Anne slid her fingers over the freshly painted walls marveling at the different textures as she walked through their new home. Admiring the scene of fresh spring blossoms from the new bay window, she then walked out onto their new terrace and stared across the huge back yard. She turned to John and nestled her body in his arms.
"Thank you Baby." she whispered curling her shoulders back against his chest.
"I can't believe we're actually here." His hands traced down her arms as he laced her fingers with his own then looked down at her with his contagious grin. Placing his head on top of hers, he squeezed her close and wrapped his arms around her small frame.
"I'm thinking Lavender, Crocus, and Blue Bells around the terrace and Roses along the fence." She pointed at each section of the yard as she shared her vision with John.
"I'm thinking a sandbox and a swing set, maybe a tree house in the middle of that old oak." John smiled back at her. "But, for the moment, I also thought we might get some old used brick from a house one of the guys at work was renovating and build a nice brick fire pit."
"Do you know how to lay brick?" Surprised, she turned with a curious look on her face.
"I think so!" He laughed and playfully pinched her butt as he replied with a devilish smile, "I can lay anything, including bricks, pipes, and..." leaning over to kiss her, "you!"
Laughing as they reentered the house, they could both see that they still had a great deal of work ahead of them. Boxes needed unpacked, furniture, end tables, and bookcases sat jam-packed up against each other. Their queen bed leaned at an angle against a wall in their new bedroom; jumbles of unopened, labeled boxes were stacked throughout the house. Escrow had closed that morning. Even though they had moved most of their belongings from their old apartment to their new home, they were worn-out and ready to take a well-deserved break.
"I'm too exhausted to do any more, what say we clean up, get in the shower, and call it a night?" John moved towards the stairs.
"Definitely, nothing sounds better, hang on; we need to cover these." Anne pointed at the bare windows.
"Want some help?"
"No, go ahead; I have to find something to cover them with." Trying to think of what she might use Anne laughed as she looked around.
"I'm starving! What would you like for dinner?" She shouted up the stairs, "I was thinking Pizza...delivered."
"Sounds good by me, I don't want to cook, I'm sure you don't either." John yelled back down as he slipped into the bathroom.
"Ok, pizza it is!" Anne reached for the phone book and ordered.
***
Anne began to rummage through the boxes, continuing until she found the one box, the one, which she had written the word sheets on the outside with a black magic marker. Unpacking a mixed assortment of different printed pastels and solids, she stood on her stool awkwardly arranging the large wrinkled pieces of fabric over each curtain rod. She managed to keep her balance as she pulled the linen over the rods; pleased that the doubled fabric cloaked the windows enough to block the neighbor's view.
"Well, it doesn't look the best but it'll have to do for tonight," she thought to herself. With her hands on her hips, she stood back and admired her work. The water splattering against the shower walls echoed down the stairs as she returned to the kitchen. She rummaged through a few more boxes and found some paper plates that she placed on the counter. Next, she unpacked the box that held the coffee pot and sat it next to the refrigerator.
"Now where did I pack the coffee and filters?" She muttered to herself as she opened more boxes. A pack of playing cards fell on the floor. Surprised to see them she tossed them on the counter and continued her search. The smell of fresh brewed hazelnut soon percolated through the house.
John finished his shower then stood in front of the new porcelain double sinks wiping at the fogged up glass with his hand so he could see his reflection. "Not bad," he thought as he brushed the back of his hand across the prickly shadow on his chin. Reaching for his razor, which had fallen to the bottom of the gym bag Anne had packed with both his shaving gear and her unlimited supply of cosmetics, he wrestled through the bag until he found a can of shaving cream, a razor, and some cologne. Soon his face was as smooth as a baby's bottom; he splashed some cologne around his neck, down his chest and down between his thighs brushing his proud package with the light citric fragrance. After he brushed his teeth, he headed back down the stairs.
Wearing only a towel wrapped around his waist, he moved up behind Anne. It always surprised him how his hands could wrap around her small waist, his fingers almost touching. He kissed her on the neck biting down on the sensitive skin.
"You smell delicious," she squirmed as his bite on her neck sent a shiver down her spine. "Feel better?"
"Much better," he said as he laid a playful swat on her behind. "No pizza yet?" he asked as he reached for a pop in the refrigerator.