I'm Drowning in the Night // [Althea/Fabian blitz]

The Harbor Gala was yet another bullet on her checklist. She was exhausted from the constant campaigning. Althea was constantly marching through the district knocking on doors and discussing improvements. She'd sailed on boats, gave speeches, gathered donations and made a million promises she tried to keep track of but was bound to forget some.
She spent the afternoon getting ready. More hours of her life lost to curling her hair and pressing makeup over wrinkles that seemed deeper and deeper each time she looked in the mirror. Was it age or just stress? A combination of both no doubt. She was a grandmother now, an odd role for a woman who never really wanted to be a mother in the first place. She didn't wear it well, or at least didn't like it. She specifically requested the children call her "Althea" instead of something like meemaw or granny.

She walked around the room, champagne glass in hand but the liquid untouched. She couldn't distract herself even one slurred word could lose a vote. She schmoozed nearly the entire night, poor Fabian in tow behind her a bit forgotten. He seemed to enjoy the position of the Mayor's spouse more than the official office. She couldn't blame him, he simply had to show up and look nice and that was it.

Late in the evening Althea was looking over the figures raised for the harbor renovations when Fabian took her hand. She let him lead her to the mostly empty dance floor as the band played a slow song. She settled into his arms, letting him take her weight as he talked about music.

For the first time all night she relaxed.

"I think so. We hit our goal and I talked to nearly everyone here. Even the children," she said. "I hope it was an inconvenience for you."

Althea frowned. Of course she wanted to go home. Her feet were aching from being crunch in heels and she was emotionally drained from smiling and waving all night. But she was the mayor and mayors don't leave early. The stay and put in the work.

"I have to clean up, Fabian," she said, pulling away from his embrace. She kept her their hands linked but put space between them so they looked more like teenagers dancing for the first time together than an old married couple. It hit a nerve she had not expected. Fabian had done the whole song and dance before, he knew what was expected of her.

"You should know that."

Deep down she knows he's right She's being ridiculous taking on so much and no one will care if she simply steps aside and heads home.
But what if someone does? What if one person decides not to vote for her and she loses by just that much? Every action carries so much weight during election time and she has to consider every single possible outcome.
If she stays she ma earn some votes, if she goes home early she could lose one. Or she tries to stay and gets into a fight with her husband and loses a vote.

She wished she thought of things in terms of what she wanted or how she felt instead of what other people felt about her.

"Really it's fine. Community service always looks good. You can head home and I'll be there as soon as we're done."

Was she listening to him? Not really but that had become a bad habit of Althea's as of late.