"Pet, I'm home!" Laura smiled, placing the casserole dish in the oven, as she heard him call from the front door. "I'm in the kitchen." Robbie deposited his keys in the bowl on the hall table, and made his way through the house, towards her. They met in the living room, grinning at one another. She flung her arms around his neck, as he wound his around her waist, smoothing his hands gently up and down the curve of her body, kissing her tenderly. "Hello." His smile spread from one ear to the other as he greeted her. "You're very jolly today." "I'm glad to be home." She moved her arms to loop around his waist, and pressed her cheek against his chest. "I'm glad you're home. Dinner's in the oven, wine's in the kitchen." He kissed the top of her head. "You're so good to me." They stood there, in each other's embrace, for a while, both appreciating the comfort they provided each other.
"Crappy day?" "Long. Stressful. You?" He took a sip of his wine, placing it back on the coffee table, pulling her closer to his chest. "Boring. Pretty uneventful. Lunch time was a bit of a highlight though. I had a date." "Hmmm, did you now?" She smirked, pressing a kiss through his shirt. "I did, and a very lovely date it was too. Tall, dark, handsome. Good kisser. Great in bed... and he's a cuddler. I was thinking about seeing him again soon." "Tall, dark and handsome? Sounds like the perfect bloke." She sat up, to see him sporting a cheeky grin. "He's not bad, albeit slightly full of himself..." He leant forward, and gently kissed her lips. "Great in bed you say?" His kisses began to work a path down her neck, gradually reaching her shoulder, as her pushed the fabric of her blouse aside. She giggled, her arms looping around his neck and her legs around his waist, as he slipped his hands udder her buttocks, gracefully lifting her from the sofa and carrying her towards the stairs.
Laura lay across Robbie, gently running her fingers through the hair on his chest, unable to wipe the smile from her face. She sometimes struggled to articulate just how much she loved this man, but times like this required no words; it was just them, and their intimacy. In the distance, she heard the timer on the oven start. Gently easing herself off of his chest, she grabbed his shirt and some underwear, and went down to the kitchen. She was just finishing the mashed potato when his arm slipped around her waist, and his lips met the crook of her neck. "Abandoned, in me own bed. Outrageous!" She chuckled, tilting her head up to kiss him. "You looked too peaceful to wake. Anyway, it would have taken me twice as long to finish your dinner if you had been here distracting me." "What do you take me for?!" He said in mock horror. She turned in his arms, taking in the view of him in t-shirt and boxers. She loved seeing him like this, relaxed, away from the stresses of work. "Shut up and eat, you cocky sod!"
They piled up bowls of casserole, mash and veg, refilled their wine glasses, and sat either end of the sofa, their feet meeting in the middle. Once they'd finished eating, Robbie took their bowls to the kitchen, and then rejoined Laura on the sofa. He sat in the corner, and she lay across, with her head on his lap. He gazed adoringly down at her. "I love you. More than you could ever know." She smiled at him, nibbling on her bottom lip, tears forming in her eyes. "I love you too. You are my everything Robbie. Don't ever forget that." "Come 'ere pet." She shifted to sit on his lap, his arms encircling her, his whole being surrounding her. "I'm sorry that I've not been the perfect partner recently. I've been an idiot. I should have told you about work, and I shouldn't have jumped the gun with the Lawrie stuff. I was just so scared that I could have lost you and-" She placed her finger over his lips. "Robbie, that doesn't matter now. I understand why you reacted the way you did. It's one of the reasons I love you so much. I know I do the whole 'I'm independent. I don't need anyone. I can look after myself.' thing, but the truth is Robbie, that I need you. You bring out the best in me. Before you came along, I was selfish. I love the fact that you would do anything to protect me, and I know that sometimes I need you to protect me, from myself if nothing else, I'm just to bloody proud to ever tell you." He stopped her rambling by taking her lips in his own. "I think we both need each other, far more than we'd care to admit. I also think that we maybe should have had this conversation a couple of years ago." She laughed. "And I think we need to work on our communication. We're not particularly great at that." "You're not wrong there." They both laughed, acknowledging the truth of the situation. Laura curled up tighter on Robbie's lap, sighing contentedly into his chest.
Robbie woke up several hours later, Laura still asleep in his arms. He gently kissed the top of her head, before pressing his cheek to where his lips had just been. God he loved her; every time he told her, he worried that she didn't understand just how much. He was so glad that they'd managed to get through the last month or so relatively unscathed. He'd regretted not telling her about going back to work the minute that Maddox had given him her message about his dinner being in that bloody canoe. She wasn't joking either, and he thought she'd never forgive him. His heart had broken when she made that comment about running around in bullet proof vests. It was then that he realised just how much she needed him. He promised himself then that he would make things right between them, and it was beginning to look as though they were heading in the right direction. She began to stir, mumbling something inaudible in her sleep. "Mmm, hello." "Hello love. Good sleep?" She smiled and nodded, kissing him softly. "You?" "Wonderful." She turned to look at the clock, 9.30, the fire was still gently burning, although it needed another log. "There's chocolate lime torte in the kitchen, if you want some." He gave her a squeeze. "Oh, you are perfect! I'll do us cake and coffee, if you want to pick us a film to watch?" "Sounds like a plan. What do you fancy?" He cupped her cheek in his hand, and kissed her forehead. "Up to you pet."
The fire was roaring when Robbie returned to the living room. Laura and Monty were curled up on the sofa, him purring happily as she scratched between his ears. Robbie placed her desert and coffee on the table and then retrieved his own. "Room for a little one?" "What do you reckon Mont?" The cat let out a deep purr, which they both took as a yes. She sat up, and settled against his side as he sat down, and Monty stretched out across both of their legs. "Make yourself comfortable why don't you lad!" "He doesn't mean it sweetheart, he loves you really." She tickled him under the chin, and he moved to sit on her lap. "Mummy's boy." Robbie mumbled as he passed her plate over, a small smirk playing around his lips. "You're just jealous." She spoke against his lips, punctuating her words with tender kisses.
They ate their dessert in comfortable silence, as they watched the film; once they'd finished Monty went to stretch out in front of the fire, and Laura curled back up against Robbie. "Thank you for a wonderful evening love. Thank you for everything you do for me, for being my rock. I love you." Laura picked up the hand that wasn't wrapped around her shoulders, and intertwined her fingers with his. "You never need to thank me Robbie, for anything. I love you too."