“Six months minus one week to go,” Evie said softly.
Maggie pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “We can do that, surely,”
“Can we though?” Evie shifted to face her more fully. “Because today sucked. Watching you walk past me in the atrium like we barely know each other. Sitting in separate conferences. Not being able to grab coffee or debrief a difficult case or just... exist near you.”
“I know,” Maggie said. “But the alternative?—”
“I know,” Evie interrupted. “I’m not saying I want to quit. I’m just saying it sucks.”
“It really does,” Maggie agreed.
They sat in the quiet for a moment, the weight of separation still clinging to them despite being home.
“My mom called today,” Evie said eventually. “She wants me to come home for Thanksgiving. Four days in Sacramento.”
Maggie felt something twist in her chest—immediate, irrational panic.Don’t leave me.
But what she said was: “That sounds good. You should go.”
Evie studied her face. “You could come with me.”
“Evie—”
“I know,” Evie said quickly. “I know we’re supposed to be careful. But it’s Thanksgiving. And my mom really wants to meet you. I’ve told her about you.”
Maggie’s breath caught. “You have?”
“Of course I have.” Evie smiled softly. “She knows I’m seeing someone. She knows it’s complicated. She knows I’m happy. She wants to meet the woman who makes me smile when I’m on the phone.”
The tenderness in those words made Maggie’s throat tight.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Maggie said carefully. “Not yet. Not while we’re still under restriction.”
She watched disappointment flicker across Evie’s face before she masked it.
“Oh, okay,” Evie said. “Then I’ll go alone.”
“I want you to go,” Maggie said, even though every instinct was screaming at her to ask Evie to stay. “Spend time with your family. I’ll be fine.”
“Will you?” Evie challenged gently. “Or will you spend four days alone in this apartment spiraling?”
“I’ll be fine,” Maggie repeated, with more confidence than she felt.
Evie didn’t look convinced, but she let it drop.
That night, lying in bed with Evie already asleep beside her, Maggie stared at the ceiling and tried not to think about four days alone. Four days of Thanksgiving without anyone. Four days of proving she could handle separation without falling apart.
She picked up her phone and texted Dr. Kim.
Session available this week? Could use a check-in.
The response came two minutes later.
Thursday 2pm. See you then.
Thanksgiving week arrived with gray skies and the threat of rain that never quite materialized.
Evie left Wednesday afternoon, pressing a long kiss to Maggie’s lips in the doorway of the apartment, neither of them caring that a neighbor might see.
