It's their anniversary today and Mary has no idea what to expect because Alec has become a touch and go kind of guy and she's not even sure if he'll come home for her. She's been thinking about what he asked her on Valentine's Day and she wonders if he even listened.
He hasn't said a word to her since then, only texts, and she's still angry with him for not answering her calls when Ember was in the hospital. The least he could do is answer when she calls. She never calls him anymore and he should know that she wouldn't unless it's an emergency.
What bothers her the most about it though is the fact that he didn't come to see her and he didn't mention it. Ember asked for her daddy a few times but after a while she stopped because she knew that he wasn't coming. But Harry was there and he brought coloring books and he colored with her and taught her what she was missing in school and that seemed to make up for it.
Mary doesn't know what she wants to do about all of this. She knows that she should leave Alec, but for some reason she feels like she hasn't tried hard enough to keep him and maybe it's her that's pushed him away. She knows that he's still the man that she married, he's just not that man for her anymore.
But maybe he can be if she gives him one more chance and that's what scares her. If there's some part of him that still loves her and just needs a little push, she doesn't want to give that away. And that's reasonable she thinks because he's been her first everything: her first kiss, her first date, her first love, her first husband. And he's given her Ember, the most precious first anything that she's ever had.
On the other hand, there's Harry. He treats her like her husband should, better even, and he doesn't just want her for her body. Ember loves him like she should love Alec and he's so good to the two of them. Harry's been there when she feels like she wants the world to stop turning and he has always managed to make her feel so much better and change her thoughts from monochrome to bright colors.
And she really likes him. She feels like she's a teenager in love for the very first time again every time that she's with him and she's sure that he feels it too. But that also scares her because she used to feel that way with Alec and that clearly went away.
She's a mess of emotions and this time nobody can help her but herself.
Alec hasn't been home and he hasn't talked to her all day and she's not sure if he's just spending his last moments with Elena because she asked him to leave her, if he's just staying with Elena and avoiding her, or if he's actually planning something sweet for their anniversary.
More than anything, she wants him to actually listen to what she wants and stop cheating on her. But she has a feeling that he won't because he practically lives with Elena now and she's certain that she's taken a hold of his heart.
She wants to be okay with him moving on because it justifies her feelings for Harry, but he's still her husband and she's sad that he's moved on in the first place and she hasn't stopped loving him yet.
It's the middle of the day and she's not quite sure what to do because she's got the day off from work and Ember's at school. She'd text Harry because she likes talking to him, but he's also at school because it's his job.
She's tired of watching movies and she's not really in the mood to read. So, in honor of her anniversary and possibly moving on, she decides to take a walk down memory lane. The photo albums haven't been touched in years because she just hasn't had the heart to look at how great things were and how quickly they'd gone downhill.
She starts with the oldest album that's just of her and Alec when they were dating. He was so sweet back then.
"I'm not letting you go until you say it."
Mary giggles because his fingers are tickling her sides as he holds her in place. He's trying to get her to say that she loves him because he'd made a dirty joke and she rolled her eyes. She didn't really like it and thought that it was a bit childish, which prompted him to say that it's okay because she loves him.
She said 'absolutely not,' and that's what brought this upon her. He knows that she loves him, he's known it since they were sixteen and she fell asleep while they were watching The Walking Dead. She never fell asleep during that show because it freaked her out a little, but she did then and that's when he knew.
Mary squirms in his arms, her giggles increasing in volume as his hands found her most ticklish spot on her sides.
"Never!"
His assault only continues and he speaks in her ear, "I can do this all day."
This only makes her laugh harder because she loves Captain America. He's being so unfair, but it's so fun.
She won't say it though because she doesn't want to give in and tell him that she loves him even though she does and she has for a long time. She doesn't want to be the first to say I love you because she's stuck on fairy tales and how the guy's supposed to say it first.
But she's laughing so hard that it's starting to hurt and there's nothing wrong with her saying it first anyway because she knows that he already knows she loves him and she knows that he loves her too.
"Alright! Alright! I love you! I love you!"
His hands stop tickling her and he spins her around so that her hands are on his chest and his hands are on her waist.
Alec's smiling like it's the best thing that she could ever say to him.
His forehead touches hers and their noses brush. Mary closes her eyes and Alec does the same.
