The sun had long since dipped below the horizon, and the moon, a pale, lonely crescent, now hung high in the dark, cloudless sky. Eric stood by the window of the drawing room, watching the gate, waiting. He kept waiting. The small showers of rain that fell for like a minute brought a chill in the night air that was palpable, seeping through the glass, but he didn't notice it. He pulled his gold pocket watch from his vest for what must have been the twentieth time. The hands pointed to a late hour.
"She should be home by now, shouldn't she?" he said to the empty room.
He had spent the remainder of the day trying to work, trying to focus on contracts and shipments, but his mind kept drifting back to her. The memory of her shy, beautiful smile as she looked at him when she came down the stairs earlier that day. He had given her space, respecting her need to know what she wanted, but now, the space was beginning to feel like a cold, empty void.
