It was the smell that kept hitting Ariadne first when she woke. The alien smell of over-washed linen sheets with a harsh,chemical tinge. At least the place seemed to be clean.
“It’s about time you woke up,” said a voice, deep and smooth. “If I don’t leave soon a nurse will be around to tell me that visiting hours are over, and nurses make me nervous. I keep getting worried that they’re going to ask to check my pulse.”
Ariadne sat up carefully and examined the speaker very closely. Johann had explained a little of what had happened to Marko but she hadn’t expected that the change would be so profound. It wasn’t external: he looked the same, sounded the same. There was still something lopsided about him, although he spoke more fluidly. The change seemed to be inside her. It was a similar sensation to the moment when her bond with Jules had been broken, but that had replaced someone she thought she knew with a stranger. This shift had restored someone who made her cheeks feel slightly hot and prickly when she looked at him too long. Especially when he smiled at her the way he was smiling at her.
“You seem so different,” he grinned.
She folded her theatrically and gave him a hard stare. If she let her tender side surface for much longer she knew she’d end up a snivelling mess, and so she raised the fortifications.
“Well I don’t know why I seem different, you’re the one who has changed. Unless you’re talking about the broken bones?”
“For the first time since I’ve been back, my mind is clear and I can look at you without that blasted compulsion to be servile. You feel like you felt when I was alive. With a few more grey hairs. And currently, a few more broken bones. It’s like I’ve finally got you back.”
“Yes,” she replied, almost in a whisper. “I feel similarly.”
He leaned in close to her. It would have felt right if they had been able to melt into some steamy, passionate romantic scene, delighting in the restoration of their relationship to its fullest, but considering Ariadne’s awkward situation, a gentle but passionate kiss had to suffice. Ariadne took his cold hands in hers and said in a low whisper, “Please tell me this is permanent Marko, if it’s not…”
“I don’t know”, he sighed, ”But I don’t see why it shouldn’t be. Anna’s taken your place as my ah… boss? And I think she can handle this sort of thing. Now I know you’re out of the woods I’ll have to go and talk to her about it all, we’ll know more then.”
“I’ve missed you so, so much. Don’t let it go to your head, but I think getting our marriage back is worth getting hit by a car.”
“That might be the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“HAH! You poor man.”
“You still look very rough, you know. You should get some rest. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
He smiled at her, a loving gaze lingering sympathetically on her bruised face and her bloodshot eyes, and tucked the sheets in around her as delicately as a lumbering ghoul could.He tried to leave the room quietly, but hesitated in the doorway.
“I was thinking… about the antiques shop?”
Ariadne stained to sit up again and raised an eyebrow quizzically as he hurried back to the bed.
“It’s a good little outfit, but have you ever considered that the real money is auction houses. I mean that’s where you buy a lot of your items from, isn’t it? And you pay extortionate fees to them too, I bet.”
“Yes. But it would require investing in a new building somewhere, and I’d need an auctioneer. Someone who has a loud voice, drum up a bit of excitement about the items and who can keep their numbers straight.”
“Hmm. I wonder where you’d find someone like that. I’ll see you later, Ariadne.”
With a grin that was distinctly rakish, Marko exited the room. Ariadne turned over and thought she should try to sleep, but knew she would struggle. Previously the pain in her leg had been a problem, but now it was butterflies in her stomach.
“It’s about time you woke up,” said a voice, deep and smooth. “If I don’t leave soon a nurse will be around to tell me that visiting hours are over, and nurses make me nervous. I keep getting worried that they’re going to ask to check my pulse.”
Ariadne sat up carefully and examined the speaker very closely. Johann had explained a little of what had happened to Marko but she hadn’t expected that the change would be so profound. It wasn’t external: he looked the same, sounded the same. There was still something lopsided about him, although he spoke more fluidly. The change seemed to be inside her. It was a similar sensation to the moment when her bond with Jules had been broken, but that had replaced someone she thought she knew with a stranger. This shift had restored someone who made her cheeks feel slightly hot and prickly when she looked at him too long. Especially when he smiled at her the way he was smiling at her.
“You seem so different,” he grinned.
She folded her theatrically and gave him a hard stare. If she let her tender side surface for much longer she knew she’d end up a snivelling mess, and so she raised the fortifications.
“Well I don’t know why I seem different, you’re the one who has changed. Unless you’re talking about the broken bones?”
“For the first time since I’ve been back, my mind is clear and I can look at you without that blasted compulsion to be servile. You feel like you felt when I was alive. With a few more grey hairs. And currently, a few more broken bones. It’s like I’ve finally got you back.”
“Yes,” she replied, almost in a whisper. “I feel similarly.”
He leaned in close to her. It would have felt right if they had been able to melt into some steamy, passionate romantic scene, delighting in the restoration of their relationship to its fullest, but considering Ariadne’s awkward situation, a gentle but passionate kiss had to suffice. Ariadne took his cold hands in hers and said in a low whisper, “Please tell me this is permanent Marko, if it’s not…”
“I don’t know”, he sighed, ”But I don’t see why it shouldn’t be. Anna’s taken your place as my ah… boss? And I think she can handle this sort of thing. Now I know you’re out of the woods I’ll have to go and talk to her about it all, we’ll know more then.”
“I’ve missed you so, so much. Don’t let it go to your head, but I think getting our marriage back is worth getting hit by a car.”
“That might be the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me.”
“HAH! You poor man.”
“You still look very rough, you know. You should get some rest. I’ll be back soon, I promise.”
He smiled at her, a loving gaze lingering sympathetically on her bruised face and her bloodshot eyes, and tucked the sheets in around her as delicately as a lumbering ghoul could.He tried to leave the room quietly, but hesitated in the doorway.
“I was thinking… about the antiques shop?”
Ariadne stained to sit up again and raised an eyebrow quizzically as he hurried back to the bed.
“It’s a good little outfit, but have you ever considered that the real money is auction houses. I mean that’s where you buy a lot of your items from, isn’t it? And you pay extortionate fees to them too, I bet.”
“Yes. But it would require investing in a new building somewhere, and I’d need an auctioneer. Someone who has a loud voice, drum up a bit of excitement about the items and who can keep their numbers straight.”
“Hmm. I wonder where you’d find someone like that. I’ll see you later, Ariadne.”
With a grin that was distinctly rakish, Marko exited the room. Ariadne turned over and thought she should try to sleep, but knew she would struggle. Previously the pain in her leg had been a problem, but now it was butterflies in her stomach.
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