Take a Breath

Unlike most cliché morning afters for couples, Kevin and I didn't wake up to discover that we were both naked, having made love the night before. We didn't tell each other sappy, romantic things the second we woke up. And we didn't tear each other's throats out, making false accusations or screaming mindless obscenities at the other. Our morning was just..normal.

“Baby, have you seen my keys?” I called out, placing a pillow back into place frustratedly. I'd looked all over the house, came up with nothing, and searched a good three times more.

He kissed my cheek softly, dangling my keys in front of my face with a grin. “I swear you'd lose your head if it wasn't attached.”

“Ha-ha,” I muttered, standing on my tip-toes to kiss his lips gently. He pulled away shortly after, resting his forehead on mine, sighing contently.

“Where'd you find them?”

“On the couch, underneath a pillow.”

“When?”

“After the second time you looked,” He smirked, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Jerk!” I laughed, taking the keys out of his hands.

“I do try my hardest, you know.”

I rolled my eyes playfully, tugging on his hand and leading him to the couch. “What'd you need them for, anyway?”

“You're going to the studio today, right?”

He nodded in response, pressing me to go on. “Well, I'm not going to sit in the house all day. I think Carmen and Lilah are coming over, and I don't get to see my niece as much as I'd like to so I figured I'd take them out to the zoo or get some yogurt.”

“Yogurt? For a two-year-old? Are you trying to make her hate you?”

“What? What's wrong with yogurt?”

“Oh, nothing at all. Yogurt's really..healthy, but I'm sure she'd prefer ice cream.”

“Okay, then frozen yogurt! It's the same thing, practically!”

“Alright, alright,” He chuckled, leaning closer to me, kissing me softly yet urgently. I smirked, biting his lip softly, and it earned a groan from him. His kisses got urgent, heated, and passionate in a short amount of time, and I lay down, pulling him with me.

He smirked, pulling away to kiss my neck softly, biting and sucking on the sensitive spots. A soft moan escaped and he growled lowly, running his hands down my sides, slipping a hand underneath my shirt. I gasped as his cold hand met my heated flesh, and pulled my shirt off, throwing it to the floor.

“Yucky!” Two-year-old Lilah screeched, covering her eyes.

I shot out from under Kevin, and grabbed my shirt quickly, slipping it on as Carmen walked in with a smile. “Sorry to barge in. Did we interrupt?”

“N-No,” I heard Kevin get out, voice deeper than usual. His eyes were a darker shade of brown, and my eyes didn't have to venture to know that he nursed a slight problem. Carmen smirked, obviously enjoying this.

“Might want to go do something about that, Kev.”

He cursed at her, stalking away either embarrassed or frustrated, I wasn't sure. “You know, you've been engaged for a year..When are you two going to tie the knot?”

“Never if you keep bugging us about it,” I said, sitting on the couch, and holding my arms out to Lilah.

“I'm just saying, Madison!” Carmen defended, putting her hands up in surrender.

“Right.”

Lilah crawled into my lap, burying her face in my chest, giggling about something. “What is it, sweetie?”

“Mommy and Daddy wrestle like you and Uncah Kevin.”

Carmen's eyes widened, and her face went red instantly. Well, you gotta love the brilliant minds of children, right?

“Anyway..what did you want to do today, Lilah?” Her Mother asked, trying desperately to get her to get off of the previous subject.

“We're with Aunt Madi, right Momma?”

“That's right, bug. We are.”

“Actually, Lye, I thought you'd want to go get some yogurt?”

“Nuh-uh!”

I sighed softly. “Ice cream?”

“Yes, please.”

I take back what I said about having to love them. What does she know? She's two.

“What does Lilah want to do, babe?” Kevin asked, a smirk now tugging at his lips.

“Don't you have somewhere to be?” I snapped.

“Am I missing something..?” Carmen asked, looking between Kevin and I.

“No-.”

“Yes,” Kevin cut in. “We were talking about the difference between ice cream and yogurt. I'm sorry, frozen yogurt. And if Lilah could tell the difference.”

“Of course she can,” Carmen said softly. “Girl knows her sweets.”

