Fahlada slid behind the wheel of her sleek red sports car, the leather seat cool against her back. The engine purred to life with a low, satisfying growl, and she let the familiar power beneath her hands calm her nerves before sending a message to Earn.
'I'm coming home, my love… I'll be there in a few minutes…'
She waited for a reply, watching the screen glow in the dim light of her car.
None came.
But she didn't need one.
With or without words, she knew, Earn is still waiting for her.
As she pulled out onto the quiet street, the city was just beginning to stir, the sky tinged with the bluish hush of dawn.
The world blurred past her windows, streetlights flickering out, shopkeepers rolling up shutters, the occasional early riser jogging along the sidewalk.
Fahlada's thoughts drifted as she drove, her bag on the passenger seat serving as an unspoken reminder of the hurried goodbye with Tan. She kept glancing at it, feeling the absence of her white coat like a missing piece of herself.
It was strange how something so simple could feel so heavy.
She pressed the accelerator gently, guiding the car through familiar turns.
The drive home felt both too short and too long, her mind replaying the last night's events in a relentless loop of words she wished she'd spoken, and choices she wished she'd made.
When she finally turned into the driveway, the lakeside garden was bathed in the glow of early light. Dew clung to the grasses and flowering shrubs along the stone path with birds calling from the trees, their songs carrying through the morning air.
The familiar sounds and scents of the lake house surrounded her, but the comfort clashed with the anxiety churning in her chest. She longed for reassurance, yet was afraid to face what was waiting for her inside.
Fahlada sat for a moment with her hands on the steering wheel, eyes burning with unshed tears. She checked her reflection in the rearview mirror, eyes lingering on the tired face staring back at her.
For a moment, she felt like a stranger in her own life, lost and exhausted.
Then, out the window, a flash of gold streaked across the yard.
'Tofu…'
The retriever's tail whipped into a frenzy as he launched himself toward the driver's side. Fahlada stepped out of the car, dropping to her knees with her arms open, and Tofu crashed into her embrace. She buried her face in his neck, inhaling the familiar scent of earth and the light honeysuckle shampoo,
His warmth, his joy, the way he pressed against her shattered her control, and the tears finally broke free; a pure, messy overflow of relief, soaking into the golden fur.
She brushed a hand across her wet cheek and buried her face deeper in his neck.
"Hey, baby," she whispered. "I'm sorry for being such a mess… I hope you can forgive me."
Tofu barked softly and leaned into her, as if nothing had ever gone wrong.
Maybe that was a start, if Tofu could forgive her.
But the real test waited inside the house, facing Earn would be the hardest part.
"Let's play later, okay?" Fahlada said, giving the puppy a gentle pat before rising to her feet.
Tofu gave a small whine and wagged his tail, nudging her hand with his nose, as if to say, 'don't forget me.'
Fahlada smiled, drew a deep breath, and walked toward the door. Her hand hovered over the handle for a moment as her mind raced with thoughts of what she might find inside:
Resentment, forgiveness, or perhaps just another silence.
She could feel her heartbeat echoing in her ears, not just from nerves, but from the desperate hope that opening that door would mean finding Earn, and the chance that everything would be alright.
With one more breath, she stepped inside, and the scent hit her immediately: warm butter, eggs, toasted bread, and something that simply smelled like home.
She stood still, letting the comfort wrap around her. The soft clink of utensils and faint sizzle on the stove guided her toward the kitchen.
'Earn…'
The woman she yearned for the most stood at the stove, flipping an omelet. The gentle hiss of melting butter filled the space, blending with the early light streaming through the windows.
Fahlada missed this, the ordinary comfort of this place with her wife.
She wanted to run to her, to wrap her arms around her, but she held back. She lingered in the doorway, waiting for a sign, some small gesture that it was okay to step back into Earn's space, into them.
Without turning around, Earn spoke, her voice calm but distant.
"Have you had breakfast?"
Fahlada blinked, startled. For a beat, her mind went blank. She had been waiting for something, but not this. Earn's voice, so casual and sudden. Her lips parted, but no words followed.
Earn didn't look at her, though she could feel Fahlada's gaze lingering. She kept her focus on the pan, the steady scrape of the spatula filling the space between them.
"I asked if you've eaten?" Earn asked again, her voice flat, as if addressing a stranger.
