"I heard about the miscarriage."

Is'haaq dropped his mug, watching it fall onto the carpet, bounce once and land unbroken.

"Sorry," Juri said, still stroking Storm between his ears.

"It happened a few weeks after we got married." He shrugged it off. She didn't need to know about the nights he spent crying about it in his car. That baby was going to be his fresh start. It would be the one person who would love him just for him.

"Didn't you guys want to try again?"

He shook his head. "We were too into everything else to want a baby after that."

She nodded, looking back down at Storm. Awkwardness shrouded them like a heavy blanket. She had dredged up the all the nasty little bits of their history with that question and neither was keen on accepting it just then.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" she asked, settling against him.

"No guys?" his lip crooked up into a smile, trying desperately to lighten things between them again.

She looked up at him, as if assessing him. "I was married for a bit. He wasn't too happy with me after a while."

"Why?" His hand brushed against hers as he moved to pick up his mug. If she could be nosy, so could he.

"I did something really stupid..." she could feel her cheeks heating up at the thought of it. She felt even worse knowing the object of said mistake was right beside her and she had only whispered his name that night because she had closed her eyes and imagined it to be him below her. It wasn't her husband holding onto her hips nor was it her husband cupping her breasts in his large hands... she wanted so badly for it to be Is'haaq.

"What's something stupid?" She hadn't realised that her skin had grown more and more flushed with every second and sweat had gathered on her temples as she thought about it. Nor did Juri realise that Is'haaq was more than capable of noticing all of it and it had only piqued his curiosity further.

She shook her head, turning her face away from him. It was far too bloody mortifying to think about it any longer.

"Tell me." He nudged her knee with his own, "Please."

She shook her head once again, yelping as he poked her hard in her rib. She laughed as he kept poking her, shifting her legs far away from him as she tried moving to the other end of the couch. Storm mewed his displeasure as he jumped off her lap, only causing them to laugh even more. He leaned up against her, nuzzling her shoulder with his nose, grinning as her shoulders tensed and her body trembled with giggles. She whacked him on his shoulder, trying to fend him off but it was completely hopeless.

The air settled, their laughter faded into nothing and their mouths pulled down as memories of a time long passed crashed over them.

"I missed you, Juri." He confessed into the silence.

She pushed at his shoulder, sitting up straight once he moved away from her. She could feel it. they ached her throat as they were forced back in but she was tired of forcing them back down into her heart. Just once, she wanted to let go... but it wasn't the right time. "You left me, Is'haaq." She looked at him, her stomach clenching in pain. "You left both of us."

"How did he-"

"You don't deserve to know how Yahya died." She cut him off, reeling back in anger. "You don't deserve to know anything about us anymore."

"I'm sorry." His voice was small. So small she could barely hear. "I am so sorry, Juri."

"Sorry for what?" She stood up, moving away from him.

"For everything." He rubbed his fingers over his eyes, unable to look at her.

"You broke my heart, Is'haaq. You left me and you broke it." The words were wrenched out of her. it hurt so badly coming out from her throat. She held her hand her mouth, trying to push it all back in but it was too late. Not after all these years. "We were going to get married. You told me to break up with Joey and I did and then you left me to be with her!" her head throbbed as anger coursed through her. "For someone you didn't even love!"

She didn't know when she had moved but she couldn't stop hitting him. She wanted to hurt him like he had hurt her. She wanted him to feel what she felt when she saw him and Farah together and when she heard that was marrying her. She wanted him to ache so deeply that he wouldn't know how to fix it and so she hit him, and she kept hitting him wherever she could. He didn't protest or scream or even try to defend himself. He let her hit him until her arms grew tired and breaths grew ragged and only then, did he grab her hands, turn her body around and twist her arms across her stomach as he pulled her to sit on his lap. He held her as she cried, feeling her pain with her.

"I'm sorry, Juri. I am so sorry," he whispered in her ear, tightening his hold around. "I took too much from you and I never gave it back."

Her body was exhausted, and her heart was raw. Her heart had spewed out all the venom she had hidden within it and it burned going out. She needed his touch as much as she lathed his arm around her. She settled back into his warmth and his scent- comfortable for the first time in so many years. "You hurt me." her voice was rough with spent tears.

"I know."

She wiped her nose with her fingers. "Did you hurt too?" she turned to look at him, needing to know.

"Everyday."

It was true.

She cupped his cheek in her hand, bracing herself for her mistake...

She moved slowly, giving him time to stop them both. But he couldn't.

Her lips were soft on his. It lasted for only a moment before she pulled back, opening her eyes to look at him. "Is this wrong?"

He nodded but his hand was on her hip, guiding her to turn around. Her breaths deepened and her heart raced as she turned to face him, smiling as he pulled at a strand of her hair. She kissed him once more, deeper this time, tasting him. It had been so long, she was sure she had forgotten how to kiss but kissing him felt like breathing. She ran her hand up his neck, into his hair, smiling as the buzzed strands pricked at her palms. she pressed closer to him, feeling his heart beat against her own. Her chest felt heavy as he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, before teasing the skin of her neck with his breath. She felt hot- sweltering really- as he kissed the hollow beneath her throat, going down further as he lifted her hip so she would rise above him.

He opened the buttons of her shirt, laughing as he caught sight of her bra.

"Oh God," she whispered covering her face with her hand. She was wearing her ugly comfy bra. It wasn't even the pretty one. It was the beige one with a hole just beneath her right nipple.

He moved her hand away, kissing her palm as he lifted her off his lap. "It's not going t be on for much longer though..." he teased, already unhooking it. He kissed her again, walking her back towards his room, closing the door with his foot. They didn't need his cat walking in on them.

He eased her bra off her shoulders as she tugged at hi t-shirt, pulling it over his head. Their bodies had changed over the years but neither had noticed. He cupped her breasts in his hands, loving that they were big enough to fit his whole hand. She tugged at her zipper as he tugged at his and it was only once they were settled beneath his sheets that they had fully undressed the other. She wasn't prepared for this...

She hadn't even shaved her legs that week.

But he didn't care. He didn't care one bit about anything as he felt her, touched her, stroked her till she arched her back beneath him. She wasn't selfish though. she loved exploring just as much as he did, but he didn't want to lose himself in her hand. He wanted to be in her...

He broke away, moving off her. "I need a condom."

She tugged him back down, capturing his mouth once mouth. "I'm still on the pill," she said between kisses.

"Are you sure?" he looked at her, waiting for her consent.

She pushed him over, settling herself over him. "I'm sure," she winked, holding his hands beside his head. "You mind?" she teased, tugging his earlobe between her teeth.

"Not at all," his smile pulled at her heart. She loved his smile...

She kissed him, hiding her thoughts.

She closed her eyes, bracing herself, gasping when she felt him inside of her...