Rachel felt a smile spreading on her face when she opened the door. He smiled back at her, his head slightly tilted to the side, his hands in his pockets.

"Hi."
"Hi."
Chris stepped inside. Rachel laid her hand on his chest and slowly moved forward to kiss him. He put his arms around her in response. When their lips met, it was as if everything fell of Rachel, all her worries about the past day and the future. She was just present in the moment, focussing on nothing else but how soft his lips felt and how safe she felt in his arms.

Lindsey was staring at the piece of paper from her bed. When she had heard Rachel walk down the stairs, she had needed all her self-control not to get up and run after her. She wanted to hold Rachel back and beg her to stay. But she remained where she was, until Rachel's steps faded and she heard the front door shut. The whole house seemed to become deadly quiet, like no one lived there anymore.

Rachel took Chris's hand wordlessly and walked with him up the stairs to her bedroom. She did not want to lose this feeling of being completely in the present. She just wanted to be with him, no distracting thoughts, no worries, no talking, just to be with him, as close as possible, with nothing in the way between them.

Lindsey could not restrain herself any longer. She slid off her bed and crawled towards the piece of paper. Her heart was beating fast. Laying down on the floor, she took it in her hand carefully. She stroked along the numbers with her fingertips. Her heart ached, but she wasn't sure why. In a way, she felt immensely comforted and equally alone at the same time.

Rachel was lying with her head resting on Chris's chest, her arms wrapped tightly around her. He was holding her, occasionally gently stroking her back and her hair. They still hadn't spoken much. Gradually, Rachel felt how her mind was drawn away from this moment, from the two of them together, back to Lindsey, back to the last two days. She knew that this was inevitable, but she still sighed.
"What is it?" Chris asked gently.
Rachel did not know what to respond.
"You're worried." It wasn't question.
"It was a difficult day for me."
"I know," Chris kissed the top of her head und held her more closely.
"I don't think I've done enough. Or if I've done too much. I don't know anything anymore," Rachel whispered powerlessly.
"You've done what you felt was right, and I'm sure you've done your best. I trust your intuition."
Rachel did not have the energy to voice her doubts or to argue about her abilities, so she just left his words hanging in the air, listening to his heartbeat.