Cassie opened her eyes slowly in the darkness of her bedroom. She could see just a few slim rays of early morning sun coming through the cracks in her shades. She leaned over and grabbed her phone off the bedside table: 5:55 AM. Per usual, her body woke her up just before her alarm was set to chime. She switched it off and looked over at her sleeping husband - he was so tightly wrapped in the covers that only a few dark tufts of his hair were visible peeking out from the top.
Cassie allowed herself a few minutes to curl up against the back of Diego's naked body, enjoying the way her curves melded into his. Cassie's body had always fit perfectly into Diego's, something that had surprised her early in their relationship, but now felt like second nature. After a few minutes, she braced herself to step out from underneath the warm covers and headed to the bathroom. She switched on the light and grabbed the workout clothes she had laid out on the counter the night before. Her hazel eyes drifted from the clothes to the mirror and she paused briefly to appreciate her naked body.
As a former collegiate athlete, fitness had always been a priority in her life and it showed. Cassie was proud of her lithe, strong body. While she had once hated being so tall, at 5'10 her legs were long and shapely. The outline of her abs was visible on her flat stomach and her breasts were small with prominent nipples. She shifted to admire her favorite feature - her large ass, which was rounded and sculpted from years of squats and lunges. Satisfied, Cassie pulled her sports bra over her head and down under her breasts, slid a black thong and some small spandex shorts up her hips, and tied her curly, auburn hair back into a high ponytail. She splashed some water on her face and headed out the door to the gym.
After her workout, Cassie returned home to find a shirtless Diego making breakfast in the kitchen and singing along to oldies playing on the speakers of their computer. Cassie smirked to herself while admiring her goofy husband and his strong body from the entryway. Years of lifting weights had given him a muscular frame and his dark, curly hair was still mussed from a night of sleep. He lifted one tan arm to stir the scrambled eggs while singing off-key to Journey. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his trim waist, feeling the heat from his body and laying her head on his upper back.
"What time is your flight again today?" -- she asked
"11:45. So I need to head out around 10:30" -- he replied
Diego had recently started a new job and, while the money was excellent, it came with substantially more travel. Cassie and Diego had started dating in their early 20s. Now in their mid-thirties, they had spent little time away from each other and Cassie wasn't sure how she would feel about spending several nights apart every month.
"Do we have time for a quick shower?" Cassie asked mischievously, running her hand down from his abs to the mound in his boxer briefs. She heard his sharp intake of breath.
"Fuck, babe." Diego said, turning toward her with a pained expression. "I still have to pack and shoot some emails off before I go."
"Your loss" Cassie pouted, turning her back to him and rubbing her ass into his cock, already hardening, before walking off. "I hope you're ok with not getting laid this week."
Despite having been together for almost a decade, Cassie and Diego still had a regular and fairly adventurous sex life. It was not unusual for them to have sex 2-3 times a week, so going more than a few days would be a change for them. Yet another element of Diego's new travel schedule that Cassie was not looking forward to. She sat down in front of her computer and flipped it on, pushing her thoughts aside and losing herself in her work.
After responding to a particularly annoying email from a client, she heard a noise and looked up to see Diego standing by the front door, suitcase in hand.
"The Lyft is on its way" he said.
She got up and walked to the door, kissing him forcefully.
"I love you, have a good trip" she said, "I'll miss you."
"I love you too, babe. See you on Friday" he said, squeezing her tightly before walking out the door.
The rest of her day was a typical Tuesday - an uneventful day of work followed by dinner, reading, and an evening walk with her dog. Diego texted to say he'd landed and checked into his hotel.
(Cassie) Call me tomorrow if you get a chance
(Diego) I'll do my best
Wednesday had a similar rhythm, an early morning workout followed by a day spent working from home. Cassie couldn't help but miss Diego's warm body sleeping beside her or someone to make her breakfast in the morning. Around mid-day her phone pinged with a text.
(Brittany) I AM COUNTING DOWN THE DAYS
It was the group text she shared with her best friends from college.
