IS IT REALLY WORTH IT?

WORTH 3

Niki dreamt of Lou that night, though she hardly had any actual sleep. To her horror and mild concern, the couple next door were still f*****g. She wasn't even sure if they had even stopped at all during the day when she'd been out being lonely and depressed. Niki had walked all over town, thinking about her life and where she wanted to be. When she had returned to her room, it only took a quick second of silence to hear the sounds of s****l groaning from beyond the wall.

Woken for a third time, Niki threw her pillow at the wall and rubbed a hand over her face. She couldn't deal with this so late. Who the f**k even had time for so much s*x anymore? Niki couldn't even remember the last time she'd an o****m, never mind had actual s*x. It wasn't like she and Louise had been particularly inclined as of late. Ever since that goddamn promotion...

Before certain thoughts could make her even angrier, Niki threw some clothes on and grabbed her phone and keys. Her slops clacked loudly underneath her feet as she made her way down the stairs to the parking lot below. It was pretty dark, but the motel sign and the store across the street provided light where the moon didn't reach. She headed over to a nearby bench and plopped down with an angry huff. When morning came she would check out and head somewhere else if those idiots next door weren't done mating by the time the sun came up.

She unlocked her phone and paused to stare at the time. 00:32. Just great. Niki tapped around for her email, hoping Mel had a long update for her to read, but accidentally went into her photos. Her finger slid across the screen as she tried to go out of the file, but she only succeeded in opening up one of the pictures. Lou's brown eyes stared up at her above a large, happy grin. Niki frowned deeply, staring at the picture. It didn't give her butterflies or a rush of affection or anything. She felt nothing. No, not entirely nothing. Seeing Lou's face like that made her stomach churn with disgust. She lifted her thumb to delete the picture.

"She's really pretty."

"Jesus f**k!" Niki's hands flailed and her phone sailed through the air. She barely managed to catch herself on the bench before falling off, but her phone landed hard on the gravel beneath her and she stared at it with a tick in her brow. Beside her a woman had appeared, and she was staring at Niki's phone with an apologetic look on her face.

"Not the worst reaction I've had," she joked.

Niki sighed and swiped her phone off the floor. The corner was a little nicked-which she knew would bother the f**k out of her-but other than that, it was alright. She hurriedly slipped her phone back into her pocket and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sorry for scaring you like that," the stranger continued. "I just couldn't keep my comment to myself. Is she a friend?"

Niki wanted to stand and run down the street. Forget getting her stuff and her car. She was tired and tense and miserable, and it was starting to get a little cold. Her shorts and slops did absolutely nothing to keep her long legs warm. She shifted to stare up at the stranger, already pulling up a mean comment from her throat.

The woman was attractive. Strikingly so, enough that Niki's words died in her throat. It wasn't really the beauty of her face that made Niki suddenly speechless, but more so the severe look in her eyes. They were dark and swirling with shadows, and though they held a gaze that told Niki this woman had seen some dark stuff, there was also a lightness there. The woman lifted a brow and dropped into the space beside her.

"Er, it's alright," Niki finally answered. "And no, not a friend."

The woman hummed softly, studying Niki's face. "Wife, then," she supplied. "And maybe not for much longer?"

Niki blinked. "How did you know that?"

The woman's face suddenly fell as if she was disappointed by what Niki had just said. She adjusted the glasses on her face. "Your tone," she said. "And the look on your face. How long have you been together?"

Normally Niki would have cussed this woman out and hurried back up to her room, but there was just something about her presence that made Niki oddly comfortable. She found herself actually answering instead of being sarcastic.

"Eleven years. Married for eight."

The woman whistled. "Damn. A long time to be together with someone."

Niki slumped down on the bench and fiddled with the strings by her shorts' zipper. "Doesn't seem to have been enough though."

"Trouble in paradise is a tragic thing. My name is Rachel, by the way. How rude of me to frighten you, interrogate you and not provide my name before." She flashed a bright, goofy grin. Niki was utterly compelled to reciprocate, although mildly. Rachel held her hand out and she took it.

"Niki." she said. "And don't worry about it. Why are you out here so late on your own?"

Rachel's grip on her hand was a little too tight, a little too warm, but she let go quickly and hid her hands in her armpits. She blew a lock of hair out of her face and glanced up at Niki's room, much to Niki's dismay.

"Just making sure a business transaction goes smoothly," Rachel said softly. "What about you?"

"You aren't selling drugs, are you?"

Rachel laughed. "No."

"Buying?"

"I don't abuse any substances."

"Picking up a hooker then?"

"Do I look like a shady character to you?"

Niki studied Rachel's outfit. She was dressed darkly, with tight black jeans and a black jacket. Her hair was up in a ponytail, but from its disarray Niki could tell she'd had her hood on until recently. She gave a shrug and grinned.

"Maybe."

Rachel shook her head. "Looks can be deceiving. So can problems, sometimes."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes when you feel like there is no answer or solution, there's one staring right at you. Sure, not all relationships can work out forever, but most can. All you need is a little extra effort. Here." Rachel reached into her pocket and produced a card. "Give me a call if you feel like eleven years are worth more something." She winked.

Niki took the card and stared down at it.

Organization of Marriage Counselling

Rachel Lee

Contact: xxx-xxx-xxx

She furrowed her brows. "I don't, um..." Rachel's lifted brow made her click her mouth shut. "Thanks."

Rachel grinned. "I should get going. Have a lovely night."

Niki could only watch as Rachel stood and walked over to a suspicious looking black van. When she drove by she waved enthusiastically, to which Niki waved back. She sat there for a while, staring at the road, twirling the card in her fingers.

What were eleven years really worth?