't break his heart like that again...and, to be completely honest...part of her doubted he would even tolerate that.

So for now, the only thing she could do was bide her time, and do the same thing she had asked him to do: focus on the mission.