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For a very long time, Jake had wanted to learn how to play the guitar. He had always been amazed by those who could strum the strings with ease. In short, his endearing wife, Hailey (who is an extremely talented guitarist).
Because he's a loving and good husband, he decided to give the guitar a go to impress her. However, after spending days trying to master a few chords, he'd decided this would be his lucky night.
She's been giving him lessons, and... well, it's fun but awful. It was only fun because of Hailey's teaching and the constant random strumming Jake'd make every time he messed up.
"My fingers hurt," Jake groaned disappointedly as Hailey sat beside him, perched on the edge of the couch. His cute, slightly hurt expression couldn't help but make Hailey chuckle. Normally, she'd worry he'd break her guitar one way or another, but she trusted him. Plus, he's been playing for hours and it did worry her a little.
"Don't worry, It's all a part of the process. We can take a break and just continue tomorrow if you want."
Gingerly flexing his fingers, he glared at the guitar with a combination of determination and frustration. "Well, I'm determined to impress you, Hailey. But I think the guitar might just be winning this round."
Softly smiling, Hailey looked at him with a loving wonder. "You'll get there. I think your perseverance is impressive enough."
But in a sudden, yet deliberate move, she reached out and tenderly grasped his hand, bringing it closer to her lips. Her warm breath caressed his skin as she gave each fingertip a long, feather-light kiss.
The unexpected response to this touch caused Jake to blink in surprise. Her lips found his fingertips, a soft and comforting warmth that coursed through him. His cheeks warmed partially, a mix of shyness and happiness at the same time.
After kissing the last fingertip, she announced, "There, all better."
"Hey, that caught me off-guard!" Jake protested, though his voice carried more amusement than objection.
Still holding his hand, she teased, her tone lighthearted as she playfully pretended to blow on his fingertips, as if bestowing some magical healing power. "Oh, did Sterling not like that?"
"We also share the same last name now!"
"Huh. Guess I should stop then since my magical kisses don't work on you as they do with Beth⎯"
The corners of Jake's lips tug into a grin as he spoke with that usual cocky tone of his. "No, no. But, if that's the case, I might need a few more doses of those magic kisses you're talking about."
Of course, that undeniably did make Hailey blush, so she only replied with an eye roll and a "disappointed" sigh.
"Alright," Hailey leaned over closely, gently adjusting his hand on the fretboard. "Don't get too cocky now. Let's try this chord again. Slow and steady, okay?"
Jake nodded and tried the chord again, paying close attention to it. This time, he strummed, and the sound was somewhat more like an identifiable note, although it remained distinctly rough.
Still, the two looked at each other with sparkles in their eyes, mouths open in shock as if they were pirates discovering a newfound treasure.
Hailey beamed, quickly clapping her hands, "You did it!"
Her words of encouragement caused a wide, contagious smile to spread across Jake's face. "Hailey.. Did you hear that?! It actually sounded like something resembling music!"
With a huge grin, Hailey wrapped her arms around him in a quick, celebratory hug. "Yeah! You're getting better with every try."
Feeling overjoyed at her remarks, Jake's smile grew wider and he quickly and tightly returned her hug. "I couldn't have done it without you. I swear I'll be a pro in no time!"
She gave his hand an affirming squeeze. "You know I'll always be here to cheer you on, every step of the way."
"Well, I think this is it for now. I'm getting sleepy." Jake yawned, feeling the tiredness settle in after the day's efforts.
With a content sigh, he then planted a soft kiss on her forehead and mumbled, "Sorry for dragging you this late, I know it was selfish of me. You too did great. Let's rest well."
Surprisingly already half asleep, he clung to her. She almost completely forgot about the hard work he'd put into this week's chores. A small blush crept on Hailey's face, as she softly brushed a strand of hair away from his forehead, holding him.
"You've been quite the hard worker lately, huh?" She whispered under her breath.
Hailey didn't mind being awake this late as long as it was with him. It was fun too, she'll also admit, really.
Despite struggling a little, she was still willing to carry or support him to their bedroom anyway. Slowly, Hailey walked while caressing his hair, and hummed her way for a bit. She couldn't hold back her small grin whenever he'd mumble or cling to her closer.
"Hailey, I still want your magic kiss..." was what she could only make sense of. The rest were pretty much more of imitations or onomatopoeias.
A content sigh escaped out of Hailey's lips as she glanced at Jake's peaceful expression, what a wonderful thought that is. She couldn't wait to grow older with him.