a scene from married life (happy new year).
"Joseph."
He was sitting in his armchair, trying to choose an extract of Dickens for next week's lessons when he was interrupted, somewhat to his surprise, by a kiss on the forehead.
He raised his eyes a little, over the glasses he'd started to wear a few weeks ago due to the amount of extra reading he'd picked up over the course of the last year. Perched, not a little precariously, on the arm of the chair was a rather large Phyllis. Rather large, because noticeably pregnant. Her arm rested on the back of the chair, hovering over his shoulder as she regarded him expectantly.
"Hello, my love," he said to her, kissing her gently on the cheek in return, "Are you alright?"
"It's getting late," she informed him, "How much longer are you going to be?"
He glanced at his watch. It was half past six.
"It's not too late," he told her, "A while until bedtime, anyway. I should probably finish choosing this extract at least."
She huffed, deliberately loudly.
"You're not alright, are you?" he asked her gently, putting his arm around her waist to steady her, "What's the matter?"
"I feel…" she couldn't find the right word.
"Are you uncomfortable?" he asked her.
"Yes," she replied.
"What is it?" he asked, "Where do you feel uncomfortable?"
"Everywhere," she told him despairingly, "I feel so enormous, Joseph."
There were certain facts that even the most enamoured husband could not deny.
"Well, you're certainly no less gorgeous," he told her softly.
She was yet to be convinced.
"I'm hot all the time," she told him.
That too, had not passed him by.
"Is there anything I can get you?" he asked her softly, pushing a loose stand of her hair back behind her ear, toughing protruding stomach tenderly with his other hand, "Water, tea, cushions?" he rested his face against her shoulder, pressing a kiss into her arm, "Your body weight in toffee?"
She looked down at his thoughtfully, rubbing his cheek softly with her hand, lifting her hand further up and taking his glasses off his face.
"I want you, Joseph," she told him.
"Eh?" he asked, surprised.
She smiled a little, shifting herself closer to him.
"You asked me what I wanted, I want you."
He still looked a little bit dumbfounded. He didn't even know why, it was just the last thing he'd expected to say.
"It's been like this for the last few weeks-…" she tried to explain, "I've wanted you, all of the time."
"Why didn't you say?" he asked her.
"Because it's been all the time," she told him, "I didn't know what you would think."
"I don't think I would have minded," he told her, bemused.
She smiled at him.
"But I'm so big-…"
"Listen," he told her softly, his hands on her waist, at the top of her thighs, encouraging her to sit in his lap. She did so, cautiously, holding onto his shoulders, "Yes, you've got a little bit bigger. But I couldn't be happier about it, because you're going to have our child and it's-… it's the best thing I could imagine happening," he rested his hand on her stomach again, soothing his palm back and forth, "And you look, amazing. I promise you," his hand moved softly over her back, higher, holding her to him, "I love you. I've never loved you more. And if you want me, well, lucky me then."
He looked up into her eyes, saw them swimming with tears. She blinked quickly.
"Sorry," she told him quickly, "I don't know what's wrong with me-… That was so lovely."
"It's alright," he told her softly, "It's fine," gently brushing her tears away with his thumb, "Don't worry. We don't have to do anything you don't want to."
"But, I want-… I want-…" she struggled for the words, "I just feel so big," she told him hopelessly, "So slow."
He kissed her cheek tenderly.
"We can be slow," he told her, "We can do anything you want."
She leant forwards, kissing his cheek again softly, lingering close to him.
"Thank you," she told him quietly, "I love you."
Please review if you've got time.