You plunged a stringy rag into an old bucket of cold, pink-ish colored disinfectant. Your manager swore on his life that it was “sanitary” and made it the only thing you were allotted to wipe the tables with. The smell of it was sickening; stale, flowery detergent infused with spilt coffee, milk, and random fruit juices. On top of that, it contained great amount of bleach mixed in, undoubtedly to mask the other odors. It was enough to make your throat burn.

Normally, you would just hold your breath, wet the rag, and tear through the myriad of dirty tables like it was nothing. You always kept in mind that the sooner you start, the sooner you finish, and the sooner you can go home to Kris.

But that wasn’t exactly working today.

This morning had marked the seventeenth morning in a row that you had woken up completely alone. You missed him. You missed his presence terribly.  So much so that it had started to mess with your daily routine. Today, you woke up later than usual, skipping breakfast completely and running yourself to work just a few minutes after nine. You dove right into taking orders, clearing tables, brewing coffee- a little bit of everything. Lunch time came around and you plopped down on some random chair in the break room, sipped some water, and slept through your entire break. Forty-five minutes later, you sprang back into action. Your tummy grumbled and ached, but you were so caught up in getting your job done and keeping your boyfriend out of your head that proper food and rest were the last things on your mind.

Now it was dark and a little after closing time. All that accompanied you now was a silent café, a bucket of disgusting water aka the “cleaning liquid”, and filthy tables. You gave a final swipe with your tired arm across one of the wooden surfaces. “Three tables down, only fifteen more to go.” As you moved over each individual table, you felt your ever-present headache start to grow. Your stomach clenched, searching for something to digest. You could feel your skin start to clam up and you blinked your eyes, trying to re-focus your vision on the brown surface before you. You chucked the small cloth back into the bucket with a sigh, accidentally splashing some water on the floor. “You know what, someone else can finish these. I’m done.” You tore off your apron and slowly trudged into the locker room.

Splashing water on your face seemed to help to refresh your senses. You removed all of your stinky work clothes and washed up, the cool shower and your bubbly soap erasing any evidence of work. Distantly, you heard your phone buzz. It was probably just a text from your manager reminding you to shut all of the machines off. Or maybe it was your mom. When it quickly vibrated three more times, you decided that whoever it was, they had something really important to say. You shut off the water and dried yourself, reaching over to your phone in the process. Your heart clenched as you read the screen.

The messages were from Kris.

Hey, I’m outside.

What’s taking so long? You’re off the clock, right?

Are you ok? Babe?

Helloooo?

You read the texts in disbelief. ‘He’s here?! I thought he was booked until next month!’ Pushing aside your sudden confusion and lingering fatigue, you scrambled over to your belongings and awkwardly tugged on your fresh undergarments. You excitedly tapped a message on your phone.

Just getting my stuff together. I’ll be right there!

You couldn’t wait to see him! It had only been a few weeks, but those weeks felt like years without him. You zipped your dark jeans and pulled on your “emergencies only” top; it wasn’t the fanciest, but its navy hue and sheer fabric were very flattering to your physique. Your shoes were the same converse you wore to work today but seeing as they were washed over the weekend, they weren’t in bad shape. You let your hair loose and ruffled out the waves over your shoulder. With a few splashes of your sweet perfume and a light dab of gloss to your lips, you took in your appearance in the mirror, semi-satisfied with your work. “Well, this is as good as it’s gonna get.”

 You stuffed all of your things into your backpack and exited the locker room. You quickly shut off the shop’s lights and tip-toed your way through the darkness. As you locked the double doors up from the outside, a set of large hands encompassed your waist.

“Hey, why are you looking so cute? Didn’t you just get off work?” Sliding the keys into your front pocket, you turned your body and brought your arms around the tall man’s neck.

“What? Do you prefer having me all hot and sweaty?” He let out a chuckle as you pressed into his chest and he lifted you off the ground in a warm hug. You nuzzled your face into his neck, “I missed you.”

Kris hummed in agreement. “Not even close to how much I missed you,” He set you down and held your tiny hands in his. “But I got some time off,” He brought one of your arms up to his lips and pecked the soft skin of your wrist. “And I get to spend all of it with you,” He kissed your forehead. “Are you up for ice cream?”

