Little crystal-like snowflakes are drifting by the window. Auden had some of them in his dark hair when he came home this evening. The firelight flickers off the walls, the shadows seeming to dance over the room. His soft voice, forming the words from my favourite book, washes over me, as I try to keep my eyes open. It’s been a very long day.

His warm arms are around me, and the blanket over both of us. I lean into his familiar, safe embrace, putting my head on his shoulder, giggling a little when I press my cold feet against his. I’m too sleepy to concentrate properly on the words, but I’ve read that book so many times I really don’t need to. I shift closer to him, breathing in his clean scent of soap and the fabric softener and something that can’t really be defined but that is just his own. His hair smells like my strawberry shampoo, and I smile at that. He probably ran out of his own.

“What?” he asks me, smiling.

“You smell all fruity.”

“Ah, that’s just one of my many charms, of course. The ability to smell like fruit at will. All for you, ma’am.”

“Well, I like it very much.” I snuggle against him, and he chuckles before leaning down to kiss my forehead.

“So…” He put the book down. “What’d you do today?”

“Well, I made some more of the best-selling candied orange peel, because we’re always running out of it, and I got started on that huge cupcake order for tomorrow evening. In between customers, I read half of this really cool book.” I’m animatedly speaking, my earlier drowsiness forgotten.

He has a little smile on his face, and he’s staring at me so adoringly, his eyes filled with love. “You’re so cute when you’re talking about things you love doing, like the chocolatier or the books you read.”

“So what was the book about?”

“Making chocolate, mainly. Going down the history of it and all that.”

“Mmm, nice.”

A comfortable silence follows in which he plays with a lock of my hair, his eyebrows scrunched together like they are when he’s thinking.

“So how do they make chocolate? Like, I know one of the things is cocoa powder, and um… one must be butter, but what’s the actual process?”

“Why don’t you stay home tomorrow and I’ll show you exactly how it’s done.”

“Deal. Tomorrow I’m gonna learn the very exact and mysterious art of chocolate-making.”

“That would be amazing.” I stifle a yawn.

“You want to go to bed?” he asks.

I think about it. I’m really tired, and I’ve got to wake up early tomorrow, but any time I spend with Auden is much more valuable to me than a few hours of sleep.

“Nah, let’s stay here for some more time.”

But, soon my eyes are drooping with sleep, and even blinking takes so much effort I consider just letting them close.

“Now you want to go to bed?” there’s a hint of a smile in his voice.

“Nope.”

“Bree, we’ll have all day tomorrow, and the one after that, and the one after that… we’re together now. We don’t have to wait for weeks for a few stolen moments anymore.”

“I know, it’s just…I’ve spent so long aching for time with you, it’s just hard to believe that we have so much of it now.”

“Oh, Brea,” his voice is low, his eyes full of pain, “There are times when I just want to stay with you for every second of the rest of our lives, watching you laugh, growing old with you. But you are very tired right now, and you have to wake up early tomorrow, and you are going to bed.”

“Fine,” I say, smirking, “As long as you’re in that bed too.”

He gets up, gathering the blanket around me, and pulls me to my feet. He half-leads, half-carries me up the stairs to our little room, laying me down on the bed, and covering me from neck to toe with the blanket.

He kisses me very softly, once, his lips warm and soft. I’ve never felt more contented or happier.  In my extremely sleepy state, I just feel a warm glow inside me, from all the love I feel for him.

“Be back in a sec.” He goes to lock all the doors and turn out the lights. When he returns, I’m almost fully asleep, but I hear the bed creak when he climbs in with me, his warm body behind me. He holds me in his arms, putting his warm feet over my cold ones, and I open my eyes with great effort.

“I love you,” I whisper, and fall asleep in his embrace.

I don’t hear the whispered “I love you”.