Alan stepped through the door, greeted by the familiar warmth of their shared apartment. He found her, as always, perched on the sofa, lost in a book on medieval architecture, her single hand tracing the intricate designs on the pages.

"Hey," he said with a tired smile, dropping his bag by the door. "How was your day?"

She glanced up, her eyes brightening at his arrival. "Oh, you know, the usual battle against boredom and bad coffee," she quipped, a hint of dry humor lacing her words.