"N-no… not yet," Fahlada managed to answer, the faint hesitation in her voice betraying her nerves. She immediately pulled out her phone, pretending to check messages, though the screen was nothing but a blur. It was easier than looking at Earn; it was easier than admitting she didn't know how to start saying everything she needed to.
Earn didn't press her. She simply jerked her chin toward the table.
The message was clear: Sit down. Breakfast will be ready soon.
Fahlada obeyed without a word and sat down, while her eyes kept drifting back to Earn.
She had planned to say something once they were seated.
An apology, maybe.
But she wasn't sure if it should come first or later…
She had rehearsed an entire apology in the shower at Tan's condo, perfectly crafted and reasoned. But sitting there, less than three feet from Earn, the words suddenly felt misplaced.
Too formal.
Too small for everything that had happened.
Her whole speech was useless, then her thoughts jumped from one possibility to another.
Should she start with 'I'm sorry'?
Or explain why she left?
Or ask how Earn had been holding up?
The right opening line felt impossible.
Fahlada glanced at her phone again, not really seeing it, just trying to buy herself a few more seconds, but when Earn approached and started serving the food, it broke her concentration.
There were no complaints, no words from Earn; just careful, measured motions that spoke of someone holding herself together by sheer will.
Earn felt the gaze settle on her like a physical pressure, but she didn't look up and maintained her focus on preparing the table. As she moved, the fabric of her dress hung loosely, creating shallow folds at her waist.
Fahlada couldn't look away from the thin frame of her wife, realizing how much weight Earn had lost. The phone in her hand suddenly felt like a useless weight, her fingers tightening around its casing. Her throat constricted, trapping the half-formed greeting she meant to give. She studied the shadows under Earn's eyes, deep lines carved by exhaustion that no rest could ease.
The sight speared Fahlada with a crushing weight of regret and responsibility.
All the words she'd been trying to organize dissipated.
All she could think about now was the silent battle Earn must have fought alone, feeling helpless and slipping further away from the life and love they once knew.
Overcome with guilt, Fahlada stood abruptly and gently pulled Earn into an embrace.
"I'm sorry," she whispered near Earn's ear, "if I made you feel alone… if I made you feel miserable."
Earn's body stiffened initially, an automatic defense. She didn't embrace back, but she didn't pull away either. Though she buried her face near Fahlada's shoulder, her hands hanging loosely at her sides.
In a low voice, Earn said, "I just wanted to feel like we still matter. That I still matter."
Fahlada broke the embrace and took her wife's hand. The rings she had given Earn glinted softly, 'Always with you,' a stark reminder that Earn had held on, even through the hardest times.
"You do," Fahlada whispered, bringing Earn's hand to her lips and kissing it lightly, her eyes glistening with sincerity.
"You mean everything to me… I love you more than words can say."
Earn's lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to voice the anger and hurt she'd suppressed, but the words wouldn't come. Instead, she looked into Fahlada's eyes, and in the glistening sheen of Fahlada's own tears, she recognized a familiar image of herself.
They were both hurt and broken.
Earn drew closer to embrace Fahlada, her body tense at first, then slowly softening to the welcoming warmth of Fahlada's arms and the steady rhythm of her breathing, the scent of her body.
These small comforts began to ease the brutal tension between them.
They held each other tightly, breaths mingling in the golden hour as their foreheads pressed together.
Fahlada could smell the faint hint of rosewater and soap on Earn, the subtle trace of makeup smoothing her features; an effort, perhaps, to feel normal once again. She looked into her wife's eyes, a wave of apology rising inside her, for the way she had raised her voice the night before, and for the moments she wished she could take back from her office.
"I'm really sorry about everything, Earn. I—" But Fahlada's words dissolved into silence as Earn's lips met hers, soft and sudden.
Before she could react, Earn pulled back, her amber eyes locked onto Fahlada's startled, deep brown gaze. She was searching for something: a sign that Fahlada still meant what she said, that the love between them hadn't faded under the weight of everything that had gone wrong.
Fahlada held her gaze, letting Earn see the regret, the longing, and the unwavering love she had only for her.
Then, before the moment could fade, Fahlada closed the distance again, capturing Earn's lips without hesitation. The apology still pressed at the back of her tongue, but the kiss swept it away. Her hands rose almost instinctively, cupping Earn's face, thumbs brushing gently over her cheeks.
She held Earn tightly, bracing them both in the intimacy she had been craving, saying with every touch and breath:
'I'm here. I'm yours. I'm sorry…'
When Earn didn't pull away, Fahlada deepened the kiss, tasting the hitch in her wife's breath as she sank into the moment like it was the only place she belonged.
