Who knows… maybe even Ethan will finally stop giving me the cold shoulder.
I glance at Ceci, her eyes closed in the passenger seat. Since we left the restaurant, she hasn’t said a word, just fastened her seatbelt and retreated into silence. Alicia, meanwhile, fills the car with chatter, and I do my best to keep pace. Ethan had a last-minute plan with his friends and didn’t come along.
I let his absence slide. Tonight, I only wanted peace. Still, I asked Ceci to speak with him and suggested we all try going out together again on Sunday.
Throughout dinner, Ceci kept the conversation anchored to Alicia and the plans she and Ethan have for the weekend. She smiled the entire time, but it wasn’t joy that stayed with her. It was something else. Nostalgia, maybe. I tap my fingers against the steering wheel, unsettled by a feeling I can’t quite place.
I pull into the garage, and we come in through the kitchen. Alicia offers a quick goodnight and disappears upstairs. Ceci starts to say something about checking on Ethan, but before she reaches the stairs, I take her hand and stop her.
“Dance with me?”
She blinks. “Dance?”
I smile. “Yes, my love.” I draw her gently toward me and set All the Way by Frank Sinatra to repeat on the living roomsystem. With Ceci in my arms, our hearts falling into the same rhythm, it feels like this is how things were always meant to be.
“Do you remember the first time we danced to this?” I murmur as the melody loops again. “At our wedding?”
Her answer is so soft I almost miss it. “Yes.”
“Every time I touch you,” I say quietly, “every time I hold you, it still feels like the first time.”
I draw her closer, but before the song fades, Ceci slips from my arms. Her eyes shine, bright with tears she won’t let fall.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, lifting her face gently in my hands.
“My head is killing me. I just need to take something and sleep.”
I kiss her forehead, then scoop her into my arms. She rests her head against my shoulder as I carry her upstairs, Sinatra’s voice cutting into silence the moment I switch off the system with a quiet command.
While she changes, I look for her medication. Once she’s settled beneath the covers, I hand her a pill and a glass of water, my hand lingering on hers as if releasing it might fracture the moment.
I take the glass from her and lean down to kiss her forehead. “I’m just going to change. I’ll be right back.”
A few minutes later, I slide into bed and draw her into my arms. She comes easily, without a word.
“You need to get this headache checked,” I murmur, my fingers threading through her hair. “It’s happening too often.”
Then I let the silence close in around us. If she won’t see a doctor soon, I’ll take her myself.
Her breathing steadies. Only then do I release a long breath of my own. I hate seeing her in pain.
“I love you, Ceci.”
I press one last kiss to her forehead and close my eyes, letting sleep take me, with her safe in my arms.
The moment the plane touches down in San Jose and we step off, I unlock my phone and call Ceci.
No answer.
She’s probably still asleep.
I send a text instead.
Me:Hope you wake up feeling better. Call me as soon as you can. I love you.
I collect our suitcases, and we find the driver without delay. During the entire ride, my gaze keeps drifting back to my phone. Still nothing from Ceci. Eventually, I decide to text Ethan.
Me:Keep an eye on your mom, okay? She wasn’t feeling well yesterday and has been dealing with a lot of headaches lately. I love you, son.
