Work & Reflection

Work, work, and more work. Alexa might have been a bit neurotic about making sure she was okay with this presentation, but she had good reason to be. Presenting in front of possibly hundreds of leading experts in the software field, with her main focus being the boss of the company her company was hoping to partner with. If she didn't know the minute detail of every single aspect, she'd be fucked.

That's how she ended up captured by the monitor again, not looking up till Carol came back in the room. This time, there was no awkward exchange, but Alexa looked up, happy to take a break.

"I figured you could go for a midnight snack." Carol said, bringing a plate of deliciously smelling cookies in the room with her.

"Midnight?" Looking at her watch, she realized it was midnight. Shit, she had been sitting reading for hours!

"You get lost in work?" Carol asked, getting a nod from Alexa. The nod stopped as Alexa bit into the first cookie, lightly burning her mouth a bit. Taking a swig of the offered milk, she felt much better. "I just baked those. How'd they turn out?"

"Delicious. Like, truly amazing." Alexa said, swallowing down a few more of the cookies. Her stomach rumbled, appreciating food after hours of nothing. "God, that hit the spot."

The women talked and enjoyed each others company, with Carol having traded the nightie for a long sweatshirt. Alexa got up from her seat, stretching and cracking her back as she polished off the last parts of the cookie platter. Carol took the plate, letting Alexa finish her glass of milk.

"I know, he has to work. But it's so frustrating, you know? I had periods where he was in other countries for a year, two years at a time. Sure, I never have to work. But taking care of 3 boys is its own job." Carol sighed, playing with her hair. The time of night mixed with the light patter of rain to make the girls reflective. "Here, sit still while I put your curlers in."

"Sure, I understand. But you two seem to have a healthy relationship when he's back." Alexa said, leaning back in her chair. She hadn't just said that because of the loud sex they'd had but that certainly played a part.

"Mostly. I don't know. I'm just going stir crazy because I have an empty nest, and he is going to work like that till the day he dies. I love him, but leaving like he did now has happened so many times." Carol confessed, feeling her head droop a bit. She and Lexi both ought to go to bed. "What time do you need to be woken up for work?"

Alexa told her, and got ready to head to bed. She needed to sleep, lest she look like a witch for tomorrow's presentation. Helped back to her room by Carol, she was tucked in, nearly passing out the minute her head hit the pillow. Carol followed soon after, coming back upstairs after cleaning the dish off. Checking in on Alexa, she saw her sleeping restfully adorned with curlers. Taking the cute image to bed with her, Carol slept restfully, if a bit lonely.