The steam from her coffee gets caught in a gust of wind. Perched on the window sill above her radiator it disappears then reappears, like the flow was replaced with another. Karen cautiously moves the cup closer to her. She doesn’t want the wind to turn her coffee cold too quickly. The window shouldn’t even be open, fall was finally giving way to winter. But Karen wasn’t quite ready to seal her apartment up for months on end. So the cold wind blows, now its relentlessness rustling up the flower pot of white roses that were also on the window sill. The petals and leaves shiver, brought to her only a few days ago by Frank.
“Okay fine.” she murmurs. She closes the window and looks down below. He’s on her mind, but then again when is he not? Especially now that he’s a stoic part of her routine. A few months ago he dropped in again. They hadn’t spoken since the hospital, she knew better to leave him be. He was not in a good place then and her directness about their relationship was brushed off. She was almost resigned to the way things ended but then there he was, standing in her doorway, asking for a way back into her good graces. Why he ever thought he was pushed out she’ll never...
It doesn’t matter now. He found his way back and that was enough. They spent that first night discussing their recent traumas. It takes them a week to catch them both up and most of the nights end with them in tight, overbearing hugs, crying at the absurdity of it all.
They get past it though and they commit to staying in touch, Frank vows to choose love over war from now on. He starts stopping by a few times a week. They have dinner or just drinks, depending on their moods. He’ll bring her flowers every time. They now talk about mundane topics and it all feels so right. For them it shouldn’t but their respective shitstorms have settled and for once it was nice to talk about co workers and subway delays or laugh at a puppy video on YouTube with him.
Karen pulls her dusty pink cardigan closer and clasps the top button. She turns to the case file she put down on the love seat. She should really prep, Amy Bendix is in hot water again and she has turn to Nelson and Murdock for help. No doubt they were recommended by Frank. She sits back down, opens Amy’s case file. Karen laughs at the amount of identities this girl has racked up.
Just then the locks on her door begin to turn. Karen goes still but quickly remembers. Frank insisted for two whole weeks on not having a key to her place. But after a slightly embarrassing climb in through her bedroom window and their schedules not always lining up it wasn’t long until Karen put that spare key into his palm and he accepted it with silent gratitude.
The door opens and Karen gives Frank a quick wave. She takes a sip of her coffee and feigns going back to the file but she doesn’t get past Amy’s aliases. Frank puts his backpack down and hangs his coat. Out of the corner of her eye she sees him come into the living room. He’s been completely bruise and injury free since his return and Karen still can’t get over it. He looks human, real. Not some harbinger of death or broken parts barely stitched together.
“So uh, Amy told me you took her case.”
“Yup. The arraignment is on Monday.” Karen confirms.
“The boys give you a hard time?”
“Eh, not really. They are worried about her past... activities. But Matt knew Amy wasn’t lying about taking the money.”
“You think they’ll be able to avoid jail time for her?”
“Oh definitely. She might have to do community service though...”
He shrugs. “The kid can take it.”
She laughs. Frank crosses to her and stands behind the seat.
“Anything good?”
“Oh have you not read this?”
He chuckles.
“Just kind of skimmed it...”
His hand rests on her shoulder. Both of them are still for a spell. Karen keeps chickening out on placing her hand on his. But then she feels it. A soft pressure on the crown of her head.
“Frank...”
“I’m sorry was that...”
“No, no.” She shifts in the seat and looks up at him. He’s trying to hide it but he’s scared shitless. A line was crossed and they’re gonna have to have an actual discussion about this relationship but Karen knows she doesn’t want to go back. She takes his hand and has it cross over so that it’s on her left shoulder. She grips his fingers and he catches up. A second later he crouches over the seat and into the hug she had made for them. The temples of their heads are touching and their breathing synchronizes. They stay like this for a while with only the sounds of the wind and her radiator accompanying them.
“Thank you.”
“It’ll be fine Frank. Amy has nothing...”
“No. Thank you. For letting me back in.”
He kisses her temple. God she wants him to kiss her. It feels like it could be possible now...
“You hungry?”
On cue her stomach rumbles. “I guess so.”
“Don’t worry. I got it.”
He stands back up and heads to the kitchen.
Karen closes Amy’s file and picks up her mug. They’ll have plenty of time to talk about her case. But right now dinner needs to be made.
