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Love Rhyleigh xoxox

"Bye!"

Melissa Bannon breezed out of the house, the door closing swiftly behind her, leaving her husband sitting in the kitchen, absolutely bewildered. Ben heard his wife's car start, chugging to life once more.

Honestly, he didn't think he had done anything wrong. He had even made her breakfast... that was, if pouring cereal into a bowl and adding milk counted. The night before, they had lain in their bed, talking. Maybe he said something that irked her? If he had, he hadn't any memory of it.

Which left one other suspect.

"Carbo!" Ben bellowed, thundering up the stairs and slamming his mate's bedroom door open.

Normally, an action like the aforementioned would result in objects being thrown at the intruder. Nick 'Carbo' Karandonis was lying face down, among his nest of blankets, his well-worn teddy dangling from his left arm. Any other day, Ben would have laughed.

"Mmm?" Carbo murmured.

"What did you say to Melissa?" Ben demanded.

"Nothin'!" he cried indignantly, struggling to sit up. "Stop jumping to conclusions, mate!"

"She's mad at me. the last time she was mad at us it was because you were using her toothbrush!" Ben exploded. Glaring at his mate, he accused him once again. "Did you use her toothbrush? Because they're labelled for a reason!"

"Mate, I didn't use her toothbrush!" he bellowed. "Get a grip, mate! She's a chick! There's always something up their bums!"

"I'm guessing things didn't go so well with that Kate chick, huh?" Ben asked, getting off track. Then he pulled his head in. "What did you do? Mel's not like other girls, she doesn't get hung up over random stuff!"

"I don't know, mate!"

"Well neither do I!"

"Maybe she's got her p-"

"Don't speak that way about my wife", Ben said protectively, slamming his door.

Carbo only chuckled to himself, as he unwound the blankets from their hold around him.

Ben thought the entire minute and a half it took to walk to his parents' house- the house that he had grown up in. Of course, the occupants had changed dramatically. Nathan (his younger brother) and his wife Sammy were living in Nathan's bedroom, his older sister Rachel and her boyfriend Jake were swapping between their house and Jake's house, and his grandfather Ted had moved into his childhood bedroom. Ruby, his infant sister, was sleeping in a bassinet in his parents' room. Basically, the house was packed.

And he knew there was someone there who was able to tell him what could possibly be wrong with his wife.

"Did you do something stupid?" Rachel asked knowingly, spreading peanut butter over a slice of toast.

"I don't think so!" Ben cried. "I mean, no!"

"She's a chick". Jake shrugged. He knew girls way too well. "I dunno, mate. Just leave her".

"You probably did something really stupid", Nathan sniggered.

Ben thumped him- but he actually couldn't remember what he possibly could have said to annoy her.

"Be nice", Sammy told Nathan. "I don't know, Ben. Rach and I could ask her, if you want?"

Ben was horrified. "No! Then she'll know I know that she's mad at me! And she'll know I asked you guys! Bad idea, Sam!"

With a sigh, he headed out of the door.

"What just happened?" Ted, Ben's grandfather, wanted to know.

"I'm lost too, Granddad". Rachel kissed Ted on the cheek. "But he's under the impression Mel's mad at him".

"Why?"

"He didn't say". Rachel shrugged and went back to spreading peanut butter over her toast. "I swear, he gets weirder as the days go by".

"Hello?" Melissa called, later that night.

"Mel!" Ben cried from the kitchen.

"I smell takeaway!" Melissa was delighted, as she fell into her usual place, sliding off her shoes.

"Putting takeaway on plates is almost like cooking it". Ben put a plate, full of Melissa's favourite foods, in front of her.

"It is". Melissa picked up his fork, unintentionally ignoring Ben's unsubtle hints for a kiss.

Dinner was full of mindless chatter, between the three of them. Carbo nattered endlessly about the three new films coming to cinemas that he desperately wanted to make a housemate date out of, and the huge order of lilies he had received that day. Melissa told them about a little boy who had broken his arm in three places and was going into surgery that night- all because he was jumping on a trampoline. Ben was quiet, still thinking over what he had said.

"What do you think, Ben?" Melissa's sweet voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Sorry?" he blinked frantically.

"You guys had a trampoline when you were kids, did any of you ever seriously damage yourself?" she asked practically.

"Um, Nathan fell down the side once. Hit his head, scraped up his knees, cried like his head had fallen off, but no. No broken bones or anything. Carbo, either". He nodded at the memories.

"Well, he fell through the net!" Melissa stabbed her fork into the air to make her point. Ben and Carbo nodded, trying to take in her nurse-speak but failing miserably.

"Want some help cleaning up?" Melissa offered, as her husband stacked the dishes.

"Nah, Carbo can help", Ben said breezily. "You head upstairs and get comfortable".

Shrugging, his wife padded up the stairs. "I'm going to take a long, hot bath..."

"Mate, if she uses up all the hot water..." Carbo left his threat hanging, dumping the plates in the sink and heading towards the lounge. "I'm gonna put on a DVD!"

"Suit yourself". Ben, shrugging, stacked the dishes and placed leftover takeaway in the fridge. The dishes could wait until morning, he decided, moving upstairs.

"All better?" Ben wanted to know, as his wife hung up her towel, shaking out her hair.

"Much". She flashed her pearly whites, tugging her hair into a bun. "So how was your day?"

"The usual". Ben shrugged. "Now, tell me about yours".

"It was the same. Paperwork, people coming in and out... nothing exciting".

Silence.

A verbal drought.

Whatever you wanted to call it, it was silent.

"I'm sorry!" Ben finally gave in. "I don't know what I did, but I'm really sorry! I'll make it up to you, I promise!"

"Huh?" Melissa's eyes were blank, blinking at her husband.

"You're mad at me!" then Ben took a closer look at her. "Aren't you?"

"Am I?" Melissa laughed. "Ben, what gave you that idea?"

Ben blushed. "Oh..."

"Ben?" Melissa prompted.

"You didn't give me my morning kiss!" Ben cried. "there! Every morning since we started dating, you've given me a kiss! I didn't get my morning kiss and I thought you were mad at me!"

Seeing her husband sitting there, a sheepish look on his gorgeously handsome face made her laugh. She couldn't help it. As wounded as he looked, the situation was beyond hilarious in her eyes. "Ben!" she giggled, leaning closer to him. "I'm sorry. Let me make it up to you". She pressed a kiss to his lips, and his arms snaked around her waist, making her squeal.

The kisses they exchanged that night made up many mornings, many months in advance.