Lightning

I wake up suddenly. There is a storm raging outside. I smile, still quite asleep but also staggeringly awake. I turn to your side and see that you are not there. I am not surprised.

It’s 03:17 and you still haven’t come to bed. I guess anybody would be angry about this. But I am not anybody. This is who you are. I knew it when I met you, I knew it when we discussed moving in together and it was still the case when we got married.

My bones crack. All of them, including my sternum. It always feels good when I crack every bone. And you hate when I do it, so it’s great to be able to when you cannot hear me.

Our cat Louie stretches too although his bones don’t crack like mine. I pet him, he purrs. My favourite sound in this world.

We both go to the kitchen. We have a drink of water. I pour another glass and go towards the office where I know I will find you.

“Want a little break?” I ask, leaving the glass in front of you and kissing your neck. “There is a storm, in case you haven’t noticed. Take a break, come enjoy it with me.”

You turn around, we kiss. We go towards the terrace and hold each other tightly. We are quite fortunate, it overlooks the sea.

We stand still, looking at the dark, deep horizon. This view is why we bought this house.

“Thank you” you whisper, “I needed this.”

The storm rages on. Thunder breaks the silence and lightning splits the sky. The wind makes its way, pushing invisible barriers. The earth shakes and so do we.

I have always liked storms but even more so since I can enjoy them with your arms around me. I feel safe, nothing can get to us.

We are quiet and still, except for our hands, who are unable to stop stroking each other. This is one of the reasons why I fell in love with you: our innate capability of just being. Just feeling the present with each other. It feels natural to just stare at the sea and sky, shuddering with every change nature offers us.

I don’t know how long we stay like this. With you, I don’t measure time.

“Let me take you back inside. I still need to work a little, but Louie will keep you company until I can join you.”

I nod. We kiss. You lift me in your arms and take me to bed. My head rests on your shoulders and I whisper that I love you unquantifiably. You caress my leg twice in short strokes and then three longer strokes. This is how you tell me. My favourite gesture in this world.

You put me in bed and pull the covers. Louie was already there, purring. You gently caress my forehead and I close my eyes. You kiss me and tell me to sleep well.

It’s a nice last thing to hear before drifting into sleep.