“Well, excuse me for being confused.” Andy narrowed her eyes at Frazer. “We’ve barely seen you for months. I thought you’d renounced everything, let alone women and sex.”

The image of Cora on Frazer’s desk sprung into her mind, and she was glad it was dark so they wouldn’t notice the heat in her cheeks.

“What was that?” Rob was eyeing her.

It was dark, wasn’t it?

“What?” Frazer asked.

Andy nodded. “I saw it, too. She twitched when I said ‘sex.’”

“I did not!”

“Oh, honey, yes you did. Has it been that long?”

Frazer let out a breath. “Yes. That must’ve been it. Help me?”

She made pitiful eyes at both of them.

“Frazer.” Andy leant forward. “Of course we’ll help you. We’ve been wanting to forever.”

As they argued between themselves about who to set her up with, Frazer took a sip of her drink. Maybe if she could get out there, she could wash her mind of Cora. Because Frazer needed to be Cora’s friend.

And maybe this would help.

* * *

Cora was feeling something akin to panic. Or maybe not akin, but, instead, actual, mind-consuming panic.

Her skin was prickling; everything felt hot and uncomfortable. Was she breathing too quickly? She tried to pay attention to it to but couldn’t. Which probably meant she was.

It was rare Alec was home so early. Rare that they were together at this time. It felt like it grated against what was normal.

He sat on one end of the couch, his laptop on. His feet were up on the coffee table. There were times, when they were quiet, she could almost imagine that she could keep doing this. There were times when she wasn’t unhappy.

Was that enough? Was that how she wanted to spend her life, settling on and living for the times she was afloat somewhere between happy and unhappy? Waiting for the next thing to bring her back down? Did she want to always be checking her words, dancing around him to keep him happy?

No.

The television was on, but she was having trouble focussing on it—on anything, really.

When did she tell him she wanted a divorce? How did she choose the right moment? Last time had not gone well. But she needed him to hear her this time. Dr Massey had given her tools she could use to stop his words from changing her mind. But Cora wanted another session with her first. She wanted to feel like she was in charge of her emotions.

It took everything she had not to jump when he dropped his foot over hers on the coffee table. He smiled at her from the other side of the couch.

“It’s nice to be home in the evening.”