She walked slowly toward the sofa, the dull ache in her lower back reminding her how long the day had been. The apartment felt different now that they were inside it again. The air seemed heavier somehow, as though the quiet between them had settled into the walls. When she reached the armrest she steadied herself with one hand, letting the fabric hold her weight for a moment before she turned toward him.
Zane had stopped a few steps behind her.
He stood near the center of the room watching her carefully. His posture looked relaxed, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed how closely he had been paying attention to her all day. His hands rested loosely at his sides, yet his fingers flexed once as if resisting the instinct to step forward and help her.
For several seconds neither of them spoke. The apartment hummed softly with distant sounds from outside. A car moved slowly down the street. Pipes shifted faintly in the walls. The refrigerator motor started in the kitchen.
