I take her hand and lead her though the downstairs. She looks around in amazement "wow Morgan it's beautiful" she says, taking in the house, the art, the quirky colours, and the large space of it.

It was a house of windows, art on every wall, Annie's stamp, lots of expensive art, and the house was modern and extremely white everywhere but the walls. The kitchen side I jumped up onto was just as white and shiny. Leah turns and smiles taking me in and walking over. She slips between my legs, her hands resting on my thighs, and her forehead pressing to mine. Her bright blue eyes crease up into a smile "So this week... is it a week of walks and talks with kissing or is it a walk and talk and an invitation to do more" she asks.

I lean forward, taking her cheeks in my hands and kiss her. My fingers run up through her hair, drawing her closer. Her hands run up my hips, circling my back and lowering to the plumper flesh of my rear as she drew me to her. Her stomach pressed firmly to the centre of me. I wanted nothing more than for Leah to ravage me but I didn't want this to just be physical. I had to go slower. I had to dial it back and do all the other things I craved, to hold her hand, to talk, and to know everything about her. I wanted to kiss her repeatedly until we were tangled limbs heavy petting and sweaty and a hella horny, but I wanted the sex to come later. Painfully later, to the point both of us felt like we may self combust with the throb of it between our legs. Leah had to be a love that I floated through the stages of intimacy with. I didn't want to ruin my memory of this. It had to be danced too, and I was ready to dance.

I break away from the kiss when the phone rings on the kitchen side. The home phone nobody ever rang. "Let me get that"

She reluctantly moves aside as I jump down and cross the kitchen, picking the phone up "hello" I answer.

There is silence on the other end "hello" I ask again. I shrug and place the phone back down "must be a weird sales call" I suggest.

I walk back over and press myself into Leah's body, my arms wrapping around her as she does the same to me "I won't ever get over holding you in the flesh... you feel and smell so good" I say, resting my cheek on her chest.

She leans down and kisses my forehead "so do you" she whispers.

***

As Annie put the phone down she stared back to the monitor as she watched me walk into Leah's arms, and her anger, it boiled and boiled until she picked up a photo of us from her desk and flung it hard against the far wall of her office. The picture of us was covered in shards of glass as it hit the floor. She had checked in to the camera after she had put the kids to bed, and instead of finding me alone, she discovered me on the kitchen counter, with an attractive young woman between my legs. Leah's hands running up my thighs. Annie's teeth clench together. Someone had put their hands on her wife, and kissed her. She watched then as my hands ran through Leah's hair, and she almost imploded with unbridled rage. Someone else was the object of my affection, and my heart and my body were now being touched by another. She couldn't bear it, and yet she couldn't look away. She would watch every second of it, even find herself aroused in part as she would later in the week watch me be intimate with her. A violation you couldn't imagine.

***

"Morgan I'm rather concerned" Leah remarks as I bring us both over a glass of wine. She is sat comfortably on the couch looking around the room. I hand her the glass and she takes it as I slip onto the couch beside her.

Her hand rests on my thigh, and I raise by fair brows "what is concerning" I ask.

She looks back to me "there isn't one Christmas object in this house" she observes.

My lips twitch into a smile as I look around and sip from my wine "there was ... about an hour before you arrived I packed the last of it away, and got this to show for it" I say lifting my t shirt to show a bruise forming on the right of my ribs.

"Ouch" she observes concerned "how did you do that" she asks.

I push the t shirt back down "hoisting a life size Santa back into the attic space alone" I reveal "and clearly he didn't think it was his time to go... he wasn't quite so jolly when he shot back down like a bobsleigh straight into me"

Leah tries not to smile but I can see she is imagining it "I could have helped you when I got here"

I lean forward and kiss her lips, retreating with the taste of her making me sigh "I didn't invite you here to do chores"

She reaches up and curls her fingers around my chin "nothing would be a chore with you"

I smile as she places down her wine and then takes mine, taking my hands and pulling me gently onto her lap, lacing them around her own neck so I am holding her like a koala. "That's better" she muses "I want you as close as possible ... with clothes"

I lick my lips to be so close to her, my fingers tousling the her hair around the back of her neck "I didn't want it to be Christmassy when I came home after new year... that's why I packed it away..." I confess "and also I couldn't beat to see it all, and the kids not even be around. I don't need reminders. I feel it ache every day we are apart... in here" I say running my hand down her chest and pressing it firmly.

"It can't be easy to be apart..." Leah says, looking to me sympathetically.

"It's the worst heart ache, and I've had a lot of it in my time but the heart ache of a mother is something on an entirely different level. It goes against nature itself, to be apart from your babies...." I say and then I kind of look back to her and realise that this conversation is far too deep, and far too raw for right now. "Let's not talk about that... I want to talk about you" I say.

She kisses my lips briefly "what do you want to talk about" she asks.

I reach back and grab our wine and hand her the glass as I take a sip of my own "everything... how is your momma about you leaving home for the week before Christmas?" I ask "does she dislike me now" I add jovially.