The line wasn’t that long, but the recurring waves of exhaustion made it seem so. Vaguely, you felt your boyfriend as he stood behind you with his chest against your back, hands secured at your hips. You hadn’t told Kris yet, but on the ride to the ice cream parlor, you were starting to feel a little dizzy.

Now, your skin was clammy, your palms were sweaty and you were starting to see black dots. You simply leaned against his chest, silently willing yourself to push on for a little more.

“Next!”

You felt Kris nudge you forward to the marbled counter and he moved to stand next to you. You lost your balance and swayed to the side. “Bǎo bèi? Are you-“

“No, no, it’s okay! I just… slipped. That’s all.”

He eyed you speculatively. “Are you sure? You look really pale,” he touched the back of his hand to your cheek. “Come to think of it, I- Oh my God. Bǎo bèi!” Kris caught you mere seconds before your body made contact with the tile floor. He could’ve sworn his heart stopped the moment he saw you go down.

Lifeless.

 He held you as he frantically searched for any signs of physical injury; blood, a scratch, a bruise.

Nothing.

 Kris felt icy panic crawl up his neck. He brought his cheek to your nose. ‘She’s still breathing,’ He pressed his ear to your chest, catching your heart’s steady rhythm. Ignoring the concerned cries and the customers offering their help, Kris scooped your limp figure into his arms and ran the short distance to his car. He quickly reclined the seat and buckled you in the passenger side, slipping into the driver’s side himself. His foot immediately slammed on the accelerator, zooming you to the safest place he could think of; your parent’s house.

Eight minutes of fearful glances and worst-case scenario thoughts later, his car pulled up to your parent’s driveway.

To your parents empty driveway.

How much more of an idiot could he be? They left for Paris yesterday!

It didn’t matter, he had no other choice. He gently removed the bundle of keys from your pocket and searched for the one to your front door, sprinting to unlock it. He dashed back to his car and carried you inside, following the carpeted hallway to your old room.

He set you down on the large, canopied bed and removed your shoes first. He undid your jeans and disposed of them as well. He pushed aside all of the hair that clung to your neck and his fingers deftly popped open all of the buttons to your quartered sleeved top. Kris left you briefly to fetch a glass of water and a wet towel to pat over your head. When he returned, he noticed you shiver.

‘She’s reacting to the cold.’

He called to you softly as he tucked a thick blanket across your form. “Bǎo bèi?” His ears met a hushed groan. Kris patted the damp cloth on your face, “Can you hear me?”

You struggled to open your eyes and spoke his name in a tiny voice. “I’m here. I’m right here. Are you okay? How do you feel?” his voice was laced with desperation. You tried to speak again, louder this time, but your voice got caught in your dry throat. “Wait,” he lifted your head up with his hand and you felt a cool rim of glass touch your lips. He tilted the cup and your mouth was greeted with a refreshing splash. You drank greedily, downing the cup entirely.

“Kris-“

“Shh, baby girl. Do you feel better?” He ran his fingers soothingly through your hair. “Do you need me to get you more?”

You mutely nodded your head and he stood, kissing you lightly on the cheek. Before he left the room, you called to him and he dashed straight back. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

Your cheeks flushed. “Could you… um, would you mind bringing me something to eat, too?”

He let out a small laugh. “Of course. I’ll be right back.” He almost made it through the door, but he walked over to you once more, a very serious look on his face. Kissing the back of your hand, he said “Don’t close your eyes, okay? Don’t fall asleep.” You flashed him a weak smile and he darted to the kitchen.

He rummaged through his in-laws fridge and silently thanked your mom a hundred times over for being such a bountiful cook. He gathered the left-over soup, rice, beef, and vegetables, all individually stored in containers and took turns heating each one in the micro wave. He served the solid food on a round plate while the soup was transferred into a bowl. He tucked your eating utensils inside of a napkin and balanced the bowl and your water in one of his hands, the crowded plate in the other.

You felt a bit of surprise at seeing your boyfriend ducking back through your door so soon. “That was fast.”

“Well,” Kris set everything down on your nightstand and pulled the wooden stool from your vanity under his weight. “When your girlfriend passes out on you in the middle of your ice cream date and later wakes up asking for food,” he paused and lifted a spoonful of hot soup to your lips. “You get her food.”

