smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Because it wasn't just any marriage. Felicity and Jasper Carmichael were the envy of many, their loving relationship, beautiful home and sparkling social life a testament to a highly successful relationship.
Pausing in the midst of her typing, Fliss glanced at the glittering circle of diamonds on her left hand. Jasper had presented it to her on their 15th wedding anniversary, a testament of his love he had said in front of the small crowd of friends invited to share the occasion; something that he wished he’d been able to present to Fliss when they were first married but which had been beyond the reach of a young journalist’s salary. Everyone had applauded and Fliss had felt the tears roll down her cheek as she’d kissed him, sliding her arms around his neck and pulling him close. Her friends had fluttered around her, each catching her hand and admiring the diamond ring with only the slightest touch of envy showing. The champagne had flowed and Fliss had sat at the table, her eyes flitting over their family and friends feeling perfectly and completely content.
Sighing happily, she put her hand back on the keyboard to advise Ellie that her love for Logan had every chance to turn into the same success. It shouldn't be labelled as a mere crush until it had been fully explored. She would tell Ellie how much she and Jasper still loved each other, how the thought of life without each other was simply impossible. Ellie would want to know how strong their love was, how nothing had dimmed it over the years. Life with Jasper had been everything that Fliss could have hoped for and the same could be true for Ellie.
The light from the window landed on the diamonds and Fliss blinked, distracted by the glittering arc, the tiniest of frowns settling between her perfectly shaped eyebrows. Of course, there had to be sacrifices along the way. Life was full of compromise and marriage was a classic example. Sometimes one partner had to sacrifice slightly more than the other, that was the nature of life. It reflected the strength of your love when you were prepared to give up something you held dear for the benefit of your marriage.
The sun retreated and Fliss’ ring stopped sparkling. Perhaps she should warn Ellie how important it was that you didn't expect everything to remain exactly as it was during those early days. Some of the passion would disappear over the years, the desire to spend every minute of the day together would wane, it was only natural. Fliss had written several emails to women advising that marriage like any other relationship, would evolve and change. It would become more sophisticated, more down to earth as it made way for deeper feelings. Those early days full of romance and butterflies couldn't last forever, it wasn’t easy fitting all-consuming love into a busy working life. Shivering, Fliss lifted her head to look out of the window, searching for the sun which had disappeared behind the drifting clouds. Her diamonds had no sparkle at all now, they felt cold and heavy around her finger.
Perhaps it was too early for Ellie to think along those lines but as her fingers flashed across the keyboard and her thoughts crowded and shuffled for space, Fliss felt that she should still warn her. Because when Ellie and Logan’s love changed, evolving into something far more practical, Ellie must be ready and understand that it wasn't failure. It was perfectly acceptable.
Jasper still came home with a kiss every night, although these days she was often in bed before he made it back. They still sat down to share a meal and catch up on each other’s day whenever they could. It happened less and less recently, in fact Fliss was struggling to remember the last occasion, but they still talked. Jasper’s busy life often took him away for days at a time and when he returned, the main subject of conversation was the interview he had completed and the laundry he needed done. The days when he had come bursting through the door to sweep Fliss upstairs declaring that he had missed her, were long gone. But that was okay, that was normal. Fliss herself was kept busy with work and yoga and meeting her friends for lunch. Perhaps a disadvantage of their successful lives was that they were both so occupied, always with so much to do