Feeling the hot water run over her soapy hands, Stephanie rinsed the plate off and looked at it, sighing. There was still some form of food stuck to it; going at it with her nail it felt rock hard but she continued to scratch at it until it started to break off bit by bit. Giving the now clean plate one last quick wash, Stephanie rinsed it off and placed it into the dish rack next to the pile she had already cleaned.
Picking up another plate she continued to clean it, following her pattern of wash, rinse, check, and put aside if clean. Letting her mind wander, Stephanie could hear the shower running which melded into the sound of the rain pouring down outside. Thinking of Jason, a small smile appeared on her face. She had always felt a connection with the man and the longer she spent with him the stronger she felt their bond become. Stephanie just hoped that Jason felt similarly towards her.
Hearing a beep coming from the laundry, Stephanie turned the water off, dried her hands, and went to investigate. Feeling warmth radiating out of the room, Stephanie went to the clothes dryer and turned it off. Opening the door she noticed that Jason had washed and dried her clothing for her. Pulling out her shirt, she gave it a once over and folded it up, doing the same with all of her clothing. Grabbing the pile she walked back into the bedroom and placed them on top of the dresser.
Going over to the sink, Stephanie quickly washed up the last few plates and cups, wiping around the sink, cleaning up the area. Hearing a door open, Stephanie turned around and offered Jason a small smile as he sat down on the couch, his hair damp from his shower. Walking over to him, Stephanie leaned over and placed a gentle kiss on Jason's forehead. "Thank you for breakfast, it was delicious, and thank you for washing my clothes."
"You're welcome, and don't worry about it." Patting the spot next to him, Stephanie joined him on the couch as he pulled out two Xbox controllers from under the coffee table and handed her one. "Team Sonic Racing okay with you?"
"It sure is." Watching as Jason set up multiplayer racing, Stephanie watched the television screen as it counted down to their race. Pressing down on the right trigger, she watched as her car flew forward. Driving as fast as she could without crashing, she collected as many rings as she could and tried to stay on the road, hoping not to fall off the edge like she saw Jason do.
Noticing the Jason was coming in first place and she was in fifth, she raised an eyebrow at him and leaned into him, gently nudging him with her elbow hoping to get him to fall back a few spots so she could race past him. Realising that it wasn't going to happen, she tried tickling him, poking him, and leaning in close to him but nothing worked as Jason crossed the finish line, while she had now dropped down to seventh place.
Determined not to come last, Stephanie concentrated back on the screen but let out a squeal when she felt Jason tickle her.
"It's only fair," Jason said, as he wrapped his arms around her and made her laugh as they fell backwards, Stephanie landing on his chest.
"You're right, it is," Stephanie agreed, as she felt happiness wash over her as she and Jason tried to get each other to lose in a multitude of races that followed their first one.