The curtains were still drawn shut, but that didn’t stop the sunlight from lighting up the bedroom. Nicholas indeed slept through the entire day and woke up with a headache the following morning. His first thought was to get up and draw the curtains apart to allow more light to enter the room, but he found that when he tried to sit that such a menial task was very painful. Therefore, with a grunt, Nick allowed himself some more rest and laid his head back on the pillow.

That was when he realized that there was somebody else in the room with him. Nick found her resting her head on her arms, which were folded on the bed right beside his hand. Their fingers were barely touching, but it might be correct to guess that at one point Claire was holding his hand. Did she stay the whole night despite of what she said?

Nick left her alone and let his eyes wander around the room. On the bedside table, he found a tray of what he assumed was his breakfast. He couldn’t see what it was that the cook prepared for him because it was still covered, but beside the tray was a book. Nick reached far enough to retrieve the book. He was about to browse through the pages when a note fell to his chest.

[i]Nick,

I thought you might get bored.

-Timothy[/i]

There was something odd that he noticed though. He counted three pages with dog ears, but the triangular fold from the corner of the paper varied in size. Nick looked for the words where the tip pointed to. Not surprisingly it contained a simple message – “He. Wouldn’t. Talk” All the more reason he wanted to be back on his feet and into the heart of the action. He did not enjoy the interrogation process, especially the part where he had to break the person’s will, but it was a vital part of information gathering. If this one that they caught would just cooperate, they could finish the assignment faster. The sooner it was over, the sooner he could get back to he and Claire could get back to their respective lives.

 Nick closed the book and placed it down beside him as carefully as possible so that he wouldn’t disturb Claire, who he just remembered was also in the same room as him. The sooner the mission was over, the sooner their marriage would end. He turned to her. She had a very peaceful face when asleep, so very far from the angry bride he married the day before. Her facial features were relaxed and her lips were… Nick stopped his thoughts from going further. She was a beautiful lady, that was a given. There was nothing wrong with admiring her beauty, but it had to end at admiration. Then again, he remembered their kiss, the way she responded and how it made him feel.

Not able to stop himself, Nick allowed the knuckles of his hand to lightly touch her cheek, tracing the curve from her cheekbone to her jaw before he propped himself on one elbow and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. He wanted to bury his hand in her hair ag—

Nicholas cursed under his breath and crossed his arms about his chest as he looked away. Where was his self control when he needed it the most?