Feels good to write again :) Enjoy weird mistakes and typos, enjoy! Dedicated to @Telluric for the lovely cover <3 x

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|| seven years later ||

1:07 am

My eyes were wide open as I heard the front door slam shut. AJ's head lifted from where it was resting on my covered legs before my only companion jumped down from the bed and slipped through the small opening of the door to meet Archie. I, however, stayed under the comfort of the thick duvet and the security of the bed, just as I do every night when he comes home. My eyes remain on the strip of dim lighting shining through the now ajar door as I listen to the small noises that Archie makes in the kitchen.

Possibly a half hour later, after the running faucet was turned off and Archie called out quietly for AJ, the footsteps grew louder and louder until a tall silhouette was standing at the doorway of our bedroom. I let my eyelids shut and slowed my breathing into even intervals.

Silence.

AJ's dog collar jingled against each other, and Archie's footsteps started towards the bathroom. The door shut and AJ returned to the foot of the bed a minute later. The shower started running, and I sighed to myself, adjusting myself on my left side until I was remotely comfortable. In the time when Archie and I drifted apart and a giant pillow was caught between us in bed, I had trained myself to not turn on my right side, towards Archie's sleeping figure or, in many cases, empty side. It only seemed to worsen the pang in the center of my chest to see how far we've become since Archie decided to throw himself into his work and ignore any conversations that revolved around our current state.

We aren't all right anymore. He knows this. He is, after all, the one pushing me away as much as he possibly can. Every time I try to talk to him, to try and figure out why he's acting the way he is, and to fix our relationship, it's pushed into the farthest corner of the back burner and the conversation disintegrates into nothing.

The bathroom door swung open. AJ's head rose the same time I closed my eyes. Lifting the duvet to get under, a cool breeze brushed against my warm skin as Archie slid next to me. Or, the giant pillow separating us, to be exact. It was a boundary not to be crossed, representing our own Great Wall of China as it separates the same land into two parts. Him on one side, me on the other.

I have my suspicions that Archie knows I pretend to sleep when he comes home, but he's never mentioned it to me before. Never has he ever went, "Elle, I know you're awake. Don't pretend." No, unless it's a life or death situation, our communication has crumbled over the months.

Eyes now adjusted in the dark, I spotted the vague outline of my wedding ring sitting on my bedside table. I'll never be able to forget the overwhelming joy I felt when Archie dropped down to one knee and asked me to be his wife. The crying faces of our friends and families during our wedding will always be engraved into my mind forever. I can still see that look of complete love and fondness on Archie's face when he made his vows, and can still hear crack in my voice as I said mine to him. It was a broken record in my mind.

These memories and more are what keep me occupied as Archie spends morning to night at work with nothing more but an occasional call during his lunch break to ask if I fed AJ.

It's been seven years since he asked me to marry him, and even though we're considered husband and wife, I've never felt so much as a stranger to him. Sleep slowly catching up with me, I closed my eyes for real this time and let myself drift away, allowing the mix of Archie's breath and AJ's heavy huffs to lull me to sleep and push away the sense of loneliness I obtained during the day.

6:17 am

I woke up to an empty bed and a silence I've learned to be okay with. Archie's still home. I know he is. But I also know that he likes to stay as quiet as possible so he doesn't risk waking me up. It's his way of becoming even more distant from me. It's too bad I usually wake up this time, anyways.

I push the duvet off my body and padded out of the bedroom and down the hall towards the kitchen. AJ barked from a distance, then his claws were tapping rapidly against the hardwood floor as she came to me. I just entered the archway into the living room when she was at my feet. Archie looked up at me from his breakfast on the bar.

"Morning."

"Good morning," I replied softly, forcing a small smile at him. He nodded and resumed eating his food, taking bigger pieces of his omelet in his mouth now that I was in the room.

"I'll be home a bit early tonight, but you'll probably be asleep by then," he said. He didn't look at me.

"Um." I rounded the corner and stepped into the kitchen, standing in front of him on the other side of the bar. "Is there any way that you'll be able to take time off for Caroline's birthday on Thursday?" I asked him.

His eyebrows furrowed, the corner of his lip turning down into a frown. "Caroline's birthday?" he echoed. I gripped the lip of the counter and nodded stiffly. We talked about this a few mornings ago while he was shuffling out the door earlier than usual because of traffic. "Oh, right. Uh . . ." I withheld a sigh as he took his phone out so he could check his schedule.