"I love you too."
And Mary feels like she's just won the world.
Each page turn brings a memory and, despite how much it hurts her chest to know that she's probably lost him for good, they bring a smile to her lips. The good times are still good, even if there are no more good times to be made with him.
That album is done and she knows that when she puts it back she probably won't look at it again for a very long time. The next one she looks at is from their wedding and her fingers skim over the laminated pages slowly.
She remembers that day the best because it was the best day of her life before Ember came along. Alec looked so handsome in his tuxedo and her dress was so beautiful. And the way he looked at her really made her feel like she was the only woman in the world.
He doesn't look at her like that anymore though. But she's caught Harry looking at her like that a few times and she's so tempted to just let him love her the way that she's been missing out on for years now, the way that everyone deserves to be loved. She can't though because of that stupid glimmer of hope that she has for Alec.
She thinks that she'll give him another month to prove himself. She won't tell him that he's being tested because then he won't be truthful. She just has to talk to him and convince him that they need him there a little more often than he is.
If he doesn't show her that he loves her, she'll pick up the divorce papers and make their separation final. She's tired of living like this and she's tired of being alone.
Mary looks through the other two albums that consist of pregnancy photos and photos of Ember growing up. She feels incredibly old looking through these albums because Ember's grown up so much and, to her, it still feels like she was just born yesterday. She's still her little girl and time's gone by faster than she's realized and she wants it to just slow down for a little while.
She's caught up in the last few pictures when her phone vibrates on the couch beside her. This is the first time it's gone off all day and she's wondering if it's Alec or Harry because she forgot to tell Harry that her mother was picking Ember up today.
Mary closes the album and sets it on top of the others before reaching for her phone. The screen is still lit up and its Alec who's texted her.
Alec: Happy Anniversary sweetheart! I'm sorry that I haven't been home yet, work's been busy today and we're shorthanded. I made us reservations at Starlight, I'll meet you there at six! I love you!
She's a little emotionally conflicted because this is an unusual text. He's putting in an effort to say more than just a sentence and he's acting like nothing's gone wrong between them. Hell, he even said I love you. But he's also said that he's at work and he's been using that excuse for years to try and hide Elena from her and she's not sure that he's really at work.
And that eternal optimism that she was born with takes over and she's back to thinking that maybe he's actually going to give her what she asked for a week ago. Maybe he's finally ended things with Elena.
She texts him back that she'll meet him there at six and that she loves him before running upstairs to change into something nice. It's their seventh anniversary and she wants to wear something really nice tonight.
There are a couple impulse buys that she's had hidden in the back of her closet for a little while now and now is the perfect time to wear one of those stunning dresses. She puts on some music and dances around the room as she gets dressed and takes time to do her makeup. Starlight is her favorite restaurant and she's excited to go back because she hasn't been there since two years prior.
Once she's done, she feels incredible. It's nice to have nights where she can dress up and take the time to do her makeup because it boosts her self-esteem and makes her feel like she can do anything.
She checks her phone for the time and it's about thirty till six. Instead of driving herself, she decides to take a cab because she figures she can ride home with Alec and they can split the bill at the restaurant like they always did.
Mary's too caught up with the prospect of Alec actually showing up and far too happy with how she looks to really think about what she's doing. Normally she takes more precautions because Alec hasn't really been one to keep his word lately, but tonight she's almost certain that he'll show up. He has to, it's their anniversary and she didn't think that he'd make the reservation if he didn't plan to show up because he hates people who do that.
She tries not to think about it for the twenty-minute cab ride and instead she thinks about how nice dinner will be and what wine she thinks she's going to have. The driver was very nice, but not very talkative, which was okay because she wouldn't know what to talk about anyway.
She's a little nervous as she steps out of the cab and walks up to the glittering restaurant. Everyone inside looks so happy and warm and she smiles because she thinks that she sees Alec somewhere in the back. But he's turned around so she doesn't really know if it's him or not.
The air is a lot less chilly than the air outside and it's much more calming. Mary tells the host at the front Alec's name for the reservation and he smiles and leads her to a table near the middle of the restaurant.
