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The soft sunlight from the bedroom window shone harshly right onto my eyes when I squinted. Birds were chirping cheerfully and our roosters made sure that we're both awake. I mean, this is an established routine at this point, but I thank Yoba daily for everything I've got; quiet mornings spent eating the best food and getting ready, hard work with an actual purpose during the day and cosy evenings with my beloved husband.
"Five more minutes, please!" I shrugged and turned my back, pulling the feather quilt all onto myself.
"But we've got a long day ahead, dear. Also, I want to have my breakfast with you," Harvey reasoned. He then scooted closer to me and placed a warm kiss on my cheek.
I was still grumpy about the fact that I needed to get up early. That's the downside of country life; crops and animals rely on you every day, so you actually have to get up early. However, I'm human too, is it wrong to want more rest from time to time?
"Please, darling. If you want, you can always take a nap later. In fact, we can do it together. I'm home today, after all."
I turned to him and immediately got flustered upon seeing his face. His loose brown locks were all fluffy, complementing the disarranged look of his mustache, which I used to see well-groomed all the time before we got married. He was gazing at me affectionately as he lifted his hand and started gently caressing my face.
"You always catch me off-guard with these beautiful eyes of yours," I uttered softly. Then I fixed my looks on his mustache and playfully added, "And the bush."
His expression changed to slightly annoyed before he took his hand off my face and placed onto his.
"Could you please stop calling the morning 'stache the 'bush'? I actually take pride in my appearance, y'know!"
He made an attempt to get up from the bed, before I jumped to pull him back to the bed. I looked into his eyes for a moment before softly pressing my lips onto his, making sure to give some love to the rest of his face with little kisses. I meant this to be a silly display of affection but he was craving for more. The second I placed a kiss on his lips, he turned around and made both of us lay on our sides and hold each other's faces, while intensifying the kiss without getting too intense. His gaze between the kisses was piercing my soul, I could barely speak or take a break from this moment of affection.
"No matter how many times I relive this, I can never get enough of it," he confessed, while gently brushing his hand against my cheek. "You make the life worth living and I wouldn't complain once even if I had lived a century with you by my side."
I felt flustered and couldn't hide my blushing and smiling expression, which also made him smile warmly. It's so comforting to know that the feelings of love and respect are not only mutual, but also strong even after years of marriage. The more I spend time and get to know him, the stronger my feelings grow. Someone who doesn't know him can think of him as a socially awkward, professionally kind yet burnt out man. In reality, he's the sweetest person ever, very romantic and caring too.
"If you want to live a century with me, we'd better eat and fuel ourselves, my dear," I suggested, then gave a little peck on his hand before rolling to the side of the bed to finally get up.
"Alright, just tell me what do you want for breakfast and I'll cook," he offered as he also got up. Then he saluted me like a soldier and shouted: "Chef Harvey at your command, ma'am!"
I had a laugh by myself before joining his silly and loudly went: "Do we have potatoes, soldier?"
"Yes, ma'am!"
"Do we have fresh veg, soldier?"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Then I want you to make your baked hash browns with a side of salad! Don't forget to brew coffee!"
"Aye, ma'am!"
He saluted again, then winked at me and headed to the kitchen. I watched him walk in and sighed. I'm truly the luckiest woman alive.
...
"Ugh, the hoe is not hoe-ing today! Maybe I should bring it to Clint's for a retouching."
I was talking to myself as I was trying to open up some space for the seeds I had laying around. The purple hue of the iridium hoe was beautifully reflecting onto the ground. Chilly autumn breeze was hitting my face and hair; it was pleasantly cool in the late morning before the colder evening.
I sat down on the bare ground, next to the scarecrow. The freshly tilled soil next to my already grown corn plants was pretty barren. I had crop seeds and flower seeds, and since the source is the Mother Nature herself, I had no idea what's going to be the produce. I kinda like the mystery of it. I had already planted the seeds and watered them before taking a quick breather like I was doing in that moment.
"Do you need anything, darling?"
Harvey was looking from afar, with a worried look on his face. He then came up to me and knelt right next to me.
"I don't need anything, except maybe something to hydrate? I also need to take the ol' hoe to the blacksmith. It's fine, but it needs a bit of care," I explained, although I wasn't looking at him directly. The book he was holding caught my attention, something about geriatrics, marked in half.
"I'll go get some water, then you can rest before heading out, okay?" he offered, then walked towards the farmhouse without elaborating further. I couldn't even say "don't bother" before he left. Whatever, I guess.
