Just Another Monday Morning

Prompt: A married couple start another average morning on an average weekday. No one dies. No twist. Show their overwhelming love for each other without them speaking a single word.

She stretches out lazily, every muscle in her body awakening as her fingers grab at nothing and her toes curl. The sun is intent on waking her up, but instead her eyelids flutter slowly as she pulls the white sheets tighter around her and snuggles like a cat into his warm chest. She rubs her face against him, her hair tickling his skin. He can feel the slight movement of air as she breathes.

He grins as he looked down at her. She was never one for waking up in the mornings. In all the time he’d known her the earliest he’d ever seen her get up was nine o'clock. Even then she’d be grumbling about how it was the “crack of dawn” and that “morning people were the worst.” His being an early riser had definitely annoyed her for a while, but he liked waking up before her. It gave him a chance to simply look at her. To take in all her features, the softness of her cheeks, her long lashes, her pouty pink lips, without her blushing or lowering her eyes. Smiling, he strokes her cheek and kisses her before reluctantly getting out of bed. He does it slowly, being careful not to wake her as he slips out of the covers and pads softly into the bathroom.

Her eyes flutter open as she feels the loss of his warmth and a rueful grin stretches across her face as she hears the shower running. Trust him to be up already. She sighs as she sits up. The fact that he can get up so early never ceases to amaze her.  Quickly, she pulls her hair into a bun before making her way to the kitchen, figuring she might as well get started on breakfast. On inspecting the fridge she realizes they don’t really have many options. The side effect of being a couple who found it a chore to shop for anything other than books meant their food supplies were pitifully low. They had more books than their local library, but only about four items in the fridge. Strangely enough, that doesn't particularly bother her.  After rooting around in it for a while she manages to find some ingredients for pancakes. Perfect. She begins to hum softly as she moves around the kitchen.

He is out of the shower quickly, being a typical man who doesn't really care much about his appearance one way or another as long as he is clean and has something to wear. It is her opinion however that no matter what he does, he looks as gorgeous as the day they met. Bounding into the kitchen with a smile that could still make her melt after twelve years of marriage, he helps her prepare breakfast. They work in comfortable, but not entirely uneventful silence. They steal kisses here and there, exchange looks like shy teenagers flirting in high school, and then the lummox has to go and get flour all over her and the counter top. She manages to get maple syrup on his face though, so it evens out.

The consumption of this breakfast (and the surveying of a damaged kitchen) also takes place in this comfortable, silent way. They have never gone so long without talking, and yet neither one of them wants to break this odd sense of peacefulness that comes with just being content in each other’s presence. They smile at each other before he begins to read the morning paper and she a well-worn book that she’s read a hundred times before. Her fingers gently entwine with his on the counter top.

All too soon breakfast is over. He gently takes the dishes to the sink and she then accompanies him to the door. She works from home, to suit her almost nocturnal lifestyle. He wraps her in his arms for a long moment, and she leans into his chest, breathing in the scent of his cologne. She knows he only bothers with it because she likes the scent, and she inhales it happily. He holds her tightly, remembering suddenly all the times he would hold her like this as he left her house as a teenager. Back then he couldn't wait until saying goodbye was only for a few hours before he could come back to their home to be with her again. He can’t believe that now it’s actually a reality. Before he leaves they share a sweet kiss that tastes of maple syrup. Blue eyes twinkling mischievously, he licks his lips. She giggles, and he raises an eyebrow, a gesture that he knows drives her nuts. She laughs and playfully pushes him away, but her eyes smoulder. Later they promise, and he grins before placing a kiss on her cheek and walking out the door.