Work Text:
It was the morning of Kate's day off. Setting her coffee to brew in the coffee pot, she looked outside the window at the rainy autumn skies. It was only drizzling at the moment, but a storm was expected in the afternoon. The coffee pot beeped, letting Kate know her coffee was ready. Kate poured the coffee into a mug and inhaled its strong aroma. She took a sip, and she felt the liquid warming her from the inside. She hummed and closed her eyes, thinking about the scheduled videocall with Sonny in the evening. Yes, there was something in the day to look forward to.
On his way to Kate's house, Sonny stopped in the nearest town to buy her a large bouquet of red roses, her favorite mini chocolates, and a small bear plushie. Closing the door of his car after having made his purchases, he smiled to himself. Kate thought he was far away, and he had let her think so to surprise her on her day off. Starting the car, all he could think about was Kate's smile when she would spot him through her windows.
By the time Sonny made it to Kate's house, the early morning drizzle had turned into fat drops of water dancing on the roof of his car. And he'd forgotten his umbrella–whoops. After parking the car, he waited for a few moments for Kate to come out. He realized that the pounding rain probably muffled the sounds of his arrival, so he honked once. Kate appeared at the front steps of the house, holding an umbrella. Sonny had to wipe condensation from his windshield so that she could see who it was. Once she saw him through the windshield, Kate's shriek of happiness was unmistakable. She walked down the front steps and stood in front of the car. Sonny opened his door, smiling.
"Hey," he said.
Kate giggled. "Hi."
"I would be over there sweeping you off your feet, but I forgot my umbrella."
"It's okay," said Kate, nearing. She allowed him to get out of the car and step under her umbrella. She was wearing a cream woollen knit cardigan with oversized buttons in different shapes, and her hair was down, enveloping her shoulders. Her long hair was starting to show signs of frizz after standing in the rain, but to Sonny she had hardly ever looked more beautiful. He kissed her, slow and soft. Kate kissed him back, first in the same slow and soft way and then with more fire.
Sonny brushed a tuft of hair behind her ear and looked into her eyes for a long moment. "Hey, there," he said, a little breathless from the kissing.
"How did you pull this off?" asked Kate. "I thought you were miles and miles away."
"I was, but now I'm here. All yours for two glorious days."
Kate shook her head at him. "You sure know how to pull off a surprise."
Sonny winked. "Yes, ma'am." He reached into the car and then held Kate's presents in his hands. "These are part of the surprise as well."
"Aw," said Kate, reaching for the small bear plushie, "these are all so cute and thoughtful." She tried to take the other presents in her hands as well, but she couldn't while holding the umbrella, so she exchanged the umbrella for Sonny's gifts. "Come on," she said, "I have warm coffee inside."
In the evening, the storm came as predicted. Sonny and Kate huddled on the couch under a blanket while the wind seemed to rattle the house and shake the nearby trees. The light would occasionally flick on and off, so they had lit candles all around the living room. The bouquet of red roses had gone into a vase on the dining table. The box of chocolates was open on the coffee table. The wine that remained in the bottle after dinner was also on the coffee table, along with two big stemmed glasses. Kate was cuddling the bear plushie to her chest, and Sonny was holding Kate, peppering kisses along her temple. They had Rush playing on Netflix, but they were paying more attention to each other really.
"I'm so happy when you're with me," said Kate, looking into Sonny's eyes. "It means I can stop missing you."
Sonny gave her a tender kiss on the lips. "I feel like I'm flying when I'm not missing you," he breathed.
Kate reciprocated with a loving kiss and affectionate words. "Then, let's fly together, shall we?"
As the wind howled outside, the bear plushie fell to the floor, followed by the blanket, followed by a pile of clothes. Although the temperature was plummeting, Kate and Sonny were warm, pouring love into each other until the longing was replaced by quiet bliss.
THE END