I stood up and placed the hoe next to the scarecrow and picked up the watering can. The good thing about this watering can is that I get to water all the crops at once. It's efficient and I'm here for it! Since I don't spend too much time and energy on farming, my husband's also pretty happy about my new, upgraded tools. Still, I had to take my tools to Clint for maintenance so they last for a lifetime. I should probably bring him some homemade dishes as a compensation, too. I was craving fiddlehead risotto anyway...
I placed the tools into the chest nearby and walked towards the farmhouse as well. The front door opened by itself when I decided to open it myself, which was definitely not a pleasant surprise!
"Oh, Yoba, I'm so oblivious!" Harvey panicked after spilling the glass of water all over my clothes. "I'm sorry, darling. I knew I should've brought the insulated bottle instead."
"That's okay, I was going to take a shower and change anyway. It's not like you did that on purpose," I excused.
"No, no, no, no. I want you to go take a shower now and I'll pick out nice, dry clothes for you. Then I'll help you wash your back, deal?"
I couldn't say no, because I was tired, anxious and covered in dirt and wild weeds. Harvey's offer sounded just as good as any. If I pushed him to not do that, he'd come up with something else anyway. I also didn't want anyone in town to see me like that, especially Jodi. She's quite judgemental when it comes to cleanliness and loves gossiping, too. I didn't want to be an object of shame in the eyes of some townsfolk.
We both got inside and I walked right into the bathroom. I turned on the tap so the bathtub would be filled by the time I had taken everything off and placed them in the laundry pile. My reflection on the wall mirror made me feel a bit uneasy. Pieces of weed stuck in my hair. Dry soil on my forehead from rubbing my hands against it whenever I sweat. A tiny scratch on my leg. Ew.
Finally, I got in the bathtub. As soon as warm water touched my skin, it felt like the world's weight was being lifted off my shoulders. Before starting washing up, I took my time to soak up. I'm done with my farm work today, so I don't have to worry about that. Oh, and apparently, my husband was quick to create an outfit for me, as he was standing there, right behind me.
"You seem to be too tired to even wash yourself up, darling," he contended, playing with a strand of my hair as he spoke. "Let me help you with that," he added and pressed a supple kiss on my neck before stepping back. I let out a gasp upon feeling the warmth of his lips on my skin. My heart started to race again, and this time, not because of exhaustion.
I hastily turned my head back to look at him, just as he had started to unbutton his shirt. He was blushing like crazy and was giving me seductive looks while he pushed the buttons through the slits. I chuckled watching him finally take his shirt and tie off with a cheesy expression on his face.
"If you think that face will rizz me up, you probably watch too much romcom," I joked lightheartedly.
"What's up with the "rizz" you guys are talking about? I swear, I heard Sam talking about it with Vincent at the store a couple days ago!" Harvey grumbled, throwing his trousers and underwear away in the laundry pile as soon as he removed them, leaving him completely bare. I could not take him seriously like that, not when he's wearing his birthday outfit and talking about Gen Z slang.
"Um, why did you remove your clothes, honey?" I implored, trying to scoot a bit to the front and not to examine Harvey's full yet slightly defined figure. My eyes were having a hard time straying away from his hairy chest, and the increasing intensity of the said hair as my looks go south. I just hoped my looks didn't go beyond aesthetic admiration.
"Well, I don't want my clothes to get wet either," he assured, nastily grinning under his mustache while getting into the bathtub and sitting right behind me.
"Are you sure there isn't anything else you want from me?" I wanted to interrogate further, to make sure his intentions are clear. However, I was basically on his lap now and I would feel it if he had other plans for me. I felt nothing but emotional and physical vulnerability, devoid of desire of flesh. Not that sex is a bad thing, it's just something we both didn't want at that time.
He shook his head in disagreement, then squirted the shampoo bottle in his hand and foamed it before massaging it in my scalp. I unclenched my hands as he ran his fingers gently through my hair; each movement from his fingertips was precise and relaxing. Those hands were sure to reach every part on my head and thoroughly clean the dirt off my hair. I felt a bit tingly inside, in a good way, so I lifted my gaze to meet Harvey's. He smiled warmly and placed another soft kiss on my forehead as he wrapped his arms around my waist and completely cradled me.
"Aren't I allowed to take care of my beautiful wife in the best way possible?" he questioned, as he carefully rinsed my hair. "This is the least I can do to support you, darling. You work so hard for our household and I always appreciate that."
