“Look,” I say before she can talk herself out of it. “You need rest, and I want to help. I’ll stay until you fall asleep. I have some work to do anyway.”

A crisp nod is my only response, but I’ll take it. The cold tile floor bites into my palms as I press against it to stand up. I reach out to help her up, but she stands by herself. I try to remind myself that’s a good sign rather than feel the sting of her choosing not to allow me to touch her again. She retreats into the bathroom, and I hear the water running from the sink faucet. I busy myself with digging my laptop and some papers out of my bag, so when she emerges from the bathroom and closes herself in her bedroom, I’m not looking at her.

After a few minutes, I’m left wondering if I should set myself up on her couch or her table. As I’m weighing my options, her bedroom door opens. She’s not standing there like I expect her to be, but it seems as clear an invitation as any. I gather up my things and peek inside the door. She’s snuggled under the comforter, her face turned away from me and her brown hair falling in waves over her pillow. Her body is tucked all the way to the right side of the bed, and there’s a space on the left. Every other light in the room is off except for the one on the left-hand nightstand.

She left a space for me.

Swallowing thickly, I walk around the bed and sit on top of the blankets, stretching my legs out and crossing them at the ankle. Scarlett’s face is visible to me now, her eyes closed and her expression slowly relaxing. She must have been exhausted to slip into sleep this fast.

I tell myself I’ll work for an hour until she’s more deeply asleep, and then I’ll leave. That was what I told her, and though I could stare at her all night, I don’t want to freak her out. So I wiggle a bit to get more comfortable and drag my laptop to my lap.

It isn’t long before I become focused on my work. The book I’m working on isn’t the most interesting, but it’s fine. Working on Scarlett’s manuscript while I’m sitting next to her would feel too much like times long gone, so this one will have to do.

My fingers quietly glide over the keyboard, and I let the sound of the keys lull me into a rhythm. I always did my best work sitting next to Scarlett. It would seem that hasn’t changed in all these years, either.