Re: quicklog: cris & elena
[She'd married a detective, but she never thought that he looked at her like a case to be solved. After so long together, such an amount of time spent and built simultaneously, there was no way that they should feel like strangers. Elena was confident in knowing who the man she married was, he was no mystery to her. Maybe thats where the safety came in or the confidence in his love for her. She believed him wholly because there was no part of her that could doubt what she inherently knew. And maybe, although she wasn't thinking about it right now, that was also part of the reason she left. She knew Cris, and change was not something she believed him to adapt to easily. Just look at this neighborhood, the same little corner of the world for almost all his life. She couldn't fault him for that, and stability was something she admired, but...
Dios, she didn't want to do this tonight, the studying and the prodding and the questioning. If Elena had her husband so figured out, there should not have been so many unknowns. Maybe things were going to be different here. She didn't want to feel foolish for thinking so, not when the way he looked down at at her now made her stomach tight. There was love there, she saw it in his eyes before the warmth was suddenly washed away with some uncertainty. She wondered if he thought she was just going to disappear instead. A blink and then gone? Or perhaps out the front door when he turned his back, like she knew this was all a bad idea or hopefully just a bad dream.
Her expression tensed, thoughtful when he asked. She nodded without saying anything at first, finding that her throat felt a little tight. It would be better for Cris to carry Teresa off to bed, one glimpse of her mama and Elena knew that the girl would be wide awake for the rest of the night. But there was a worry, that if in closing her eyes tonight, Elena might wake up somewhere else new. They said there were other places here, and what if this was the only chance she got to see her daughter?] Okay, let me just... kiss her goodnight.
[And Elena moved around him, back into the living room, where she could gently touch the sleeping child's hair and lean down to whisper softly in the girl's ear that mama loved her. Teresa murmured dreamily, and Elena took one last look before she headed down the hall. She tried to make it feel like so many walks down the airport lobby for her deployments, kisses and goodbyes and unknowns about tomorrow. It wasn't entirely comforting, but it was easier to digest. Familiar.]