"Archie, I told you to ask Maya if you could take the day off. Caroline hasn't seen you in so long and she's really looking forward to it." I frowned. Caroline was my brother's daughter. Him and his fiancé, Kate, had Caroline the year I met Archie. The drive to their place took about two hours.

Once upon a time, when Archie took time for family and friends, our niecé became quite attached to Archie when she was a baby. She still considers him her favorite uncle, despite not seeing him in months. It's why she was so ecstatic when she heard that he would be coming to her seventh birthday party. Though, this promise was made through a phone's speaker while I was in the room, giving him a look that asked him if he really wanted to disappoint her. I'd really hate to see her happiness deflate if I show up alone, bearing news that her favorite uncle was too busy to come celebrate her special day.

"I know, I know," he muttered, scrolling through his phone. "I'll talk to Maya about it, okay?"

I held back a glare. "If you don't, I will."

Ironically enough, Maya, and I became close friends about three years ago, before Archie became a part of her company and she became his boss. Maya knows about my rocky relationship with Archie but never tries to meddle. She believes it's best if we smooth out our problems on our own.

"All right, fine," he grumbled. He stood up and went around the bar, dropping his dishes into the sink.

I leaned my hip against the counter with my arms folded across my chest, watching him silently before asking, "Is there anyway that you could come with me to buy Caroline's present or do I have to do it on my own?"

"Can't. We're launching a new campaign soon and there's a lot to do," he said and placed the dishes on the rack.

"Oh, right." I shook my head. I should have known it was a long-shot kind of question for Archie to take time off. After slipping on his jacket, Archie automatically pressed a kiss on my forehead, ruffled AJ's fur, and yelled goodbye over his shoulder before shutting the front door behind him. It was his usual goodbye routine every morning. Though I doubt his kiss held more meaning than a quick goodbye, there were still a few butterflies that made my insides stir a bit, just like when we were younger.

1:52 pm

I pulled the fridge open and pulled out a water bottle. Uncapping it, I let the water sooth my parched throat. AJ, clearly thirsty after our run, instantly went over to her water bowl and lapped the liquid up feverishly. My phone rang, and I unsubconsciously answered it without checking the caller ID.

"Hello?" I answered, my voice slightly breathless due to the exercise I did with AJ.

"Hey."

"Oh, hi, Archie."

"What are you doing?"

I took a seat at the dining table. "AJ and I went for a run."

"Oh." He paused.

I cleared my throat. "Did you ask Maya about Thursday?"

"Not yet, but I will."

"Make sure you do."

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

We hung up.

4:29 pm
I sat outside with AJ and threw a ball around in our yard. They were right about a dog being a person's best friend. With Archie gone all the time, AJ's all I got to keep me busy. Job finding isn't working out too well at the moment.

Several times of going back and forth to fetch and deliver the ball, AJ trotted towards the back door and scratched on the glass, whimpering.

Time to head back inside.

6:34 pm

AJ snorted at me as I placed the ingredients for tonight's dinner on the counter. I looked down at her with a smile, ignoring the wide puppy eyes she used.

I raised the lettuce up. "Do you like salad?" I asked teasingly.

She snorted at me again, laying on her stomach and resting her head between her paws.

7:02 pm

I ate my dinner on the couch, decked out in pajama pants and Archie's old college sweatshirt. He stashed it away a few months ago when he replaced old clothing with suits and dress shirts for work. He doesn't know I took it from the donation box.

A rerun of Bones was currently playing on the TV. AJ sat in front of the unlit fireplace, chewing an old playtoy we got when we adopted her from the shelter. It was a small duck that was covered in brown spots. The head couldn't keep straight anymore, worn down by the constant tearing and clawing and chewing AJ has done. Now its head flops backwards, the poor thing.

After finishing the rest of my food and washing the dishes, I took the leftovers and transferred it into a container, storing it in the fridge for Archie to eat when he gets home.

I sat back on the couch and continued to watch as they examined a dead body under a self tanner.

8:20 pm

"Auntie Ellie!"

I smiled at the little girl waving enthusiastically through the skype call. "Hey, future birthday girl. Are you ready to be seven in a few days?" I asked in an excited tone.

