Simon lay on his back in bed, one arm tucked behind his head, eyes fixed on the faint crack in the ceiling. The bathroom light cast a narrow strip across the floor as Claire moved around inside, methodical as always. Drawers opened and closed. The tap ran, then stopped.

“You still on your feet?” he asked.

“Barely,” Claire said. “These lights are brutal.”

“You say that every night.”

“Because it’s true every night.”

He smiled, subtle. “How late did they keep you?”

“Later than they should’ve,” she replied. “Paperwork turned into a meeting. Meeting turned into a debate.”

“Of course it did.”

She stepped into the doorway, pulling her hair back as she shut off the light. “You eat?”

“Protein bar and regret.”

“That tracks.”

Claire crossed the room and climbed into bed, pulling the blanket up as she settled against him. Simon shifted without thinking, sliding an arm around her and drawing her back to his chest. Familiar. Easy. His fingers brushed through her hair, slow and absent, the way they always did when neither of them felt like talking too much.

“Tomorrow’s an early one,” she said.

“Yeah.”

“Brief or wheels up?”

“Both.”

She exhaled softly. Not a sigh—just acknowledgment. “You packed already?”

“Always do.”

She reached back, resting her hand on his forearm. “Any changes?”

“Not that they’re telling us.”

“Of course not.”

They lay in silence for a moment, the kind that didn’t feel heavy. Just controlled. Intentional.

“Office is pushing for another extension,” Claire said. “They want eyes on a few things I’d rather not babysit.”

Simon hummed. “You going to?”

“Probably. Someone has to translate.”

“Funny how that became your job.”

“Funny how I’m good at it,” she replied dryly.

He smirked. “You always were.”

The house was quiet—too quiet to last. Their three older boys were grown, scattered, making their own mistakes somewhere else. But the youngest was still here. Still on their radar. Still breaking the silence in ways that felt both grounding and exhausting.

Simon pressed a brief kiss to the side of her head. “Alarm’s set,” he said.

“Three or four?”

“Both.”

“Good.”

They stayed like that, bodies aligned, breathing steady, neither of them reaching for more than the moment allowed.