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“You just happy sighed!”'
The tone was accusatory. I'm not sure why being happy was a thing to be defensive about. I turned my head slightly and raised an eyebrow. “You'd rather I'd be mad? What's the deal, Ronnie?”
“Here I am, pouring out my heart to you, all my secret fears, and you're too busy sighing like some kind of romantic heroine.”
My smile kept threatening at the corners of my cheeks, and I paused a moment to collect myself before answering. “It couldn't be the fact that I am a romantic heroine? Who is very easily distracted while holding the girl of her dreams in her arms?” I gave her a gentle squeeze to emphasize my point. “Yeah, I'd have to say I'm pretty happy right now. Plus, it's winter break and I don't have a single paper to grade, not for two whole weeks. If that's not worth happy signing, I don't know what is.”
Veronica laughed, a little against her will. “You win, Betty. Sigh if you gotta.”
*
I had a whole bunch of nothing planned. I'd knocked out the last of my Christmas shopping on Black Friday (or as Veronica called it, Amateur Night) and we weren't planning to do anything more elaborate than maybe hang stockings. Ginger could not be trusted around trees, especially trees with breakable objects hanging from them. I thought idly of cleaning, but decided that my original plan of lounging would do quite nicely.
“Are you really spending the entire day in bed?” Veronica was running around, getting ready for work, and I was sitting cross-legged and watching her.
“Close to it,” I agreed cheerfully. “I plan to soak forever in the tub, and then come back and get right back in the bed. I guess I could eat in there too.”
“Eat in the tub? How decadent.” Veronica stopped moving, a thoughtful expression on her face. “Please say you're heading for chocolate-covered strawberries and not a PB&J.”
I'd actually just meant I'd put eating on my schedule, but if there was such a thing as a calling, it was Veronica for coming up with good ideas. “I'd vote for oranges. Chocolate covered oranges, with champagne.”
“Would you now?” Veronica sat down on the bed, an action most shocking, as she was almost religious about her morning routine, and she should've been onto her makeup by now. My face must have reflected my thoughts a bit- she looked at me and in one swift motion, opened the curtains over our bed. I shifted enough to be able to look out and stared at the swirling snowflakes, falling rapidly. “I just got the alert on my phone,” she said offhandedly, gesturing to her phone. I hadn't even seen her look at it. “I don't think I'm going to the office today. When was the last time we had a snow day together?”
“Probably not since high school, I'm sure.” I tried to think back. “You weren't in town for the last really bad snowstorm. Yeah, it has to be back then.”
“Well, I'd say I'm overdue.” She slipped off her suitjacket, leaving the shell on. “Your idea was perfect, so I'll be appropriating it, naturally.”
“Which part?”
“All of it, of course.” Her skirt followed, followed by careful rolling down of her stockings.
Veronica had a hard time turning off sometimes, well, most of the time, so I was more than a little skeptical that she'd be able to spend a whole day not in work mode. Still, I was nothing if not the Supportive Girlfriend, so instead of commenting further, I crawled behind her and unfastened the button of her shell. I slid the fabric up enough to reach her bra, and undid that as well.
“Go get comfy,” I told her, lightly sweeping her hair back.
She got up, giving me a most delightful view, and went into her closet.
“Hey, do you think we could make some?” she said, as I could hear her rummaging around.
“Make some what?”
She emerged, having traded suit for an old Archies shirt and terrycloth pants. “Chocolate covered oranges. I think it'll be fun.”
*
Looking around our kitchen later, disaster though it was, did nothing to dampen my good spirits. It had been fun, although we only had canned mandarin oranges and the first batch of chocolate had scorched because we'd gotten distracted. Still, we had accomplished our goal, and the only thing left was to enjoy them.
By mutual consent, I straightened up a bit while Veronica prepared the bath. I hummed as I worked, adding little hip shimmies whenever I deemed it appropriate.
“Oh, I leave for a minute and you decide to bust a move?” Veronica stood in the doorway, smirking.
“Don't be mad because I have more rhythm than you,” I tossed back. To emphasize my point, I shook my backside in her direction.
She mock gasped. “You dare insult my rhythm? Lady, you are asking for a dance off.” Veronica crossed the kitchen and went to the wall display. An insistent beat began playing.
“Are you serious-” I started, but she started moving, a little stiffly at first, and then looser as she started feeling the music. Not wanting her to have all the fun, I joined her, moving in time with her, repeatedly gathering my hair at the top of my head and letting it fall around my face. I closed my eyes a brief moment, and then opened them to find Veronica staring at me, with much the same look as I'd worn earlier.
“So how do I win?” I said innocently. My shirt was riding up a bit with my movement, and I could feel her eyes on the strip of skin exposed.
“You keep dancing like that, and both of us will, really soon.” Her voice was pitched a little lower than usual, and the huskiness was starting to have a definite effect on my attention. I wasn't sure if I was still dancing, because all I could see was her eyes, dark and hungry.
“We don't have to keep going, I can declare you the winner right now.”
“Does that mean I can have my prize right now?” The distance between us had closed, and the soft words spoken right next to me, the little puffs of breath tickling my ear, made my breath catch.
“There's something about victors and spoils, I don't know...” I teased, and then she finally, finally kissed me, somehow making it feel like it had the first time- tentative, eager, inevitable.
When we finally parted, she touched her forehead to mine, grinning.
“This is already the best snow day ever.”
*
When we actually made it to the tub, we decided that the Arbor Mist that a well-meaning Archie had gifted us would suit the day much better, so we poured big tumblersful and sat back in the water.
“We need to do this more often,” I said, munching happily on an orange.
“I agree. I always have the best ideas,” Veronica said dreamily.
I snorted, but refrained from further comment. Instead, I just snuggled her and watched the snow fall.