Caroline slouched down in her chair, leaning her head against her palm. "Auntie, I never see a difference when I turn a year older. I still look the same," she said with a frown.

I chuckled. "You wait a couple years, okay?" I winked. Caroline frowned at me, the little wheels in her head turning as she tried to figure out what I was talking about.

"I don't get it."

A deep rumble of laughter sounded close to the camera and, soon, Caroline disappeared from the camera's line of vision, shrieking and squealing so loud that I had to turn the volume down a couple notches. I smiled, knowing that Luca was busy rocking and throwing his daughter into the air like the playful father he was.

"Luca, please be careful with our daughter." Kate appeared from around the corner and in front of the camera. She smiled upon seeing my face and sat down in Caroline's original spot. "Hey, Elle!" she said, smiling widely.

"Hi, Kate," I chuckled.

After being put down, Caroline finally stopped screaming bloody murder and hopped onto her mother's lap, her face flushed a bright red. Luca pulled up a chair next to Kate and casually threw an arm around her as he said, "Hi, little sis."

"Hey, big bro. Hope you're treating your girls right over there," I teased, referring to the way Caroline screamed just a minute ago.

"I sure am." To prove his point Luca pressed a kiss to Caroline's head and then dove straight for Kate's lips. Caroline and I exchanged looks before making gagging noises at them. Laughing, Luca pulled back from his wife.

Blushing slightly, Kate asked, "How're you and Archie?"

Caroline gasped suddenly, leaning close to the camera. "Auntie Ellie! Is Uncle Archie to my birthday party?" she asked. My smile dimming down a bit clearly didn't go unseen by my older brother.

"Yeah, Elle. Is Uncle Archie coming for once?" Luca stared at me firmly, each word heavy with sarcasm. Kate shot Luca a warning look, which he ignored completely. Luca isn't too keen on the distance between Archie and I, fully aware that he's throwing himself into his work instead of coming home to his wife for a few hours. Luca had actually brought up getting a divorce once and had gotten scolded harshly by Kate. I, however, never considered it.

I sent them all a small smile and said, "Let's hope he does."

12:13 am

AJ shot out of the bed and squeezed through the bedroom door at the sound of Archie's coming home. I stayed where I was, just as I did every night, and waited until he came into the room before shutting my eyes. I was tempted to open my eyes, sit up and ask him if he had asked Maya about Thursday.

But I didn't. It's best to hold this until morning, so I don't feel angered by whatever excuse he has for not asking to take a day off.

Archie came out of the bathroom and slid in under the covers, adjusting the giant pillow between us. AJ took her place between our legs, huffing to herself before settling down. I stared off into the darkness of our bedroom, my eyes adjusting to the lighting so I could see the outline of my wedding ring in its usual spot. As Archie's breaths slowed and AJ became still, I drifted off to sleep.

6:05 am

The silence surrounded me as I woke up. Pushing the duvet off my body and walking out into the kitchen, I found Archie at the breakfast bar, this time treating himself to a piece of buttered toast.

"Morning," I said.

Archie glanced behind his shoulder before looking forward again. He finish off his toast quickly and stood up to wash his dishes. "Good morning."

"Did you ask Maya?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

It was as predicted. "No, I forgot. Got held up yesterday," he answered.

"They're all expecting you, Archie. We skyped last night," I told him.

"I'll ask, okay?"

"Will you?"

He looked up at the sound of my disbelieving tone. His jaw clenched and he looked away again, finishing off the dishes before slipping on his jacket. He walked up to me.

"I'll ask," he repeated.

With a straight face, Archie kissed my forehead, ruffled AJ's fur, and walked out the door with a simple goodbye thrown over his shoulder.

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I actually really enjoy writing this. So I know I said that there would be only five chapters, but there will be more. Maybe around eight, but don't hold me on that. This whole story is already planned. This is a usual day for Ellie while Archie throws himself into his work. You don't know why things aren't all right yet, but we'll get to that eventually. Thank you guys for all your comments and support, I'm trying to stop myself from ripping my hair out with all the stress going on and writing this definitely helped me out. Once summer arrives, I intend on finishing this soon. Wish me luck on not exploding and I wish you all the best as well.

- jesse xx