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Sylvain wasn’t used to feeling so happy when he woke up in the morning. Feeling like the day was something to look forward to. And he definitely wasn’t used to waking up smiling.
It felt good, even if he hadn’t gotten used to the feeling yet. It made him want to stay in bed for a while, even if that was kind of lazy.
It made him want to thank the person who’d made him this happy.
Sylvain rolled over onto his other side and smiled at his wife lying next to him. The morning light came in through the window and illuminated her beautiful sleeping face. She was smiling, just like he was.
“Hey, Mercedes,” he whispered, moving closer to her and placing his hand on her shoulder. He wasn’t going to wake her up (not on purpose, at least), but he felt the need to touch her.
She moved slightly and made a small “mmm” sound. Sylvain chuckled to himself and put his arm around her.
“You know, sometimes I still can’t believe you’re right here with me,” he said softly. “I went through so much of my life thinking I’d be married to someone I didn’t care about at all. But here we are. These days I’m happy at the start of every day, and I stay that way. Even if I have a lot of hard work to do, at least you’re there to help out and say nice things, and I can look forward to evening, when my work is done for the day and we can just cuddle each other. Sometimes I actually wake up smiling. I didn’t think that was even possible.”
He snuggled up against her and buried his face in her shoulder. “You don’t need to wake up yet. Even if you feel like sleeping in today, I’ll stay right here.” He grinned. “I’m ready to give you a kiss when you do wake up, though. So that’s something worth waking up for.”
He closed his eyes and let out a contented sigh. He really could stay here in bed with Mercedes forever if she wanted him to. This was the purest happiness. The only thing that would make it better would be if Mercedes woke up.
“Oh,” said a soft voice, and Sylvain felt a hand on his back. “That is something worth waking up for.”
“Huh?!” Sylvain pushed himself back a little to see Mercedes’s playful, loving smile. “Mercedes?”
“Good morning, Sylvain,” Mercedes replied. “Now, about that kiss.”
Sylvain was about to lean in and grant her request, but as he adjusted his position slightly, he saw the mischievous twinkle in her eyes.
“Oh, Goddess,” he said. “You were awake the whole time, weren’t you? You heard me pouring my heart out to you just now.”
Mercedes giggled. “Guilty,” she said. “But then, you’ve poured out your heart to me so many times that this wasn’t anything new.”
“Gah, Mercedes...” Sylvain laughed. “Okay, I’ll admit it. This is what I love about you.”
“Just this?” Mercedes asked, her eyes still twinkling.
“Aww, do I really have to list them all for you?” said Sylvain. “I love everything about you.”
He hugged her tightly and leaned in to kiss her.
“You’re amazing, Mercedes. You really are. I don’t know how I lived before I met you.”
She kissed him back and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him so tenderly it made him catch his breath. She felt so warm through her nightgown.
Everything was so warm.
Sylvain kissed her again and rolled onto his back, pulling her on top of him. Mercedes kissed him again and again until they both had to stop to breathe. They hugged each other tightly and burrowed under the blankets and snuggled up against each other until finally both of them exhaled and loosened their grip on each other while still remaining in each other’s arms.
“I don’t know if I even want to get up now,” Sylvain said at last. “I could just stay in here with you forever.”
“I could too,” said Mercedes, brushing her lips against his. “But we’re going to need breakfast at some point.”
Sylvain sighed with mock disappointment. “Okay, you win. But we’re going to need to spend more time together later.”
“That sounds perfect,” said Mercedes. “We can spend the whole evening cuddling.” She leaned back and smiled at him, her arms still around his waist. “I’ll always be here for you. You know that, right?”
“Yeah. I do.” Sylvain took a deep breath. “I’ll be here for you, too.” He rested his forehead against hers. “I love you so much, Mercedes.”
“I love you too, Sylvain,” Mercedes whispered.
They kissed each other one more time, and then, by some unspoken agreement, both of them sat up and started to push the blankets back.
“And now, let’s get started with the day,” said Mercedes.
Sylvain couldn’t help but hug her one more time as they got up and walked over to their dresser.
“Thank you,” he said. “...For everything.”
Mercedes just smiled. She knew what he meant.
Sylvain wasn’t used to feeling so happy in the mornings. But he knew that this happiness was his life now.
And that felt like the most wonderful thing in the world.