The table's position has her worrying and her nerves have come back because it wasn't Alec that she saw in the back of the restaurant. A waitress comes over after a few minutes and Mary orders a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon to change things up a little because she's had a lot of White Zinfandel recently and she's getting a little bored with the taste.
The time on her phone reads 5:50 so she relaxes a little because she's a little early. When the waitress comes by again, she lets her know that she's waiting for someone because she's a little early.
As she waits, she sips at her wine and gets lost in the sweet music that's softly playing in the background. The last time that she heard music like this was in that lovely French restaurant that Harry had taken her to on Valentine's Day. She feels bad for not letting him know that she wasn't getting Ember today and decides to send him a text while she waits.
I'm sorry that I forgot to tell you my mother was picking Ember up today. I hope she didn't cause much trouble.
Only about thirty seconds pass before he replies and Mary's smiling like an idiot because he answers so quickly.
Harry: No worries! Haha no, she was lovely! Can I ask why she picked Ember up today? She didn't really explain.
There's still five minutes left so she decides to continue to talk to him instead of being incredibly bored and even a little embarrassed because she's sitting alone in the middle of the restaurant.
That's a relief! It's Alec and I's seven-year anniversary tonight. I always let my parents spend time with Ember because sometimes things are nice and sometimes things aren't.
Harry: Oh, well I hope you have a nice night, you certainly deserve it. I'll let you go now, happy anniversary Mary!
She's a little disappointed that he's going to leave her to her evening, but she's glad that he's not one of those people who gets incredibly nasty when she mentions her husband. He's so sweet. She knows that it's not easy for him to keep his cool and not yell or send her a long paragraph about why he's no good for her, but he does it anyway because he's such a kindhearted man.
Mary waits and sips at her wine. A few people give her looks and she does her best to smile in return because she hasn't been stood up yet, it's not six and there's still time for Alec to show up.
Ten minutes pass and she's not feeling so great anymore. Alec hasn't called or texted and she's still getting sad looks cast in her direction. Mary sends him a text and asks him where he's at and waits a few minutes to give him time to answer because he never answers her right away anymore.
Three minutes pass with no answer and she decides to call him because this is embarrassing and her heart is starting to fall apart again because she got her hopes up.
The line rings and rings and she's trying her best to breathe slowly and to ignore the pain in her chest. She's sent to voicemail and her voice cracks a little as she leaves a message.
"Where are you? I'm at Starlight like you said...please don't do this to me again, Alec. It's our anniversary...please don't do this. I love you."
She orders another glass of wine and tries her hardest not to just down it. At the moment, being drunk seems far more appealing than being sober. An hour passes and she's still alone and on her fourth glass of wine. The waitress felt bad for her after forty-five minutes and brought her a free appetizer in hopes that it would make her feel a little better because the look on her face and in her eyes is heartbreaking.
Mary can't take it anymore and tries not to rush as she makes her way to the bathroom to cry. There are a few women inside when she enters, but she rushes inside a stall and lets the tears fall anyway. She feels like an idiot because she actually thought that he would show up this time. For Christ's sake, it's the same exact restaurant he stood her up at two years ago.
She can't believe that she's let him do this to her again and she can't believe that she didn't see it coming.
Her phone is still in her hand and the only person she can think to talk to is Harry. But she doesn't want to call him because she doesn't want to hear the sadness laced in his voice because he knew that something like this would happen and he didn't have it in him to tell her so.
He stood me up again. Is there any way that you can pick me up? I took a cab thinking that he would show this time and I don't have enough money to get home... :(
Not even two seconds pass before he's calling her and she's wiping her eyes and trying to stop crying because she doesn't want him to hear how heartbroken she is.
"Please don't tell me that you saw this coming. Say anything else, just-please, not that."
Harry frowns and sighs softly, he wasn't going to say that at all and it hurts him that she would think he'd say that. But he understands that she's hurting because it's her anniversary and her husband stood her up, so he tries his best not to take it to heart because she probably didn't mean it that way.
"What happened, love?"
Mary releases a shaky breath and gives up on drying her tears because she's too upset to stop them now and it's not worth it. Her makeup is already messed up anyway.
"H-he told me to meet him at S-starlight at six for dinner and he stood me up. He stood me up on our anniversary for the second time and in the same damn restaurant. I'm so embarrassed and I just—fuck, it hurts Harry. It hurts so much."