My face felt as if it was on fire and my breathing became racy. Oh my goodness, why is he so sweet like that? Why does every word coming out of his mouth make me feel like a queen being treated deservingly? I'm merely a peasant farmer, but he always makes me feel like royalty, with his words and actions.
"I... I'll never get tired of saying it. I praise Yoba for crossing our paths together and letting us be together," I stuttered breathily. I wanted to say more, but I could barely think when my mind was busy processing the bodily sensations.
"Mmm... I know, for sure Yoba created you just for me," he panted, spraying kisses on my neck. "I sometimes still can't believe that you're all mine."
My breathing went heavy for a short while when I heard his words. I thought I'd rather stay silent and savour the moment. I couldn't control the warmth spreading on my cheeks and painting them pink.
He then reached for the loofah and soap, lathered them up and started scrubbing it against my back. Every motion from him was like an intense stimulant, numbed my body out better than the anaesthetic he gave me when I needed emergency surgery. Especially when he scrubbed the area between my shoulders, I felt a couple teardrops slide across my face. They did wash away when he rinsed the soap off my body, though.
"Here, let me help you," Harvey proposed his hand right after standing up. I placed my hand into his, also standing up with less effort from his physical support.
"Thank you, my love," I stammered with an over-relaxed voice, while stepping out of the bathtub with him.
"My pleasure, hun. We'd better get you dressed up before you get sick," he stressed, as he put a bathrobe on me.
He put his one arm around me and added: "Everything's okay, I've got you."
Then we walked into our bedroom. Being in Harvey's arms always seems to make me feel secure, no matter what vulnerable position I might be in. It's sometimes a little bit excessive and I feel like he's going overboard to make me happy. When in reality, his presence is enough to bring a smile to my face. I don't mean I don't enjoy it, I absolutely love it when he's caring and subtle, but I don't want him to think he should do that all the time in order to earn my love. I already love him without any expectations.
"You don't have to do that," I stated, trying not to mumble, as we sat down on the bed.
"Do what?" Harvey questioned, with a slightly puzzled face.
"Go the extra mile to make my mundane life exciting."
"Darling, I..."
He started panting and frowning more and more before he could speak.
"You don't have to do anything. I love you unconditionally," I pledged, cupping Harvey's face with one hand and gently moving my thumb across his cheek.
"Darling, I don't do any of those things to earn your love. I do those things because I know you love me," he recollected his words, placing his hand on mine.
He then took a deep breath and continued: "It's just that I had lived a lonely life before I met you. I was alone living about my mundane life and no one knew how isolated I felt. I don't want to go back, and I don't want you to feel like that."
He couldn't hold his tears back when he said that. I wiped a couple tears away from his face with my hand, before he nestled his head in the crook of my neck and found himself in my embrace.
I started running my fingers through his hair, supply massaging his head with my fingertips. Then I placed a warm, heavy kiss on his forehead.
"You won't have to go back. Your place is with me, just like how my place is with you. And your presence in my life is more than enough to make me feel happy. You are my happiness, darling," I confessed.
We held each other like that for a while, until the emotional tension broke. Harvey pressed his lips right on the spot where he had been resting his head on, before pulling back from the cuddle.
"I have to admit it, though, I'm willing to go the extra mile just to see your gorgeous body more often," he chuckled, eyes roaming across my body.
Hold on. We're still naked.
"I have to cover up that gorgeous body for the rest of the day. I advise you do the same, unless you want to be criminally charged with public indecency," I joked half-heartedly. Then I reached for the clothes my husband had put aside for me.
"What if I don't leave our private property for the rest of the day?" he asked with a silly tone, while he also reached for his own clothes.
"Well, in that case, I have to respect your bodily autonomy. If you really want to see my body again, I guess you have got to wait until evening," I disclosed playfully.
Harvey's brows drew together and he pouted in displeasure. He didn't say anything, but I could tell that he wasn't so happy about having to wait. I loved teasing him, though going further would be torturous for him. I promised him that we would be doing all the things he wanted to do, once we were done with all the work for today.
We got dressed and I waited a couple minutes while Harvey got his patients' charts from his desk. We then held hands and walked out the front door as soon as we got ready.
"I just wanted to say, you... you mean the world to me," he croaked and uttered my name, while we were standing on the porch.
"You do too, Harvey. I love you."
He brushed his lips against mine and briefly pressed it into a kiss. "Be careful, darling."
I nodded and let him walk to his little garden, where he likes to read and work. I then went back to the crops' area and grabbed my hoe again.
"Damn, Clint. You better not charge me anything," I mumbled, glaring at the hoe. "Or do. We're rich from evading taxes, anyway."