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“Hey, babe?”
When no response was forthcoming, Ellie set the photo frame aside and started towards the kitchen. It had been just over two-months, and she was finally getting around to re-hanging some of their nineties-era desert art, only recently rediscovered locked away with dusty photographs, sentimental knickknacks, and two yearning hearts, tucked out of sight but never forgotten.
Ellie finally rounded the corner and entered the kitchen to catch an almost imperceptible shake of Alan’s head before he turned to face her.
“Yeah?”
Ellie took a beat to eye him up, his tone not quite right, and the question in his eyes barely covering something else she couldn’t name.
“Alan?” Ellie asked gently, taking a step towards him and resting her palm on his chest over his denim button-down. “Where'd you go?”
He tried to brush it off with another small shake of his head, as he turned back toward the coffeemaker. “Doesn’t matter.”
“Tell me.”
Alan pursed his lips and clenched his jaw as even her words sent him back again to her dining room, over twenty-years past -- an untouched piece of cheesecake in front of him, a fussing baby in the next room, his heart on his sleeve, and hers in the pocket of another man.
Ellie watched him set the mug down and half-turn towards her, clearly weighing the pros and cons of whatever admission he was about to make. He breathed out a sigh and flicked his eyes to hers briefly.
“Babe,” he finally admitted, with a small cringe. “Took me back to dinner with Mark.”
Ellie grimaced and frowned, sidling up next to him, before bumping his shoulder with her own.
“Sorry, honey.”
“It’s nothing,” he insisted, as he finished refreshing his cup and offered the kettle instead to Ellie. “Did uh--” Alan cleared his throat and leaned back against the kitchen island, his eyes on his coffee. “You ever call Mark ‘honey’?”
Ellie finished pouring and then set the kettle on the counter. She turned to fully face him but held her tongue until he finally raised his head to meet her eye. Her gaze was solemn and earnest, and Alan's brow furrowed at her intensity.
“No.”
He let a small, wistful smile quirk the corner of his mouth, before he nodded and glanced away.
“Hey,” Ellie continued, stepping forward now, and taking his mug from him before setting it next to them on the island and moving into his arms. She slid her fingers along the side of his face, and Alan closed his eyes briefly, savoring the warmth of her palm. “I love you.”
Alan fully smiled this time and opened his eyes. “I know.”
“You know?” Ellie goaded playfully when he didn’t return the sentiment, sliding her hands down his body until they rested at his waist.
Alan leaned forward and puckered his lips, waiting for Ellie to lean the final few inches before he met her in the middle with a soft kiss. “I love you too.”
“Damn right.”