Things you said at 1am- Lucaya
Long days. Many would next expect days at the Veterinarian hospital to be long, but they were particularly long. One might think, “Well hey, they close at 10pm, its not like they’re open like emergency rooms.” But people often forget that some pets stay overnight. Some pets need time to recover, some pets can have traumatic experiences. The veterinarian hospital is no happy place for any kind of animal. It’s Lucas’ job and the job of his staff to make sure that these animals are safe and feel safe.
So when Lucas comes home every night at 1am he is exceptionally tired. Some nights, Lucas would come home to his studio apartment to Maya still up, painting on her canvas and easel by the window. She would be covered in all kinds of paint and her nose would be marked with reds and blues from whenever her nose itched during another of her binge painting moods. Lucas would walk in the door and from across the room, Maya would stick her head out from behind her canvas with a very happy, “Welcome home, Ranger Rick!”
One particular night, Lucas came home at 1am to Maya baking in their kitchen. It was extremely odd to him, Maya was never the baker. But holy cow did it smell good, even from down the hall! Whatever she was baking had scents of vanilla and peanut butter, two things he was rather fond of. Maya was so caught up in her baking that she had no clue that her boyfriend since high school was right behind her as she stared at the oven, watching her treats bake. He snaked his arms around her, holding her onto him. She jumped, startled, in his arms but he felt her slowly relax and intense against him. He pressed a very innocent and loving kiss at the temple of her head before she turned around to give a kiss to his lips from the very tips of her toes. She turned around again, unintentionally—or completely intention, he didn’t know—whipping her blonde hair in her face. She held up an already baked batch of cookies on a pan with a huge grin on her face. “Cookie?”
Other nights he would find her already in bed, underneath their white comforter. She would be up in a sitting position, her back against their headboard as she held a huge iPad in her hands. Her tongue would stick out from her mouth as it usually did while she was in deep concentration, playing a game of Dots. The music from the app is what drew him to their bedroom, very calming and almost woodsy. She must have still been in the forrest levels. Still in his work clothes, he would crawl ontop of the bed towards her and rest his chin on her shoulder, peering over at her progress in the game. It wouldn’t be long until she would sigh with frustration and exclaim, “Damnit, Huckleberry! I’ve been working on the same level all damn night!”
Tonight, though there was no music, no aroma of freshly baked cookies, and there was no Maya at her easel by the window. A little worry started to build in his chest as he dropped his keys on the kitchen counter and placed his briefcase on the floor. He loosened his tie up and uncuffed the sleeves of his shirt.
“Maya?”
He was only answered by silence.
He checked for her in his office, in the hallway bathroom, even in the pantry where she often closed the door behind her whenever she would be looking for some snacks.
One time he found her on the floor of the pantry with the door closed, munching on some Lucky Charms after work. He asked what she was doing and she only shrugged her shoulders and offered the box to him. He mimicked her in shrugging his own shoulders then sat down next to her. They sat in the pantry for hours talking about anything that came to mind, but not before she said, “Close the door, it’s rude to leave it open.”
The worry in his chest was bubbling up now and it was about to send him in a panic. That is, until, he walked into their shared bedroom and found a sleeping Maya curled up on top of the covers, her cellphone clutched in her hand. An alarm then went off at 1:00 am to the song of Bootylicious by Beyonce.
Lucas sat on top of the bed and gently shifted Maya to have her head lay in his lap. She stirred awake, looking at the time on her phone before silencing her alarm. She looked at him with her blue eyes, a little confused. It didn’t take long for her to realize that she had fallen asleep waiting up for him.
“Fuck, sorry Lucas. I was trying to wait up for you and I set an alarm and everything. I’m usually awake when you get home so I thought I could just sneak in a little nap an—” Lucas laughed and cut her of, bending down to place a kiss on her lips. “It’s okay, Clutterbucket. Get some sleep.”
The blonde woman didn’t object. She only smiled, nodded her head and closed her eyes again.
“Goodnight, Soarin’ Eagle. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Sorry this one wasn’t as good as the previous one!