She hears his keys jingle in the background, but she doesn't have it in her to smile because it feels like someone's just shot her in the chest.
"I know sweetheart." And he does know how she feels because he's had an ex fiancée do the same thing to him a few years ago and it hurt like hell. But this time he's hurting with her because he's started to fall in love with her and its hell to hear her so heartbroken. "I'll be there soon."
Mary nods and chokes back a sob, "O-okay."
It takes her a good couple of minutes to compose herself and calm down so that she's not sobbing. The tears are still in her eyes and making them look incredibly shiny, but that's alright. A few women give her sad glances as she cleans up her eye makeup and she tries her best to ignore them because it will only make her feel worse.
When she returns to her table, people are still giving her looks and she's trying her hardest not to cry again. She understands that she's made a bit of a scene in the bathroom, but she doesn't understand why everyone in the restaurant has to make her feel bad and stare at her instead of minding their own business.
She stares at her hands in her lap and focuses her breathing to calm her heart rate and slow the tears. Harry makes it to the restaurant in ten minutes because he sped to get to her. He doesn't believe that a woman should be upset on her anniversary and he needs to fix it because he knows her beautiful heart can't handle too much more of this.
The host at the front gives him some trouble because he doesn't have a reservation and he's tried to just rush into the dining room. But once he explains and points over to Mary who has her head down and tears rolling down her cheeks, the host lets him pass without further interruptions.
A lot of heads turn in his direction, one because he's not dressed to impress with his dark skinny jeans and brown sweater, and two because they think he's the idiot that stood this poor woman up for so long.
Harry doesn't care though because he's not there for them, he's there for her.
Mary's too caught up in ignoring the people around her and trying to stop her tears and she doesn't notice that he's there until his hand cups her cheek and lifts her head so that she's looking him in the eyes.
His eyes are sad too, but he wears a soft smile as his thumb gently swipes away some tears on her cheek, "Please stop crying. You're far too beautiful to cry so much."
Despite how horrible she feels, she laughs and closes her eyes as she leans into his hand, "Okay."
Harry ignores her protests and pays for her drinks before leading her out of the restaurant and driving her home. The twenty-minute ride is silent, save for Mary's occasional sniffling, and she holds his hand for the entire drive to her house because she's afraid that he'll leave her too.
He knows that she wants him to stay and follows her inside and up to her bedroom, where she curls into him and closes her eyes as he holds her close. He feels so bad that her husband does this to her and that he can't just tell the guy off because she's still got some love for him in that broken heart of hers and he doesn't want to hurt her too.
He rubs circles on her back, kisses the top of her head, and tells her that she's beautiful and that he's not going anywhere. She's calmed down quite a bit since he picked her up, but she still isn't alright and he wants to cheer her up as much as he can.
So, he orders her favorite pizza and steps away from her for a moment to put Tarzan in the DVD player. As soon as the pizza gets there, she kisses all over his face, except for his lips of course, and thanks him repeatedly.
Their position changes and now she's not just holding him, she's cuddling him like he's her lover and it means the world to each of them, specifically Harry because he's healed her heart.
It's almost eleven by the time the movie ends and he thinks that he has to go because he doesn't want Alec to come home and find him in her bed. He doesn't want to make things worse than they already are even though he wants nothing more than to stay with her and hold her through the night.
Mary reaches for his arm as soon as she realizes that he's leaving and not just getting up to use the bathroom.
Her eyes are a little glossy as she pleads with him softly, "Please stay."
"What about your husband?"
She shakes her head and her frown deepens, "He won't come home. He never really does. Plus, I locked him out anyway." He lost his key a long time ago and she never made him another one because she knew that things were spiraling downhill.
The look in her eyes is killing him and there's no way that he can say no. Harry crawls back into bed and pulls the fluffy covers over them before his arms wrap around Mary and pull her closer to him.
She practically melts into him and he can't really say that he minds because he's been dreaming about being with her like this for months. Granted, she's not happy like he dreamed of, but she's Mary and he makes her happy and that's more than enough for him.
All of the lights are out now and it's practically pitch black in the room, save for the time on the cable box, and they're each on the verge of falling asleep when Mary speaks so softly that Harry almost doesn't hear her.
"I think I'm going to leave him."