He could think of worse ways to spend his weekend than with his hands all over Leah.

After that, Danny started spending every night at her apartment. His own place was gradually becoming unlivable as he began breaking it down and putting his things in storage, but in reality, he could have made staying there work. It was just that she had managed to wake him from his fog, and in resurfacing he found himself needing her like air.

He didn’t want to be away from her any more than he had to.

The following weekend, Leah surprised him by taking him to Per Se. They ordered a ridiculously expensive dinner and drank quality wine and spent the night making love on her living-room floor with Leah’s Ray LaMontagne CD playing on repeat in the background.

And now, Danny had arranged for Leah to cross another “Right Now” off her list—she told him she wanted to learn how to do something on a car that most girls didn’t know how to do. Something useful, like changing a tire.

So he explained to her how to do an oil change, and when she passed his “verbal quiz,” he decided she was ready to come down to the shop and put her new knowledge to use. She was hesitant at first, but now, as he watched her stick her head out from under the car and reach for the new filter Jake held, he could see that her confidence had won over her anxiety.

He couldn’t believe how quickly the days were disappearing. Time was a relative concept—Danny had always been aware of that. What he couldn’t understand was why the relativity never seemed to work in a person’s favor. For a specialist working to disarm a bomb, a minute is a mere blink of an eye—a fleeting breath. But for a mother waiting to hear her baby’s cry for the first time, a minute can be a lifetime, an endless stretch of anxious silence.

In a little over two weeks, he’d be standing in a courtroom, waiting for the decision that would dictate the next several years of his life. Just two more weeks. It might as well have been tomorrow, considering how quickly the past three and a half weeks had gone by.

And yet somehow he was sure time wouldn’t grant him the kindness of speed once he was locked away.

He watched Leah slide out from under the car, an oil-soaked rag in her hand as she ran the back of her forearm over her forehead, leaving a smudge of oil as she swiped the hair out of her eyes.

“Alright,” she said as she stood. “Now what? Oil, and then I’m done, right?”

Danny smiled as he noticed the second smudge on the side of her chin.

“Did you retighten the drain plug?”

“Yep.”

“Lube the O-ring on the new filter?”

“Lubed and ready,” she said before holding her hand out to where Jake stood a few feet away, giving him the floor.

“That’s what she said,” he said casually as he searched through one of the toolboxes, and Leah nodded, turning her attention back to Danny.

He laughed as he pushed off the car and walked toward her. “Good job. Oil and then you’re done,” he said, leaning close to her ear when he reached her. “And then I’m taking you somewhere we can be alone,” he whispered.

Danny saw the corner of her mouth lift before she turned her head slightly, looking over her shoulder at him.

“You’re liking this, huh?” she whispered.

He nodded once. “A lot.”

Her smile grew more pronounced as she turned a bit further, her lips almost touching his. “In that case, can the guys do the rest?”

Danny didn’t say a word as he grabbed her hand and turned, towing her behind him as he made his way toward the door. “Finish the job,” he called over his shoulder, and just before the door swung shut behind them, he heard Jake call back, “That’s what she said!”

Spring break.

Traditionally, it was a time of year teachers prayed for, counting down the days until it became a reality. By the time spring break rolled around, the year was wearing out its welcome—the students all had spring fever, a precursor to summertime laxity. Everyone was desperate for a little reprieve.

But for the first time since she’d started teaching, Leah found herself wishing it would never come.

Because once it was over, he’d be leaving.

He’d been spending the night at her apartment for the past few weeks, but now that Leah wasn’t working, they spent their days together too—if they weren’t down at Catherine’s or at the shop, they were back at his apartment cleaning. It was nearly empty now, with all his things in storage or with Catherine or the guys. With each passing day, Leah felt like she was being gutted along with the rooms. Scrubbing and washing and vacuuming and dusting what was left provided her with something to do other than stare at the barren space while trying to keep her heart from shredding into nothing.

By Thursday of that week, Danny’s entire apartment was immaculate—from his ceiling fans to his appliances to his floorboards and everything in between. They had worked until the sun went down, and by that time, they were filthy and starving and far too tired to even think about going out for food. There were no table or chairs left at his place, but they ordered Chinese and ate it straight out of the cartons, sitting on the floor in the middle of his stark living room.

Leah looked around the empty space as she chewed a bite of her eggroll. She’d spent the better part of the week pretending she was just helping him move, but even something that simple came with a sense of sadness.

An essence of finality.

“Are you sad about leaving this place?” she asked, and Danny looked up at her before he smirked.

“You’re cute.”

“Why is that cute? I’m being serious.”

“I know. That’s why it’s cute. And no, I’m not sad about leaving this place. It’s just an apartment,” he said, taking a bite of his eggroll.

“Yeah, but…it’s been your home for six years.”

He shook his head. “It’s been where I’ve lived for six years. I wouldn’t call it home. There’s a difference to me.”

Leah nodded as she looked down, twirling her fork in her hand; he didn’t need to explain any further—she knew exactly what he meant.

“So, since you were down for a picnic dinner, is it safe to assume you’re down for a living-room camp-out?”

“A living-room camp-out? What are we, six?”

Danny smiled. “Seriously, though, I’m fucking beat. Do you really feel like making the drive back to your place right now?”

Leah sighed. “No, not really.”

He got up on his knees and began collecting some of the empty containers. “That settles it then. Living-room camp-out.” Danny winked before he stood, taking the garbage into the kitchen.

Leah laughed as she grabbed the rest of the trash and followed him. “Okay, well, in that case, I’m gonna take a shower. You let me know when the campsite is ready.”

He chuckled as she leaned in and kissed his cheek before she made her way toward the bathroom, turning on the shower and setting the water as hot as it could go. The sharp sting of it burned and then soothed, taking the tension out of her muscles as it washed away the grime of the day, and she found herself wanting to stand there under the stream until it washed away the constant ache in her chest as well.

When she finally turned off the water, the air was thick with steam, and as Leah stepped out from behind the curtain, she could just make out one of his shirts, folded on the edge of his sink and waiting for her.

She pulled it over her head, opting to wear nothing underneath so that the soft, worn cotton that smelled like detergent and Danny could touch her skin unobstructed.

After running her fingers through her wet hair to remove the tangles, Leah walked out to the living room, fighting a smile when she saw him.

He was crouched on the floor, setting up two sleeping bags. One was maroon.