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As the door shut behind her, Belle ducked her head, hand coming up to make sure that her hair covered her scars. There was only two customers in the store, one waiting at the counter while Mr. Clarke sneezed into a handkerchief and the other was in the aisle with the cereal. None were looking at her, but Belle could feel their eyes. She quickly grabbed a basket and scurried to the soap aisle.
Shampoo and conditioner went in the basket first, followed by a can of the shaving cream that Elijah preferred. She shuffled sideways a few steps and keeping her gaze away, she reached out and grabbed the box, hiding it at the bottom of the basket. Jumping at the sound of the bell above the door, she relaxed when she realized that it was the other customer leaving. She paced back and forth in front of a gardening display until she heard the second customer leave.
Keeping her head down she hurried to the counter, placing the basket down and fiddling with her purse while Mr. Clarke rung up her purchases. He didn't even blink as he bagged them all and she huddled the bag to her as she left and made her way home.
She reads the instructions four times before she opened the first one. The wait time was intolerable, spent pacing down the hall, down the stairs to the kitchen, back up to the bathroom, pausing in front of the door, before going back down the stairs to the living room, through to the kitchen, spinning on her heel and going back up. She was circling the kitchen island when the timer she set on the bathroom counter went off.
He heart thumped once before she bolted up the stairs, she kept her eyes closed as she entered the bathroom and turned off the timer. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly twice before she opened her eyes. There was no confusion about what it said, but she checked the box, just in case.
** ** * ** **
Many hours later, when Elijah Gold came home, he found his wife waiting for him. As soon as he shut the door, she pushed him against it, her mouth over his. He dropped his cane, arms wrapping around her, pulling her to the only place he ever wanted her to be, pressed against him. Her eyes were sparkling when they separated, gasping for air.
“I have something to tell you,” she whispered against his lips. He nodded as whatever it was, was obviously good.