The evening had grown quiet by the time Sophie and Lily reached Dan’s front door. Sophie shifted the first-aid box beneath her arm and was just about to knock when Lily gently tugged at her hand.
"Mum wait let me do it."
Sophie could only wait as Lily smiled then knocked twice with her tiny fist. She waited for a moment, then brought her mouth closer to the door and called softly, "Uncle... we’re here."
Her voice was so quiet that Sophie couldn’t help smiling.
"You don’t have to whisper, sweetheart. He might not hear you ."
"I don’t want to scare him," Lily whispered back, as though Dan were some sleeping animal that might suddenly leap out at them.
Before Sophie could respond, they heard footsteps approaching from inside.
A moment later, the lock clicked, and the door opened.
Dan stood on the other side, looking really good.
He had already showered and changed out of his work clothes, now wearing a simple dark T-shirt and comfortable trousers.
His hair was still slightly damp, and although the shower had washed away the sweat and grime from his long day, it had done little to hide the bruising on his face. The abrasion along his jaw looked even more noticeable against his freshly washed skin.
His tired expression softened almost immediately when he saw them.
"Sophie. Lily."
Lily smiled around the candy in her mouth. "Hi, Uncle."
Dan’s gaze dropped briefly to the candy before returning to her face. He gave a quiet laugh but said nothing about it. Instead, he stepped aside and allowed them to enter.
Sophie guided Lily inside before following, carrying the first-aid box with her.
The house was warm and quiet. Lily immediately made herself comfortable in the sitting room, climbing onto one end of the sofa with the casual familiarity of a child who had spent enough time there to feel at home. She settled down with her bag of treats beside her and continued licking the candy she had been carrying since they left.
Dan sat on the opposite side and Sophie placed the first-aid box on the table and opened it.
For a moment, the only sounds in the room were the soft rustling of medical supplies and Lily occasionally sucking on her candy.
Dan watched Sophie as she prepared everything with practiced efficiency. There was something strangely reassuring about seeing her work. She moved with the quiet confidence of someone who knew exactly what she was doing, checking each item before setting it within reach.
"You really didn’t have to come over," Dan finally said.
"I know." Sophie didn’t look up. "But you were injured."
The simplicity of her answer made Dan smile. He didn’t argue again.
Sophie put on a pair of gloves and moved closer. She gently tilted his chin toward the light, examining the abrasion along his jaw. Her expression immediately became more serious as she studied the wound.
"This is deeper than it looked outside."
Dan merely shrugged. Sophie gave him a brief look that made it clear she wasn’t impressed by the response.
She reached for a piece of sterile gauze and applied antiseptic before carefully cleaning the damaged skin.
Dan instinctively flinched a little at the sting and Sophie immediately slowed her movements.
"Sorry." Her voice was softer now.
"It’s fine." Dan replied casually...
Nodding at his reply, she took a deep breath to calm herself, after all, doing this was stirring up emotions within her, there was nothing she could do about it.
With that she continued. Her fingers moved carefully over his skin, wiping away the dried blood and cleaning the edges of the abrasion with precision that came from years of practice.
Dan remained unusually still.
He could smell the faint fragrance of her perfume as she leaned closer, something subtle and familiar that stirred a strange sense of recognition within him. He couldn’t remember where he had encountered that scent before, yet there was something about it that felt oddly comforting.
Sophie noticed his gaze resting on her and looked up.
Their eyes met. For a moment, neither said anything.
It was only a few seconds, but something about the silence felt different from the ordinary pauses they shared as neighbors. There was an ease between them, but beneath it was something neither of them seemed willing to acknowledge.
Sophie eventually lowered her eyes and returned to the wound.
She applied a thin layer of ointment before carefully placing a small dressing over the worst of the abrasion.
"There."
Dan touched the edge of the dressing carefully. "Looks bad?"
"You’ll have a mark for a while."
He sighed. "Wonderful."
A faint smile touched Sophie’s lips. "Don’t worry Dan. It’ll heal."
She closed the antiseptic container and reached for another piece of gauze.
"Your chest next."
Dan looked at her, a faintly amused expression appearing on his face.
"You knew about that?"
For a brief moment, Sophie froze. A faint blush immediately crept across her cheeks, and she quickly looked away, suddenly appearing like someone who had been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to.
"Well..." she began, her voice losing some of its earlier confidence. "Your shirt was slightly open back when you came back from work."
Dan’s smile widened. "So you noticed, you’ve got to be looking at my chest to see that."
Sophie avoided his eyes. "I was looking at your injuries."
"Of course."
She glanced at him briefly, only to find the amused expression still on his face. Her cheeks grew a little warmer.
Dan smiled, but despite his seemingly friendly teasing, he still tried to wave it off;
"That one isn’t too bad, though. It’s just a minor bruise..."
"It’s still an injury, Daniel."
Her tone was gentle but firm, carrying the unmistakable authority of a nurse who had already decided that her patient wasn’t going to argue.
Dan stared at her for a moment before giving a helpless shrug. "Alright."
He reached down and slowly lifted his shirt slightly, exposing the bruise along his chest.
Sophie turned her attention toward it, her professional expression returning as she leaned closer to examine the injury.
The bruise along his chest was darker than the injury on his face, though thankfully there was no obvious swelling or serious damage. Sophie leaned closer to examine it, her fingers gently pressing around the edges.
Her touch was careful, almost feather-light.
Dan’s muscles tightened instinctively beneath her fingers.
Sophie noticed and her eyes lifted toward his face.
"Does it hurt?"
"A little."
She shifted her hand slightly and pressed another area.
Dan winced.
"Here?"
"Yeah."
Sophie nodded and continued examining the bruise.
There was no unnecessary conversation this time. She simply worked, occasionally asking a brief question when she needed to, while Dan sat quietly and allowed her to take care of him.
The closeness between them became more noticeable precisely because neither was talking.
Sophie was standing close enough that Dan could see the concentration in her eyes and the faint strands of hair that had fallen beside her face. Her usual composed expression had softened, and there was something almost intimate about the tenderness with which she handled his injuries.
Dan found himself watching her again. Not because he meant to. He simply did.
Across the room, Lily noticed. She stopped licking her candy and looked between them for a moment.
"Uncle Dan."
Dan turned. "What?"
Lily pointed at Sophie with the candy in her hand. "Mummy is taking care of you."
Dan smiled. "She is."
Lily nodded as though that settled everything and returned to her candy.
Sophie couldn’t help smiling. She finished examining the bruise and placed a cold compress against the injured area. "Keep this on for a while."
Dan nodded. "Okay."
She remained there for another moment, making sure he was comfortable before finally pulling her hand away.
The brief contact ended, but the warmth of it seemed to linger.
Dan looked at her. "Thanks, Sophie."
She met his eyes and smiled softly. "You’re welcome."
They found themselves locking gaze again before Lily giggling from the side interrupted them...
Both adults turned toward her.
She was sitting there with her candy between her fingers, apparently amused by something only she understood.
"What?" Sophie asked.
Lily shook her head innocently. "Nothing."
Dan laughed under his breath.
Sophie narrowed her eyes playfully, but Lily had already returned her attention to her candy.
The moment passed, leaving behind the same quiet warmth that had settled over the room from the beginning.
Sophie closed the first-aid box and placed it beside her.
Dan lowered his shirt and leaned back against the sofa, feeling considerably more comfortable than he had when they first arrived.
"Goodbye Uncle Dan!" Lily’s cheerful voice was the last thing that resounded in the place as her and her mum left...