Learning How to Bend

Day 27 - LOOK. WORDS.

//Oh, heyyy, I wrote this a couple days ago, too!  I decided to try to spew out some words for y'all while I had some spare time, just in case I got busy and didn't have access to my computer.  I was right to think ahead. ;) //

I woke Thaddeus the next morning by dropping a pillow in his face. He was not nearly as amused as I was, but I considered it payback for him poking me yesterday. I was still in my pajamas. When he flung the pillow off his face, I shrieked as I tried to get away from him, but he was too quick. He grabbed me by my waist and tugged me into his lap on the couch. He pressed a quick kiss on the side of my face.

"Merry Christmas," I said with a smile.

"Merry Christmas," he repeated.

"Should you go home and turn on your oven and everything?"

He pressed his face into my hair, rubbing one hand up my back. "Unfortunately."

"I'll still be here, don't worry." I wrinkled my nose. "Plus, you need to brush your teeth."

He chuckled.

"Get cleaned up like I'm going to do, and we'll continue to have fun today like we did yesterday. You know what we didn't do yesterday?"

"What's that?"

"Talk about work," I said. "Not a single word."

"You say that like it's a good thing."

"It is. We always talk about it, and we didn't need it yesterday." I smiled.

"Whatever you say," he said.

"The faster you leave, the faster you can come back." I said that more to myself, but he seemed to take the hint.

He pushed me up off his lap, and he stood. "I'll be back in a while."

"Looking forward to it."

He gave me instructions about what food to put in the oven when and at what temperature just in case he did not arrive back when he thought he was going to. He was lucky I had a good memory, otherwise I probably would not have remembered everything. After he pressed a kiss of goodbye on my forehead, he walked out the front door, and I closed it behind him.

I never thought I would see him be affectionate, yet that was all he had been the past twenty-four hours. It was something special, and I wanted more of it. I greatly admired the determined, driven side of him. The side of him which was so focused on his tasks that nothing could distract him, not even any feelings he may have for me, because I was definitely starting to think he had them. I doubted at first that would happen, but he was proving me wrong. With each moment I spent with him, he was proving me wrong. And I loved that I was wrong. I normally hated that, but if it was anything to do with Thaddeus, I would very happily be wrong every day of my life. He surprised me. He was not meaning to, but he did. Every day. Historically speaking, I did not like surprises, but Thaddeus was actually making me like them more than I thought possible.

After eating some oatmeal and feeding Chelise like I had the day before, I took her outside dressed in sweatpants and a hoodie until she had done her business then made the short trek back to my room. I quickly showered and dressed then went to the living room to plug in the tree. I also turned on the oven so it would be ready to go when Thaddeus returned. He had only been gone for an hour, but I already wanted him to come back.

"What has gotten into me?" I asked myself as I stepped away from the oven. "I've never been so attached to someone in all my life, not even Joe. Is this healthy?"

Chelise barked.

"Is that what you think?" I asked her. "Is that a 'You're crazy' bark or a 'you're not crazy' one?"