You let out a tiny giggle after the broth slid down your throat. You barely managed to get out a proper “thank you” with Kris lifting a full spoon at your lips every three seconds. “Eat. You can talk all you want after.” His insistent hand now switched to feed you the sweet meat and veggies, and you happily chomped away. If it weren’t for Kris, you didn’t know what would’ve happened to you.

“All done?” he asked as he wiped the corners of your mouth with a napkin. “Do you feel better now?” You tilted your almost emptied cup and shook your head. He sighed his relief, “Thank goodness. I was so afraid.” You silently watched as he got up to take all of the dishes back to the kitchen. He re-entered your room, closing the door behind him. Kris kicked off his shoes and set them off to the side, followed by his jacket, which he hung on your empty coat rack. You scooted over and lifted your blanket, inviting your boyfriend to share the warmth of your little cocoon. He slipped in and rested on his side, tossing one arm around your waist and encasing your head with the other. You breathed him in and snuggled closer, lifting one of your bare legs over his hips.

He began to your back. “Baby,”

“Hmm?”

“Why did that happen? Have you not been sleeping well? Or are you…” He hesitated and you watched at his face became flushed. You had no idea where he was going with this. “Are you…?”

“Am I…?”

He looked away. “Y-you know.”

Your face furrowed, not fully understanding his advances. “I’m sorry sweetie, I don’t.”

You felt his hand slide down to your belly. “Are you sure you aren’t- what I mean is… well, h-have you considered,” he exhaled in complete frustration at himself. “Bǎo bèi, could you possibly be pregnant?”

“What!?” You rolled out of his hold and onto your back, your bursts of unrestrained laughter filling the room. “Where the heck did you get that from?” watched his face fall. Did he hope for you to be expecting with his child?

“So no?” he was a little angry. You brought an apologetic hand to his chest.

“No,” he closed his eyes in obvious disappointment. You bit your lip mischievously before adding, “Not yet.”

“Hey,”he warned. You tilted your face up and smiled against his lips. He nibbled playfully and squeezed your waist. “So if that’s not it, then why? What caused you to inadvertently me into panic mode, huh?”

You smiled, but it fell almost instantly as you thought of an answer. You shrugged against him. “I don’t know. Without even noticing it I just- not seeing you, being without you for so long…” you felt his arms tighten around you in response to your voice cracking. “I miss you. Constantly. I can’t stand knowing that you aren’t here. I hate that because you’re so far away, you won’t be there for me when I come home, or when I wake up, or when I’m about to fall asleep and I can’t-”you broke off and held back a sob. “I also hate that I’m so selfish with you. You work so damn hard and you always give your all, yet here I am, wanting you all to myself despite of that. Being without you Kris, it affects me. It hurts me.” You felt a wet streaks crawl down your face and neck causing you to move away, ashamed at breaking down in such an unrefined way. “I’m sorry.” A large hand came up to clear your shining cheeks.

“Bǎo bèi,” Reaching a finger under your chin, he made you face his solemn face to share feather-light kiss. “Believe me when I say there is nothing you need to be sorry for.” He smoothed his thumb across your bottom lip, “Me, being away from you… it shatters me to the point of where I start to question myself.” He kissed you again. “I can’t count the number of times in a day my mind strays back to you. To that gorgeous smile, your soft skin, the way your laugh weaves into me, the way your touch feels against me.  You are embedded in me; you’ve become a part of me that I can’t erase.” You felt his fingers swipe across your cheeks again, wiping away the stray tears you unconsciously set free. “And I love you with everything I’ve got.”Kris laced his fingers through yours, left a sweet peck on each hand, and cuddled into your side. His lips found your neck and left a kiss there, then they moved up to whisper in your ear, “Nothing else matters. It’s just us. Together.”

“Always?”

He shook his head, “Forever.”

(cry baby music here)

Psssssst! Do you guys want a for this one-shot? Inbox me (comment on here) if you do!

I’m so sorry… I tried to make it some what funny but my emotions seeped through at the end T^T And it’s soooo cheesy I could die. UGH. Sorry if I disappointed you, anon. Merp. :(

~Alanis the disappoint-er

(aka LovingHopelessly)