He was lucky she was a woman with endless patience, and at least in this moment did not mind that he hadn’t kept his promise of being quick, for his shower was in fact not quick. Which in truth, did not surprise her. She knew him well enough now, better than almost anyone else in fact, that she could see a long hot shower was clearly needed. His comment of missing the shower and their bed earned him a chuckle.
She waited for him to become settled before she leaned over to turn off the lamp on the bedside table beside her before settling next to him. No time was wasted as she pressed herself close, fitting perfectly against him. Not for the first time, she placed an open palm to his chest, feeling the steady rhythmic beat of his heart under her finger tips. As darkness and a comfortable silence fell around him, his hand moved to hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. He knew her equally well, no doubt could sense the way her mind turned over, that despite the relief, the joy of having him home, the lightness she felt without the tight knot in her chest–the months of worrying, hearing so little, trying not to fear the worst that he might not return at all did not simply evaporate and left some small trace that would take a day or two still to fully dissipate.
Having half expected him to fall asleep within a few minutes of his head hitting the pillow, she was a little surprised when he moved, turning onto his side and guiding her leg over his hip before pulling her close. Even in the dark, there was just enough light to be able to see the lines of his face, and for a long moment they remained that way before he finally leaned in and kissed her, gentle and sweet. “Of course I did.” Always. She had known what would be required of her long before he put a ring on her finger, even if it was not always easy. Not that he had any doubts of her doing otherwise, as his words were merely an acknowledgment of the hardship that came with it. One unneeded but much appreciated all the same.
“I’m thinking about how much I missed you, how happy I am that your home.” Words whispered as if a secret. There were other things too, details and results of his journey, but that could wait for when the sun had again risen. For now she would bask in the warmth of having him next to her again without thinking about anything else. It was easy to get her to smile, to have soft laughter tumbling from her lips as he kissed the tip of her nose, and then her forehead, continued to lavish attention to her. “Oh, don’t say that unless you mean it.” What she wouldn’t give to steal him away, have him all to herself without interruption. Certainly no one would argue against her deserving it. A strong argument could be made that after the months he had been away and then some, she had paid her fair share of dues that it went beyond deserving and that they were owed that much.
Now it was she who kissed him, one that easily deepened as it lingered. God she missed him, it felt like her heart might burst now that he was here. “Well then, where should we go?” she asked when the kiss finally broke when the need for air made her lungs burn. Her hands had slipped under his shirt in the want, the need to be closer, finding his skin warm under her touch. “On vacation I mean. Or do you simply plan on cruelly teasing me with the idea of it?”
