Her eyes opened to a pink sky boasting from behind the curtains she didn't bother closing the night before.

It will rain, was Lora's first thought.

But that's okay, was her second.

She felt the arm wrapped around her torso tighten and as she inhaled, the air in her lungs was balmy and soothing, like the first rain after summer. She felt him move behind her, pulling her into him so that their naked bodies were moulded perfectly together. His warm breath fanned her shoulder, his large hand cupping the side of her breast and his erection pressed against her back.

Her body writhed involuntarily, drawing a low growl from Owen's throat. "What are you doing?"

Lora felt her insides ignite at the sound of his gravelly, sleepy voice. This was the first time they woke up together. Later, she knew, the heaviness would spill in her stomach, like blood from a clipped artery, but it was still early. She was still tired. She'd been miserable for what felt like an eternity and now she wanted a break. She just needed a few more moments of this peace.

His thumb grazed her nipple and he placed an open-mouthed kiss on her shoulder. Lora felt the tiny hairs on her skin stand on edge. It was early, but her body was wide awake.

"What do you want, beautiful?"

There was no mistaking the tease in his voice. Even half asleep he was devilish. It chilled her spine and scorched her lungs and smiling at his contagious mischief, she decided to play along. She arched her back, pushing her buttocks gently outwards and into him, stretching her neck, baring her soft, white throat to him while lightly grazing his thigh with her fingertips as she pretended to stretch lazily. "Nothing," she murmured.

She felt him stiffen and her smile widened, happy with the response solicited out of him. She waited with bated breath for him to say something, do something, feeling his breath hitch, his muscles tense. But she felt his shrug as he said with mock nonchalance, "Okay, then," and pretended to stifle a yawn.

She gasped and turned to slap him playfully on the shoulder but he was too quick for her. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them to her sides as he climbed on top of her, his shattering, lopsided smile making her heart skip no less than three beats.

He dipped his head to kiss her but then stopped about half an inch from her face. Her brown eyes widened. She'd heard it too.

Knock. Knock.

"Aunt Lora? Are you okay? Why is the door locked?"

Krista sounded alarmed as she jiggled the door handle in vain. Thank God they had locked the door yesterday. Lora never locked any door in the house save for the front door.

"Kris? I'm fine. I... Um... I'm... One minute!" Lora spluttered pushing Owen off her and jumping from the bed. 

She opened her dresser for a T-shirt and donned the first one she found. A bright pink one with a big, lacy bow. 

"Quick! Get under the bed!" she hissed at Owen who in turn gave her a most befuddled look.

"Under the bed?"

"Just hide!"

She ran to the door, unlocked it and opened it just enough to fit her head through. Krista was already in jeans and a T-shirt, her hair up in a neat ponytail. Her eyes were bright and full of concern. "Were you crying?"

"No," Lora said a bit too quickly. "I'm okay, honey. What is it?"

Krista hesitated for a moment, not quite sure how to say what she wanted to say. "Aiden wants pancakes and Jess is making some..."

Lora's eyebrows shot straight up into her messy hair. "Jess is cooking? I'll be right down. Go tell her, Krista, before she burns us all."

Krista let out a great sigh of relief and nodded frantically before disappearing down the stairs. Lora shut the door gently before releasing a heavy breath and turning towards the seemingly empty room. She looked around, eyes narrowed as they landed on a pair of bare feet peeking from behind the curtains.

She held back a chuckle and called out, "Nice hiding place, Waldo."

Dr Owen Shaw peered slowly from behind the drapes before coming out completely. Lora couldn't ignore her disappointment at seeing he was back in his suit pants and unbuttoned crisp, white shirt. 

"There was no space under the bed, you know since it's a storage bed and whatnot," he countered with a grin.

Lora's cheeks glowed red. "I panicked," she confessed, hiding her face in her hands. She waited for him to laugh at her but he merely walked towards her and pried her palms from her face. He kissed the centre of each one and drew her arms around his waist, finally encompassing her in the most wholesome hug.

"Is it time to talk about what happened yet?" he murmured gently, the chocolate in his voice melting her soul.

It was. Of course, it was. They slept together on the night of her husband's funeral with her children just two rooms away. And it was wild. Wilder than anything she could have imagined. She felt insatiable, ablaze with unquenchable fire. She acted irrationally, irresponsibly, like a raging teenager, completely out of control. And then, they did it all over again.

He stayed the night, in her marital bed, holding her as though she belonged to him. As though she had always belonged to him. And she revelled in the safety and warmth of his arms. They were two children in Candyland with no care of what the repercussions could be. 

But now, the sun had risen, her children were up and she could hear the rooster crowing in the distance.

She looked into Owen's sweet, misty eyes, the rosy light reflected so beautifully in them that his irises were almost purple.

"No," she answered. "It's time for pancakes."

#

A month had passed from the morning Owen taught Jess how to make pancakes and convinced them all, including a very sceptical Siena, that the best pancakes were made with cinnamon and honey and tasted like Christmas, even in June.

