Read The Plain White Room for Free Online

market.
    “Oh, my… I can’t believe you remembered.”
    “Ha, remembered, how could I ever forget? I thought you might like one” she said, standing in the corner of the room still beaming, smiling from ear to ear. “Thank you,” he said staring at it.
    He stepped forward and slowly pulled the tatters of wrapping paper from the box.
    “This is too much,” he said, shaking his head.
    “Not at all!” she said, standing on her tip toes.
    “It’s a big birthday!”
    “Yeah, don’t remind me,” He grumbled.
    “Oh don’t be so crabby you old fuddy-duddy.” she said hugging him from behind.
    “You're too sweet, honestly,” he said picking up a book sitting next to the tricorder on the bed. It was an original copy of “Radioactive substances” by Madame Curie.
    “Some light reading?” he said with a snigger, picking up the book.
    “Oh right, no I ran out of wrapping paper. As you may have noticed. That’s your other present!”
    “What!?” he said dropping the book. “No, that is too much!” She laughed, “So I did well?”
    “You did more than well,” he said sitting on the edge of the bed, flipping through the book. Alice moved the larger box to the floor and scrambled onto the middle of the bed. Putting her arms around his shoulders and looking at the book. Her cheek resting against his “this is perfect,” he said leaning back, putting his head on the pillow and raising the book above his head. Hastily checked every page, glossary and the contents he started reading from chapter three. Alice lay down next to him, watching him read with a smug smile.
    “I’m sorry that your presents are so late,” she said, putting her hand on his shoulder.
    “What?” he said absent minded, “Oh no, not at all. You told me you had them. I should have organised to come sooner; you told me they were here.” he said still heading.
    “I could have brought them round, though, or just posted them. I wanted to see you though I guess.”
    “Aw, that’s nice. I always forget that you’re so good at surprises.”
    Lepus turned his head as the word ‘surprises' left his lips. A tear was running down her cheek, but she was still smiling.
    “Oh Alice,” he said putting the book down. He sat up, his back against the headboard.
    “What, what is it?”
    “Nothing, nothing I’m sorry,” she said, rubbing her eyes. He put his hand on her shoulder. To comfort her, but all he wanted was to kiss her. He didn’t know why she was crying if it was even him. Maybe she felt guilty for wanting to leave him. It felt arrogant to him to assume he was the reason for her tears.
    Maybe she felt guilty for wanting to leave him. Maybe she too longed to kiss him and forget had wanted another. 
    She lay down next to him; her arm draped across his chest.
    They were silent and still for a moment. He closed his eyes and tried to slow time. Make it stretch out infinitely, thin and unrushed. That perhaps if he was still enough they could stay like this forever.
    But he knew this would not happen. That docks would continue their slow unwavering beat.
    Marching slowly towards a time when she would no longer be his. In knowing this, he raged in his mind. The injustice of it. His inaction repulsed him. Until he could take it no more, “I saw some photos downstairs,” he said, his voice cracking, forcing out the words.
    “Of you and March Hare at that party you wanted me to pick you up from.”
    “Yeah, I thought you’d say something about that,”
    “What did you think I would say?”
    She shrugged, still cuddled up to him.
    “I guess I had wondered why you didn’t invite me. I didn’t know he was going.”
    “You don't invite me to lots of things, and you always complain about the people. Would you have even come if I had asked to you?” she said all this calmly. No frustration, no anger in her voice.
    “I don’t know,” he said, regretting having brought it up. He turned his head and stared out the bedroom window. He