Earn's lips quivered under the pressure, and when she finally drew back just enough to breathe, their foreheads rested together.
Fahlada kept her eyes closed, simply savoring the solace of being this close again, drawing strength from the feel of Earn's skin and the warmth of her breath with their hearts racing not only from the kiss but from a profound feeling of connection.
"The food's… getting cold. Aren't you hungry?" Earn mumbled, her voice came out tentative, almost shy.
A faint smile curved Fahlada's lips. "Yes… I'm… hungry, very hungry…" Her tone carried more than one meaning. With careful hands, she easily lifted Earn onto the table.
Fahlada paused when her wife felt almost weightless in her arms, 'too light,' and a fresh wave of guilt made her hesitate to go on, but Earn closed the gap between them, and she immediately acted with tender kisses along her wife's jawline, down to her neck.
Earn's breath caught, and when a soft sound escaped her lips, Fahlada's thoughts scattered.
Fahlada leaned in, claiming her wife's mouth again, pressing eagerly with a hunger that left them both breathless. Her teeth grazed Earn's lower lip in a teasing bite, and her hands moved with reverence, carefully slipping the dress from her wife's shoulders.
Each motion felt like peeling away the weight of the months that had passed between them.
Earn shivered as the cool air met her skin, pale and delicate in the morning light.
Fahlada responded instantly, warming her wife with gentle kisses along her collarbone—mouth lingering before trailing lower.
Fahlada's tongue traced a slow, teasing path across Earn's chest and stomach. When she heard Earn moan again, with a fuller sound, something deep inside her bloomed.
And in that moment, she knew, she was wanted.
She's home.
Earn's hands gripped Fahlada's shoulders, pulling her close as their lips met in a heated kiss. Earn's fingers slid along the crisp fabric of Fahlada's sleeves, working at the buttons while their tongues moved in sync, as the barriers between them fell away.
Fahlada's hands roamed instinctively, one cupping Earn's breast while her mouth lingered on the other, each touch drawing soft gasps from her wife. She slowed only to savor the warmth beneath her palms, tracing every curve as if she were discovering them all over again.
When the last barrier slipped away, she tugged the final piece of fabric aside with teasing care, using her mouth, revealing her intent unmistakably.
Earn's hand slipped up to Fahlada's face, her thumb brushing lightly against her skin, a wordless plea to pause. Fahlada drew back just enough to meet her wife's eyes. What she saw there was uncertainty, mixed with an undeniable need…
Earn needed her, and she will not let this slip away.
With that thought in mind, Fahlada leaned in again, letting their mouths meet with a fiercer, more insistent press, refusing to let any space slip between them. Her hands slid down the line of Earn's body, pausing at her wife's hip before moving lower. Her fingertips grazed the inside of Earn's thigh with a feather-light touch, a wordless request for permission to enter.
Earn fluttered at the sensation, her lips parting, breath catching in short, uneven gasps. She didn't pull away; she couldn't.
That reaction was all Fahlada needed. She felt Earn finally yield beneath her, a soft surrender that sent warmth rippling through them both.
Fahlada continued to caress Earn's body with light kisses in her lower abdomen, inching closer to the place she yearned the most, until she reached her sanctuary.
Earn's back arched, her chest rising into Fahlada's touch. She closed her eyes, biting her lips, giving in to the sensation. One hand slipped into Fahlada's hair, holding her there, guiding her.
Fahlada moved with a careful hunger and devotion until she tasted the sweetness of the woman she loved.
It wasn't desperate.
It was deliberate with purpose, a rediscovery of something nearly lost.
Every kiss was an apology: every touch, a vow.
No words were needed between them. The rhythm of their bodies said everything.
And in that tranquil, sacred space, they found each other again.
As they lay tangled together in the kitchen, sunlight dancing across the floor with Fahlada's long sleeves covering their bodies, Earn rested her head on her wife's chest. Her fingers lightly traced small circles against her wife's skin. She looked up and teased,
"I might have to reheat the food."
Fahlada sat up too and booped Earn's nose. "It's okay. I'll still eat it even if it's cold."
"Then you won't stop complaining about the cold food you ate," Earn remarked.
"Yeah, because that's what I do now—eat cold food and complain."
