Isabelle didn't turn around from the stove, but he saw her shoulders settle slightly, the way they did when something she'd been bracing for turned out to be okay. He set his camera bag down and walked to the counter and stood next to her without saying anything. She was stirring something. He looked at it without seeing it. You read the email, he said quietly, not a question.
I have my own immigration account, she said. They notify both parties. I know. I just He stopped. I wanted to be the one to tell you.
She turned and looked at him. Her expression was steady, resolved. The particular face she wore when she had already done the falling apart privately and was now ready to function. 14 days is manageable, she said. Is it?
It has to be. She turned back to the stove. So, it is. He stood there a moment longer. Then he said very quietly, so Nadia wouldn't hear from the table, how are you actually doing?
She stirred once, twice. Then she said just as quietly, I found the note you left. I know. I've read it about 12 times. He didn't respond.
14 days, she said. Together. She exhaled. That's either the most reassuring thing anyone has ever said to me or the most terrifying. Why terrifying?
She looked at him sidelong. Because together means I'm not doing this alone anymore. And I've been alone for a long time, Ethan. I know how that works. I know the rules of it.
I know how to manage myself when it's just me. She paused. I don't always know how to let someone in without being afraid they'll leave when it gets hard. He held her gaze. I'm not going anywhere.
You said that about the arrangement, too. This isn't the arrangement. She was quiet for a moment. Then she nodded once, the small decisive nod that meant she had heard him and was choosing to believe him and was terrified of both. From the table, Nadia said, are you guys talking about feelings again? " They both looked at her.
"You always stand really close together when you talk about feelings. " She said matter-of-factly, without looking up from her worksheet. "It's kind of obvious. " Ethan looked at Isabel. Isabel looked at Ethan. Neither of them said anything. Nadia turned the page of her worksheet.