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Aelin sighed as she walked through the castle, exhaustion weighing on her shoulders. It’d been a long day of meetings, arguing, and not seeing her husband. It wasn’t unusual for there to be days she didn’t see Rowan much during the day. They were both busy people trying to rebuild a kingdom. However, they usually had a bit of time in passing or at least time at lunch or dinner to spend together, but to Aelin, it seemed like it just wasn’t meant to be today.
Her feet ached and she was almost as eager to be out of the constrictive corset of her queenly attire as she was to finally see Rowan. She didn’t like to think of herself as clingy, but after the day she’d had, the second she saw him, she wasn’t letting him go until morning.
Aelin pushed open the large, wooden doors to their room expecting Rowan to be waiting for her like usual, but he wasn’t there. Aelin rubbed at her shoulders, looking around the dark room, but her husband was nowhere to be seen.
“Rowan?” Silence. Aelin didn’t even bother with any light before she kicked off her shoes, pulling her hair down. She quickly discarded the pins on her vanity, walking through the room in the dark. She stripped out of her dress, letting out a breath of relief. She slipped into a nightgown before literally crawling into bed. She collapsed halfway onto the bed, sprawling out in the middle.
She could smell something was different in the room, but she didn’t give herself much time to think about it. She was too weary.
She was seconds away from sleep when the doors to the room opened.
“Aelin, love, are you asleep?” Rowan asked softly.
“No,” she replied, turning over onto her back. She heard Rowan kick off his shoes, walking on near-silent feet to the bed. Rowan climbed up over her, a gentle smile on his face.
“You’re early,” he said, stroking his hand down her cheek. Aelin leaned into the touch, relishing in the gentleness of it, the comfort it brought.
“I’ve had a long day,” Aelin said.
“I could tell,” Rowan said, “So... I set up a little something for you. You were supposed to see it as soon as you walked in, but you got here before I could light the candles.”
“Candles?” Aelin asked.
“Care to light them for me, love?” Aelin looked around and saw the faint outlines of them decorating the room. She lit them up, bringing light to the room around them. Aelin’s eyes widened as she saw the food display set up on the table full of Aelin’s favorite desserts with a chocolate hazelnut cake at the center and a bottle of wine in a bucket of ice.
“Since when are you one for grand romantic gestures?” Aelin asked, turning back to look at Rowan.
“Since my wife has been working her ass off and clearly needs to be uplifted,” Rowan said, leaning down and kissing her. Aelin wrapped her arms around him, returning the gesture softly. She pulled him close to her, soothed by the familiarity of his body pressing against hers.
“I love you,” Aelin said softly against his lips.
“I love you too. Now, let’s go eat.” Rowan lifted Aelin off the bed, carrying her to the table. She grinned as he sat her down on his lap. He poured her a glass of wine, and she gladly accepted it.
She took a sip, admiring Rowan in the candlelight. It caught on the angles of his face, casting him in a warm glow that softened his features slightly. Aelin gently traced the outline of his tattoo as he poured himself a glass of wine as well.
They sipped their wine and Rowan fed Aelin pieces of the desserts, accepting a few bites from her as well. It was exactly what she’d needed.
“Feeling better?” Rowan asked as they both set down their glasses.
“Much,” Aelin said, leaning up and kissing him once more, “There’s only one thing that could make it better.”
“Yeah? What’s that?” Rowan asked with a faint grin. Aelin slid her hand down his chest.
“You in fewer clothes.” He chuckled, Aelin feeling the rumble of it beneath her hand.
“I think that can be arranged.”