At this, Lilah grinned proudly and climbed off of my lap and into Carmen's. “Daddy taught me.”

“And he wonders why I don't trust him alone with her. She'll be the first two-year-old I know to die of a heart attack and the rate Joe's going. He showers her with sweets, lets her get whatever she wants, and she's spoiled to death.”

“Looks like you've got to talk to him.”

“Talking to Joe wont do any good. Trust me, I've tried,” Kevin said with a laugh, grabbing his cell.

“Heading out?” I asked, standing up.

“Yeah. Joe needs a ride,” He said with an eye roll, leaning down to kiss me shortly, and ruffling Lilah's hair as he walked out of the door. “Bye guys, have fun!”

“You, too!” Carmen retorted, standing up and keeping Lilah on her hip.

“Want to take my car since her car seat's already set up?”

“Sure, want me to drive?”

“Do I really need to answer that?” She laughed, throwing me her keys.

“Guess not.”

I opened the car door, put the keys into ignition and started the car with ease. Once she and Lye were buckled in, I pulled out of the driveway and onto the road with ease. I decided to go to Orange Leaf considering it wasn't too far away, and it wasn't that hard to get to. Not much traffic, I mean.

The drive took about thirty minutes, and once we got there, Lilah squealed, running inside. Ha. And she'll know the difference. Okay, Kev.

She grabbed a bowl, filled it with vanilla, and topped it with gummy bears, caramel, and anything else under the sun that was sticky and sweet. Shockingly, hers was the most expensive since it weighed the most. It didn't cost me more than 30 dollars still, but paying by the ounce for yogurt could really add up.

I took a bite of mine after helping her into the chair, and looked at Carmen. “So what's with Nick?”
“Hmmm?” I asked, taking another bite, seemingly uninterested. I hadn't let a minute of my thoughts wander to him, but now it seemed impossible.

“Madison? Are you going to answer me?”

“Uh..I don't know what you're talking about?”

She sighed, taking a bite of hers and swallowing before throwing the small bowl away. “He's been moping around at our place. He hasn't gone home, and he's writing sappy love songs again.”

I laughed. “So, is that a bad thing?”

“I love my daughter, you know that. Joe and I love her, and she's a handful. But we've still found time for us. But with Nick around..it's weird. It's like having two kids, except Nick's more of an itch you can't get rid of. I thought it was about that stupid bet, but it isn't. Obviously Nick was never gay, and I can't believe anyone ever bought that.”

“Getting to a point sometime soon..?”

“Right, sorry. He's a lovesick puppy, Madison. And I can't kick puppies out of my house.”

“What?” I asked with a chuckle, throwing the cardboard bowl and orange spoon away.

“Look, can you talk to him? Not for Joe or Lilah or anyone else, but for me? So I can have some peace of mind?”

“Sure, I'll talk to him.”

“Thanks, Madison.”

“Yep.”

“So,” She asked, leaning forward and waggling her eyebrows at me. “Have you and Kevin..?”

“What..? Oh, no, no! Of course not! We're both waiting until our wedding night, Carmen.”

“You know, Joe and I were going to, but obviously we didn't.”

“I thought you were showing in that wedding dress of yours,” I said with a smirk, winking playfully at her.

“Oh, hush.”

“If I must.”

“You must.”

“Alright.”

“Are you two fighting a lot?”

I sighed softly, nodding some. “Yeah, but it's about trust issues.”

“You don't trust him?”

“No, I do, I do.”

“He doesn't trust you..?”

“No,” I sighed softly, meeting her gaze. “I can't see why. I mean, I've never done anything to make him not.”

“You know what that means, don't you?”

“No? What?”

“He's probably so worried about you screwing up because he screwed up sometime or another.”

“No, he wouldn't.”

“Look, just talk to him, alright?”

“Alright, fine.”

We sat in silence, not one of us making a move until we noticed that Lilah wasn't there. Instead, she was pulling the nozels down on the yogurt, making a mess on the floor, and giggling like it was the funniest thing on the planet.

“Lilah!!!” We yelled, both going to get her.

Great. Not only were we banned from Chuck E Cheeses, but now we were going to be banned from Orange Leaf.