A month had passed and no one asked any questions. Nobody asked why he was at their house at seven fifteen in the morning, still in the same clothes as the previous day. Nobody asked why he stayed around till after dinnertime, not even Carmen who paid them a surprise visit and brought over a dish of baked rice, just in case Lora wasn't in the mood to cook. 

Nobody asked why he visited every day after that, and why he spent hours after work going through Krista's assignments and quizzing her before her finals. Wayne didn't question why he offered to help him and Lora clear out Jona's antique shop so that she could sell it and settle their bills. Cara and Mike did not raise a brow when Owen took her C.V. and asked them if there was any chance Lora could have her old job back, which, of course, there was.  All she had to do was renew her licence and the job was hers.

No. It was all very smooth, very unremarkable, the way Owen fit into their lives as though there'd always been an Owen-shaped hole. It was so very natural, that they didn't need to talk about it all. They simply... happened.

He could communicate with Aiden in a way nobody else could. Lora stared in wonder, one particularly fine summer night, as her usually squeamish son listened with keen interest while Owen explained to him what a discectomy was and how it was performed.

"Is that what you did to Dad?" the boy asked, blue eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

"Something like that. But your dad was super, super brave. He needed a super discectomy and that is what he got."

"Wow!"

Only he could soothe a grumpy Siena, assuring her, in the same way that he assured his patients, that little Zac was only pulling on her pigtails because he liked her.

"That's stupid! Why would he do that?" she complained with angry eyes and quivering lips.

"Because boys are stupid. We don't know how to talk to girls very well so we do stupid things. Still, if you don't like it, you tell him, and if he doesn't listen, well then you don't need to cry over someone like that."

This wasn't enough to soften Jess, who sat morosely on the couch pretending to be oblivious to the whole conversation. And yet, Jess didn't ask questions either. She was the one who didn't have to guess what happened. But she was also the least accepting. She wasn't mean or unkind but she wasn't friendly either, and Lora noticed how she carefully looked away every time Owen got a breath too close.

Lora had made up her mind to talk to her when one night, as they were watching cartoons in the living room, much to the annoyance of Lora and Jess, the doorbell rang and Owen answered the door. The whole room sat on edge as they recognised James's voice. Siena stood up and almost ran to him, but Karl caught her just in time. They all turned to Jess as they heard him ask for her. 

Cool as a cucumber, Owen strolled back to the living room and fixed his gaze on Jess.

"Is Jess here or is she still out?" he asked meaningfully.

Jess hesitated for a moment as she deliberated on what she wanted to do but then she screwed her eyes shut and shook her head frantically. Owen nodded once and turned without a word. Everyone held their breath as they listened to his smooth, low tone saying, "Sorry, man. She's not here. I'll tell her you stopped by."

"Can you tell her to call me?" James implored sounding genuinely disappointed. "She hasn't answered any of my calls."

Without missing a beat, Owen responded, "If Jess wants to talk to you, she'll call you back," and then he simply shut the door. He had barely re-entered the living room when Jess ran to him and gave him a rib-crushing hug.

"Thank you. I've been trying to shake him off and I just couldn't. I... I always go back to him and... I don't know why I can't say no to him."

"You're welcome?" Owen answered patting her back awkwardly as the girl refused to let go.

"He just won't listen. Every time, I think we're making progress but then he starts going on about how he wants to move in together and get married and have children. I'm not ready for that! I don't even know if I want that!"

Owen was horror-struck. He grabbed Jess by the shoulders and pushed her back gently so that he could see her face. "Of course, you're not ready! You're nineteen!" 

"It's because he doesn't want me to be a lawyer. He says the legal field is no place for a good girl like me. He was always on about it before too."

Hearing this, Lora stood up and went to her niece. She had never witnessed her opening up like this before, but now, as she sniffed into Owen's shirt, it seemed that she couldn't stop. "Jess, why didn't you say anything before?"

"Because I didn't want to disappoint you. It's what you did for Dad, and I didn't want to hurt you. I'm sorry, Aunt Lora, I know you must think I'm selfish but it's just not what I want. I don't want to be trapped in a marriage."

"Oh, honey," Lora crooned taking her niece into her arms. "It's okay. Whatever you decide to do, I will support you."

And so, a whole month had gone by in the blink of an eye and nobody dared question her. Nobody acted differently around her. Nobody except the neighbours, who made it a point to say hello to Lora as she waved, waved, not kissed, Owen goodbye before he left for work in the early hours of the morning. Nobody except Marion, who congratulated her every Sunday at church on being so lucky to have such wonderfully handsome doctors in her circle who can help her 'get back on track.' Nobody but Nessy, who called to tell her how excited she was for her to be getting back into nursing and that she was so lucky since the nursing council usually asked returning staff to do a six-month rotation before being recruited for a specialized ward, but she heard Mike telling Dr Shaw she probably wouldn't have to and that was just fantastic.

But none of that mattered. Not when Owen gave her his lopsided, dimpled grin, fixed her with his cheeky, green stare, or held her tightly and kissed her senseless until she couldn't remember her name let alone Marion's astonishment at how quickly she managed to sell Jona's business.

But tonight, tonight was different. Tonight, the air was electric and the walls were alive.