After several hours of watching TV, Nicky stood up noisily from the couch, yawning as she stretched her arms up to the ceiling. “Right then, I’m off to bed. Make sure—”
But before she could finish, Richard said, “I’m coming too.” He virtually leaped up from a sitting position, and yawned. “I’m knackered. Been a long day.” But he was far from tired. The idea of sitting in the living room alone—at night—made him wince. The only time the fear totally subsided was when he was with Nicky. And after what had happened today, he was in no fit state to go solo.
She looked at him as if suspicious of his actions. “You don’t look tired. Stay down here and watch TV if you like. I don’t mind. Honestly.”
“No, no. I’m coming up too,” he said, shaking his head in protest. “Got some stuff to do tomorrow.”
She smirked at him. “Stuff? What stuff? You mean laze about the house.” She turned the TV off and left the room.
Fake-laughing, he followed her. “Very funny. It’s tough doing nothing all day, you know. Got to get my beauty sleep.”
She led the way upstairs into the bathroom.
Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Nicky brushed her teeth over the sink. Richard sat on the edge of the bath, watching her. “What are you waiting for?” she asked, with a mouthful of foamy toothpaste before spitting it out into the sink.
“I’m waiting for you?”
Swilling her mouth out with water and spitting, she frowned. “Aren’t you going to brush your teeth?”
He nodded, and then joined her at the sink. Just as he squirted toothpaste onto his toothbrush he saw her head for the door. “Where are you going?”
She turned to face him, grimacing in bafflement. “To bed. Where do you think?”
“Hang on a second.” He cleaned his teeth in record time, watching her through the mirror as she stood in the doorway. He quickly spat in the sink and followed Nicky out of the bathroom.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as they walked across the landing toward the bedroom.
“Nothing,” he said, standing close to her.
“You’re being weird.” She opened the bedroom door and stepped inside the darkened room. Richard followed, all the time with his eyes fixed on the bed, praying that when the lights went on, the woman with the white dress wasn’t sitting there again, staring with those gloomy, tear-filled eyes.
Nicky flicked on the switch and the room came to life with light.
The bed was empty.
Relief washed over him as he closed the door. But oddly, a part of him wanted to see her sitting on his bed. At least then his skeptical wife would see for herself, instead of mocking him, or even thinking that he was crazy.
Nicky put on the bedside lamp and turned the main light off. With the room dimly lit, they climbed into bed. Richard spooned up to his wife. She turned to him and asked, “Are you sure everything’s all right?”
He forced a smile and held her tightly. “Everything’s fine.” He looked into her eyes. “I love you, Nic. You know that, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” she reassured him, smiling. “I love you more than anything.”
He squeezed her, then kissed her on the cheek. “Good night, babe.”
She kissed him back. “Good night,” she whispered, turning the other way. “See you in the morning.”
He watched her closely, and remained watching until she fell asleep.
Alone in the darkness again.