They shared a light laugh. The sound of Earn's voice was music to Fahlada's ears, something she hadn't heard in a while. Tears slipped down Fahlada's cheeks as she smiled and said,
"I missed you, and sorry for—"
Earn stopped her gently, wiping the tears in her wife's eyes.
"No more apologies. I love you…"
"I love you too, I'm so lucky to have you…" Fahlada whispered, not as a declaration, but as a truth. She bent toward to touch Earn's lips with hers, but Earn stopped her, placing her hands on Fahlada's chest.
"Let's continue this later. I want to take a bath, then let's go out instead. Want to go in the shower with me?" Earn said with a mischievous grin, her voice warm and inviting.
Fahlada sat still for a moment, her gaze lingered on her wife, not just looking, but seeing her. There was something different in Earn's eyes now.
A lightness. A spark.
It struck Fahlada unexpectedly. Earn was smiling, genuinely, and it wasn't the kind of smile she wore to hide pain.
It was playful, teasing, and real.
Without a word, Fahlada leaned forward and wrapped her arms around her, pulling her close. Her embrace was delicate but strong, as if she needed to feel Earn's heartbeat to know this moment was not a dream.
"Thank you, my love…" Fahlada whispered, her voice barely audible, lips brushing against Earn's temple.
Earn settled against her wife, resting her head on Fahlada's shoulder, her smile softening into something more tender. She closed her eyes for a second, letting herself be held, then said with a hint of mischief, "Thank you for what—waiting? For sex? You know nothing comes free…"
Fahlada laughed, and the strain between them melted, the morning light catching the hope in both their faces.
"I know you're my expensive wife, so I'll take you to whichever restaurant you want," Fahlada said with a small smile.
Earn chuckled softly, the sound light and unguarded. For a moment, they simply sat there, wrapped in the calm comfort of each other's presence.
Then, as they began to straighten the clothes scattered around them, Earn's eyes lingered on the long sleeves Fahlada was trying to put on. Her brow furrowed slightly, then lifted in amusement.
"Wait… those aren't yours, are they?" she asked, a teasing lilt in her voice. "They look… like Tan's."
Fahlada managed a small smile and simply said, "Yes… I stayed at Tan's for a while and borrowed some clothes. Mine were all dirty."
Earn's lips quirked into a faint smile. She wanted to ask more about how Fahlada had been last night, but decided not to press the matter. Instead, she diverted the conversation.
"By the way, Susi was telling me about a new project in the network… I think it might be interesting."
Fahlada raised her brows. "You're thinking of acting again? Are you sure you're ready?" She was worried. Earn still looked fragile, and acting meant long hours and stress.
"Just a small part. Something to keep my mind off things. Susi said the casting's still open."
Fahlada paused, scratching the back of her head, feeling torn. A part of her wanted to say no, to keep Earn close, protected, but she exhaled softly and nodded.
"Okay," she said, her voice gentle but steady. "Maybe that's a good thing. I think it'll help."
'This could be a good start, a new beginning that might help Earn heal better.'
Fahlada leaned in slowly, brushing a strand of hair from Earn's face before pressing a tender kiss to Earn's forehead. Her eyes lingered there for a moment, full of subtle guilt.
"I'm sorry again… For everything, and I want to conf—"
Earn slipped a finger lightly against Fahlada's lips, silencing her mid-word.
"Stop it, it's all good now." A faint, warm smile touched her face, her eyes soft with understanding, before she closed the distance, letting her lips brush against Fahlada's in a lingering kiss that carried more than words ever could.
Their moment was broken when Fahlada's phone buzzed on the table.
Earn's brow lifted slightly as she glanced at the screen before taking it and handing it to Fahlada.
"Tan-ya?" she said, curiosity flickering in her tone. "A colleague or a patient? Must be important to call this early."
Fahlada took the phone with a small nod, her expression composed.
"She's a colleague, an intern," she replied smoothly. "Dermatology ward."
For a second, she considered saying more. She had been trying earlier, but now that she had the chance to tell Earn about Tanya, about that night, about the kiss that almost happened, the words caught in her throat.
Fahlada looked at Earn, giving her the sweetest smile, and realized she wasn't about to stain the peace of this morning with unnecessary truths.
Nothinghappened anyway.
The phone rang again, its screen lighting up with Tanya's name.
Fahlada looked at it, then pressed the side button to silence the call.
"Shouldn't you take that?" Earn asked gently. "It might be an emergency."
"I'm taking today off," Fahlada said, with a soft smile tugging at her lips.
"Today is ours."