Floating WIP Day - Spiegelbilder edition
Chess nights were a lot of different things on different days, but mainly they were as much an abstract concept as they were a promise. The first because more often than not they simply did not happen, getting delayed, postponed or altogether canceled due to work, or work, or life. And even if they weren’t, that work and work and life didn’t just cease to exist and hovered above at least one of them to some annoyingly present extent. But they were just as much a promise for one another to try to push that aside as much as possible and to keep it out for as much or little time they were given or could defend for the sake of their own sanity.
Chess nights were holy moments of blissful indulgence, ignoring the real life background noise constantly buzzing in their heads like a really nasty tinnitus, saying right here, right now, for as long as we get - this is it. This is important. I am. You are. In all of this, we’re here. We’re alive. We matter, too, you do, and I.
Chess nights carried a lot of weight in that sense, and quite frankly sometimes it was just about drinking all that noise away.
Alex cracked an awry grin when Dave opened the door at twenty past eleven. “We can pretend it’s still eight, right?” There was a stubborn ease in her voice that went astray, as well as a certain extent of despair and annoyance she was too tired to cover up.
Their long planned Friday night date had first gotten postponed twice over the past weeks due to the day job and then delayed another day on short notice through the night job so that the few extra hours this night should really carry no extra weight whatsoever - but by now, Alex was, well, not necessarily complaining, but really close to being seriously flustered. She had been looking forward to this, as a treat, and needing it. But now the outlook of a few relaxed hours of mindless fun were already overshadowed by counting minutes until her next day shift at the club was about to begin.
“Long day, huh?”, Dave greeted her with a kiss on the cheek as usual, being met with a grumpy “More like a long month” while Alex followed him inside. Given it was June the third, Dave didn’t need to do any math to be able to tell exactly what kind of day it had been.
She cut him before he could even come close to finish his question. “I have done enough talking for the day. All I want is to stick to our plan and have a careless eight to twelve.” A quick rumble through her backpack and she pulled out a cheap bottle of wine. “I did pick that up on the way here but I’ll drink whatever you provide.”
He took the bottle from her with a mixture of bewildered amusement and open pity. “Appreciated, but I think we can do better than that. When do you need to leave?”
Alex groaned. “Don’t make me think about leaving when I barely arrived.”
A quick flustered snort. “Yah, fine. Ten, maybe ten thirty if I’m being really ignorant.”
“So more like nine thirty.”
“I don’t wanna leave at nine thirty” she objected, but got shushed by Dave.
“Ten is fine, so is nine, and until then do turn off your phone and that pretty head of yours and just trust me to keep the schedule for you, okay?”
Exhaustion got the better of her and made her shoot back impulsively. “Dave, we don’t have time to argue-“
This time, Dave cut her more determined. “Okay okay okay, hold on for a second. It might be eleven instead of eight but that doesn’t mean we ain’t got time and need to rush, right?”
Alex stared at him for a moment but was met with a far more relaxed pair of eyes staring back at her with that incredible even temper she both valued and that amazed her so much about him, and another inquiring “Right?”
Even if she wanted to win the stare down, she wouldn’t win it tonight - and quite frankly, she didn’t want to either.
“Right”, she said, letting out a long sigh. “Fine. I know. It’s just really-“
“Been a month”, Dave finished for her. “Understood. And that’s one more reason to take a breath and unwind. Can’t rush through that, can we?”
“You’re here to take a breather, not to cross off a to-do list. So undress and make yourself a home, and I’ll go get something to drink.”
Alex rolled her eyes with a defeated grin. “Yes, Sir.”
Dave smirked. “Good girl.”
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