Playing House: Tea Time   Chapter One

by shev

Tonight was playing out much like every other night. I went straight to our bedroom, feeling my way around the dark halls. His steady breathing told me I was right, he was asleep. I sighed deeply and thought about my favorite moment with Heero in the snow up in the mountains coming home from his friend’s mother’s cabin. We weren’t married then and I was a giddy girl in love with him.

Getting under the covers I closed my eyes and wrapped my arms around myself, letting the memory take over my senses.

A familiar ache took over and I felt my eyes moist-again. "God," I moaned, "I’m such a sap." I smiled into the darkness, I smiled at the irony of my teenage girl dream that I was living. I smiled just to see if I still could.

Of course I could. That strong will girl who fought for vegetarian hot-dogs with the god of death that one afternoon was still down there somewhere, screaming to be let out. All I needed now was the opportunity. A chance to stop pretending.

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"Relena?"

I smiled into the vidcam. "Heero."

Heero wiped his forehead. "What do you need?" Is it a crime to call your husband without a need? I felt slightly hurt bubble up from deep within but I let it passed, titling it the familiar feeling as hunger. I let everything pass now of days.

"Actually, I have a surprise for you. Meet me at my office at noon?"

"I can’t, I have to-" Here I had to lean forward and give my best Yuy glare. Runs in the family. Blood related or not.

"No," I cut him of sharply. "Your meeting me at my office at noon Heero. Don’t argue."

Heero frowned quite dramatically for his usual stoic features. "Relena, I said I have to be some-"

I took the begging route. "Please, Heero? Just this once? Indulge me in some romance for just a mere moment and then we can go back our separate ways as if it didn’t happen." I said it so bluntly, I didn’t think. I watched Heero pause for a moment until he answered slowly.

"Fine. Noon."

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"You have no idea where we are, do you?" I asked, fonding the memory of our first time here two years ago when Heero asked me out of the blue to meet him here. I savored an ice cube melting on my tongue as I watched Heero shrug carelessly.

"Daves Cafe." Heero responded before taking another sip of his coke. I nodded and folded my hands in my lap. Yup. He was always straight forward and smart. I decided to not push the issue any further. Perhaps he doesn’t remember, or feel the irony of it all.

Silence hung for a long, awkward moment. Perhaps that was what our marriage was. One long, awkward moment. Would it ever pass? Would hell ever settle in? Sometimes I wished Heero would yell at me rather than just keep his mouth shut. I can’t read his mind., doesn’t he get that yet?

"Is that why you wanted to come here Relena? This is where we met up again?" He asked.

Is there hope yet? Was he trying to crack open my brain? Did he know I was unhappy and I was trying to get back whatever moments we once had. And when did I convert to asking stupid questions in my head? "Pathetic." Heero looked confused. Did I say that out loud? " I mean, I know I’m pathetic Heero. I just thought it was..." I sighed. I didn’t even know what I was trying to say. Heero brushed a strand of his hair out of his face and at least looked like he was listening to my blabber. That’s a first. "Well, I mean, last week Duo took Hilde out to dinner at the restaurant he proposed at. I guess it’s suppose to be a romance thing."

Yup. A romance thing. A ‘thing’ I’ve grown desperate for.

Heero looked thoughtful for a moment before he smiled the first time in ages. "How romantic can this place be?"

Despite myself and my current condition, I laughed.

That eased things for both of us. We both decided to order a plate of onion rings to split. They weren’t any good, but just the sheer thought of sharing cheap onion rings made me feel all giddy inside. We didn’t talk much about work. In fact, we didn’t speak much at all. All though it was still a bit awkward, I didn’t feel uncomfortable anymore. It felt right. Sitting there, watching him, my mind began to wander back.

His mother’s back was fading up the stairway, the snow alluding the empty space, showing no evidence that she or that tiny cabin was still there......

"Heero, I want to go back to the cabin." It wasn’t until I said the words that I realized how much I had been longing to return back to where it all began. Back when ‘we’ as a ‘we’ began. Heero leaned forward and loosened his gaze. I felt I needed to justify myself. "You know, go back, see Tsuo’s mother. I think we should have a vacation. The two of us." Might be good for us. I didn’t say that part. That was too deep.

This was the first time anything was mentioned about the cabin trip. Sometimes things were implied but in general, it was something of the past. A dark shadow that needed to be closed. A dark shadow that I missed. It was the maker of our relationship and when we left it, our relationship stayed behind.  But there is a pro side here about going back. Going back meant we had to be in character again. That meant Heero would start to act like he did before. Normal. Normal implies romance and bingo! I get my lovin’ time.

My grin grew. Damn I’m good.

"Do you really want to go back?" I nodded honestly. "Then I want to go back too." His hand covered mine and he gave me a gentle smile. One so tender that I felt like I was about to fall in love again. Chills began to form his thumb brushed over mine and I sighed contentedly.

Perhaps, things were going to be all right.

He slid over his side of the booth and stood up pausing for me to join his level. I took a sip of the water to get one last piece of ice cube to suck on before sliding out.

I heard him chuckle as I passed him by and headed to the check register.

The deja vu seemed to play itself out, and this time I chuckled too.