"No babe. It's a whisper," I said to my boyfriend with a hoarse voice. We both chuckled at the sound of my voice.
He walked up to me with a jar of honey and a cup of warm tea. "No it's not. You have to take the honey with the tea. It's really not that bad." Saying that, he poured in a full tablespoon of honey into the beverage and stared it.
I wrinkled my brows and nose at the unappealing sight. I really can't stand the smell and taste of honey. People say it taste sweeter than sugar but I never got the gist.
"Here," he said. "Make sure you drink it all alright?"
I took the cup from him, still hesitant to drink it when I saw him make himself a cup of the same thing. I narrowed my eyes at him in confusion as I muttered, "What are you doing?"
He grinned at me with a brief chuckle. "I'm having what you're having."
"I thought you said you don't like honey in your drinks?"
"I don't. I really don't. But since it's a struggle for you, why don't I also take it? We'll both drink the abomination together, so you can get a confidence boost."
A smile crept up on my face as I heard his kind words. "Aww. That's so sweet of you. I appreciate your kind gestures, buddy. But I can do it myself."
"Stubborn as usual." He muttered, placing his cup on the table as he leaned backwards in his chair. "Go ahead. Drink it; All of it." The mischievous smirk on his face made me feel determined to drink it without him having to drink it with me.
"Okay." I held my breath to avoid the smell making me throw it back up, and chugged it in a few seconds leaving the cup free from liquid.
His eyes widened in shock but quickly reverted back to it's neutral look. He wasn't as surprised as he would've been if he didn't know me. "Can we see a show of hands?" He said clapping and laughing at my disgusted face. "How'd it taste?"
"I will never do such a thing in my life, ever again."
His laugh was hysterical and it got me laughing too. With a swift movement, he took his cup, and gulped every last drop of the tea he prepared for himself. He shivered like it became ten degrees, and I couldn't stop myself from laughing harder.
We kept laughing till I started coughing from the soreness my throat was experiencing. He grabbed the bottle of water on the couch he was initially sitting on before he made the tea, and handed it to me. I drank it, subduing the cough.
"Thanks," I whispered in a croaky voice.
"No problem, I always got you like you got me." He said in a soft tone, and I felt my cheeks turn red as he stared into my eyes inches away from my face.
All of that was before we got married. I got attracted to him because he reminded me of sugar and not honey.
Andrew treated me differently from the last guy I dated. The man was not always about the physical gifts but the connection we share during those moments.
I love him. And I'm happy to spend the rest of my life with him.
****
It had been raining outside for a few hours and it showed no signs of stopping. My newly wedded husband, Andrew, has been out since which is odd. He normally comes back home between 7pm to 8pm but it was already 9pm.
I didn't make a fuss about the situation considering the rain shower was causing the night to be even darker than it should be, which could put him at risk if he drove in it.
I've tried dialing his number a few times before but he wasn't picking any of it. I had assumed it was the signal acting up. I left him a couple texts just in case he could read them and reply.
Bzzt. bzzt. bzzt. bz–
"Hello?"
"Hey. Jessica, it's me Felix."
"Oh, Felix. Is this your new number?"
"No. It's my brother's. My phone kinda blew up... It's a long story. Anyways, I was wondering why you didn't show up to work today."
"That... Well, I was feeling under the weather so I called the boss and told him my situation."
"And he let you off? Wow. First time that asshole is being considerate. He just started yelling at me today because I wasn't part of the team who took a trip to the new house they were constructing. Explained my dead phone to him but he wasn't having it."
"Haha, You got a taste of Principal Boston."
"Huh?"
"Don't mind me. Got any gist today for me that isn't about Boston."
"Well, not really. I stayed back working on my project so, I didn't get much entertainment from–"
As I was on the phone with my co-worker, Felix, I saw the front door swing open to reveal Andrew. I paused the call with Felix, telling him I'd call back later before hanging up.
I made my way to the door to help him out since he was soaked. He took off his shirt, handing it to me to dry it off. I nodded, and was on my way to the bathroom before he summoned me. "Jessica! Please could you get the first aid kit."
"Coming," I replied, putting his shirt on a clothesline I had made in the bathroom Incase it rained when there were clothes to be dried.
As I approached him, I noticed he was nursing a wound on his hand, bleeding more than he should. I quickly rushed to the bedroom to grab the first aid kit.
"It's alright now," I reassured him, stemming the bleeding with cotton wool and a bandage.
"Thanks," he replied, his gaze drifting toward the door. "Why'd you leave the door unlocked?" His expression turned concerned.
"So you could come in even if I wasn't aware," I explained.
His voice took on a hint of anger. "Excuse me? That's the same way another man's gonna walk in here, gun in hand, and try to drag you away."
I shook my head, giggling. "That's not happening ever."
He raised an eyebrow. "Alright, then. We'll wait for the day it does. Don't say I didn't warn you." He stripped off his wet trousers, his movements nonchalant.
I rolled my eyes. "Just drop it. Let me get you something to eat, and then you can tell me about that cut on your hand."
I headed to the kitchen, returning with a steaming plate of spaghetti. He began to explain, his tone casual. "Some woman outside accidentally hit my hand with a metal thing she was carrying. It cut my hand."
I feigned exasperation. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Maybe if you'd picked up your phone or replied to my texts, I could've warned you about the crazy lady in the rain."
"Whatever," he said, chuckling. He ate his food while we chatted about his day at work, my health and stay at home, and other topics outside reality.