"I need to ask you something," Annabelle said without preamble.
Lily looked up from her computer, eyebrows raised. "Hello to you too."
"Sorry. Hello. How are you? Good? Good. I need to ask you something."
"So I gathered." Lily leaned back in her chair. "What's wrong?"
"I need…" Annabelle took a deep breath. "I need to take a sabbatical."
Lily's expression didn't change. "A sabbatical."
"Yes."
"Not something that primary school teachers generally take. More under the auspices of university professors, I think."
"I know. But I need one. To travel. With Raven. For her tour."
There was a long pause.
"Annabelle," Lily said carefully, "where is this coming from?"
"She's leaving," Annabelle said, the words tumbling out now. "She said things can't stay like this forever, and she's right, the commuting is exhausting for her, and I've been thinking, maybe if I go with her, we can make it work properly, and I know it's a lot to ask but…"
"Stop." Lily held up a hand. "Have you actually talked to Raven about this?"
"Not exactly."
"Meaning not at all."
"She's in London until tomorrow."
Lily sighed. "Annabelle, you know I love you, but you have to stop trying to fix everything."
"I'm not trying to fix things!" Annabelle protested. "I'm just asking. That's different, isn't it? I'm just… adapting to circumstances. Being flexible."
"Is that what we're calling it?"
"I have to know if it’s possible before I bring it up with her, don’t I? And I just want us to be happy. Both of us."
Lily studied her for a long moment. "And you think giving up your job and following her around the world is going to make you happy?"
"I don't know," Annabelle admitted. "But I have to try something."
Another pause. Then Lily nodded slowly. "Well, I suppose teachers take parental leave for a year, so I don’t see why we couldn’t make this work. Alright. If that's what you really want, I'll see what I can arrange. But Annabelle?"
"Yes?"
"Remember that you can't fix every problem. Sometimes people have to work things out themselves."
"I know," Annabelle said, even though she wasn't sure she believed it.
But Lily agreed, and that was the important thing. Annabelle left the library feeling lighter than she had in days. See? She wasn't trying to fix things. She was being proactive. There was a difference.
She spent the rest of the day planning. By the time school ended, she'd decided to arrange a little celebration at the pub when Raven got back tomorrow. Nothing fancy, just a drink to celebrate… well, to celebrate the new chapter they were about to start together.
Perfect.
Everything was going to be perfect.
