ONE POV:

The door to the apartment still had that small squeak if it was pushed open slowly.

But the lock moved a lot smoother than it used to, so that was a nice improvement.

The motion sensor lights came on automatically in the foyer, illuminating the hallway with a warm glow.

A pair of familiar slippers sat in the middle of the small upward step, ready to be worn.

One hook was empty among the line of coats on the wall-mounted coat hanger. It was obvious it had been deliberately cleared, a sign of expected welcome.

And the stereo must have been programmed with a time delay to the door, because soft jazz music suddenly began playing from the living room, while in contrast the glow of the stereo's neon bounced off the floor in an illusion of a faded discotheque.

A chuckle escaped unwittingly, welcome in the warm yet empty space. 

A satisfied sigh followed, but it was enough.

The light-weight coat dwarfed the empty hook, crowding the other coats on the hanger.

The slippers fit perfectly, just like every time before.

The music sounded a little less distorted as the living room loomed closer, the tune easier to distinguish and hum along to. 

Motion sensors dimmed the stereo lights to almost nothing, making way for street lights shimmering through partially closed vertical blinds across the room.

The light over the sink in the kitchen was left on, but that was expected. It had only been off twice since they moved in, and that was due to power outages.

Another faint sliver of light came from under the doorway of one of the three doors facing the living room. The light flickered, so it obviously wasn't a lamp.

Another chuckle escaped, this time a little stronger.

There was still 130 days for everything to finally be over, but it was a wonderful comfort to know their nights wouldn't be lonely anymore.

The middle door opened easily and the familiar sight was warmer than anything else in the entire world.

"Hello Love... "

🤍

THE OTHER POV:

It would be a few hours before he could come home.

His parents along with both grandmas had all waited patiently for this day. They deserved the extra couple of hours to dote on the newly discharged Sergeant. Well, as of this afternoon the man no longer held that title, but still... If the family wanted to give him extra love and attention, who was he to deny them that right.

The apartment felt a little empty.

The dogs were at their grandma's house.

The large television and the gaming console in the living room were both turned off.

The motion sensor would trigger the lights and stereo whenever he finally got there. But until then the main area was completely quiet.

The small light over the kitchen sink competed with the outdoor street lights, the vertical blinds open just enough to allow the shimmering lights to cut through the relative darkness.

Behind the first closed door, the studio was also silent. It had been several weeks since any of the buttons on the console had been , but that was not anything to worry about tonight. It wouldn't take much for the room to be ready for the Live he planned for tomorrow.

The bathroom door was closed.

When they first moved in, they discovered the dogs liked to play on the cool tiles. But the sound echoed too much so it became habit to keep the door closed most of the time. Although, it was funny to watch their babies scampering across the slick surface, so sometimes as a treat they left it open on purpose.

In the bedroom, the bedside lamp was turned down to a low glow. The only other light in the room came from the flickering laptop, balanced on it's usual spot on the bed tray near the end of the mattress. 

The freshly made bed had a slight dip worn in the middle. The thought of making full use of the familiar indentation brought a warm smile to his face.

Both pillows had been carefully fluffed up, and it was all he could do to not lean back and indulge in the softness. But that might make him end up going to sleep, and he didn't want that just yet. 

Not until he got home.

There would still be one hundred thirty days until everything was officially over, but at least from tonight they would be sleeping in the same bed again. 

The sound of soft jazz brought him out of his reverie. 

He smiled and took out his one earbud, then fluffed his hair a bit before leaning over to pause the laptop. 

Just as he leaned back again, the bedroom doorknob turned. He looked up with a smile as the door softly opened. 

"Hello Love... "

🤍

A/N:  The phrasing and sentence structure might be a little strange,  but that's mainly because I posted this chapter as a two part story on Twitter. I actually like being able to think of that particular evening from both points of view. 

Also, I know I didn't mention exactly who the two characters are, but if you know...you know. 💕