"She was fine about it since I was back for Christmas Eve. She just wanted to know everything about you incase I wound up missing from going cross country to meet a girl... I showed her your picture, she thought you had a kind smile and asked if you had just been in that superhero movie"

I let out a little laugh "I won't tell you how many times that's been said in the last two years... but I understand her confusion. Even my mom does a double take at the movie billboards... and she gave birth to me"

She sips her wine and then she almost spits it out. She quickly leans forward and places her wine on the table behind me. She takes my left wrist and holds it up inspecting it with a frown "Morgan there are bruises on your wrists" she says inspecting the one and then taking my wine glass from the other and setting it down before lifting my wrist and turning it over. She looks concerned. I slip off of her lap, embarrassed. I stand and run my hands down my hips "what do you want for dinner" I ask trying and failing to change the subject as she looks to me a little worried.

I walk away to the kitchen to grab the take out menus and she follows after me "Morgan stop" she says moving fast ahead of me and cutting me off mid step. Her hand reaches for mine, she takes it and softly raises it to her lips, kissing my wrist and turning it to face me so I have to look at it "why do you have these bruises" she asks and then she points to my ribs "and this one... is that really from putting Christmas decorations away"

I can't even look at her. How do I explain that my hopefully soon to be ex wife is a little heavy handed with me.

"It's nothing... they are nothing" I say trying to down play it. "I know it's hard to believe but Christmas really did kick my ass as I tried to pack it away"

She shakes her head and takes a deep breath "does Santa have a firm grip " she asks, confusing me.

I look to her with a frown "what" I ask.

She points to a mark on the side of my wrist, under my wrist bone "because this Morgan is a finger print bruise" she says raising her eyebrows.

I shake my head and try and turn away but she urges me to stop "Morgan please" she whispers "who grabbed you" she asks worriedly. Her hands softly caress my shoulders as I feel the tears form behind my eyes.

I lean into her as she wraps her arms around me "It's not what it looks like" I whisper into her chest.

She strokes my back "was it Annie" she asks.

I don't say anything, it's like I lose my voice entirely and she kisses my forehead "has she hurt you before... is she abusive" she asks.

I stand up straight and shake my head "no no it's not like that Leah, it's not like that... I know what you must be thinking but she's not someone who hits me or anything... she's not abusive. She's just a little rough sometimes..." I realise as I say it that it sounds just as bad and a little like something an abused woman may say in defence of her spouse.

"Morgan she shouldn't be leaving bruises on you... don't you see that's not normal" she asks.

I look to the bruise on my wrist and nod "I know it's not normal... but I also know her and I don't think she means to hurt me. I just push her buttons"

Leah flings her head back, her hand to her forehead and tries not to lose it "Morgan do you hear yourself... what on earth could you have said that makes it okay for her to grab you so hard she's marked you like that..."

"I'm moving on and she can't stand it... she doesn't want to let me go is the truth and honestly Leah I really didn't want this whole week with you to be tainted by conversation of Annie. I just wanted a few days with you and only you. I didn't want to even have to think about her or this divorce, a divorce that is just not even happening no matter how much I want it to be over. And now you see what a mess you just walked into and I expect you can't wait to leave... so please just go now and save us a tonne more heartache" I urge.

I pull away from her and walk away "please go I won't hold it against you" I say walking to the stairs and disappearing.

Tears stream down my cheeks as I walk into my bedroom and shut the door, walking across to the bed before collapsing onto the comforter.  I bring my knees up to my chest as I lay in the foetal position and try and stop the sobs from consuming me. My chest sucks in and out as they come thick and fast. I am so mortified and embarrassed, to have Leah find those marks, to have to explain, and to now have her know what a mess this was. A mess she wouldn't want to be a part of. Who would?!Annie was making this impossible, and I was slowly but surely starting to suffocate. Leah was like the air I needed, having her and slowly falling for her, it was unexpected but a life line when all seemed lost and a little too heavy, and now she would no doubt want to back away. I wasn't worth this trouble.

Leah knocks and I ignore it. The door opens and light spills in. My back is to her. She walks across the room and I feel the mattress dip as she gets on behind me, her body pressing to my back as her arm wraps around my waist. She tucks herself right behind me and kisses my shoulder "I'm not going anywhere Morgan" she whispers kissing my shoulder again softly. "Nothing about this scares me... I just want you to be safe. I can't bear the thought of anyone hurting you... I love you"

I turn around so I am facing her, her eyes look me over, full of emotion and she wipes the tears from my cheek with her left hand "come here" she says pulling me against her chest.

We must lay there for an hour, my tears running dry as she comforts me through the waves of emotion that had run free, like they had finally broken through the dam that held them at bay for so long. In Leah's safe embrace, they finally washed away.

The bruises would fade... but my memories of this week wouldn't. The way Leah loved and cared for me, the walks, the talks, the laughter, the love, and the love making. Leah made me feel in a week, something I had dreamt of for a lifetime...

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

***