"We have to talk, dear."
There it was again, this tone if subtle defiance that she despised so much. It just reminded her of how much she still had to accomplish, despite all the work she had invested into the relationship. With a loud sigh she looked up from her historical novel and fixated her gaze on her boyfriend, who was sitting in front of her and seemed to struggle with himself.
"Is something the matter, darling?" Ioana asked and lowered her book to take in the sight of her partner. While Erik was definitely no Greek god or second Einstein, he had all the redeeming features that made him the boyfriend every girl could wish for. While he was nice and charming in public, he could be enticing and alluring when it was deemed fitting. She read an article once, that told her to find a boyfriend who could do both: To go from "It is very nice meeting you, Sir" to "Your daughter calls me Daddy as well."
Ioana chuckled about that clichΓ©d phrase, while Erik was definitely well mannered and pleased her parents profoundly; he had some pleasing qualities in the bedroom as well. But calling him "Daddy" or any variations thereof was absolutely not part of her sex play. While every girl probably had a little Electra complex, Ioana was uncomfortable with the thought of bringing it into her sex life. On the other hand, they both indulged into some fetishes that would make these things seem tame in comparison.
"Are you even listening?" inquired Erik and woke Ioana from her daydreaming. Of course, she was away with her thoughts and did not get anything her boyfriend told her in the last couple of minutes. But that wasn't so bad, he would be happy to repeat himself, over and over, until she got every part of the things he wanted her to know.
"Sorry, darling, I spaced out a bit. You wanted to talk about your day at work?" she shot in the dark, hoping this would be the topic he wanted to share with her. While his day as a marketing communication manager was nothing to write home about, he sometimes shared some interesting stories about strange customers, unresponsive suppliers or just plain weird project that always managed to bring a smile to her face.
"No. I actually wanted to talk about ... you know ... us ... and our relationship." her boyfriend murmured and slowly lowered his gaze. It was obvious that he was uncomfortable speaking about this topic and Ioana gave him a small frown. What could he mean by that?
"Is it the division of the household chores? Do I need to remind you, that we clearly stated that you would be responsible for everything this week and I would take over next week?" Ioana insisted and slowly tapped her fingers on the small coffee table next to her.
"No, of course not. I mean ... yes ... in a way. See honey, I KNOW that it is my turn with the cleaning, but a small part of me is thinking ... that there is something wrong here. Wasn't it my part last week as well? And the week before? And now that I think about it, every time we go out, you convince me it is my time to pay, because you did it last time, but I actually cannot remember..." he geared himself up, but Ioana was quick to stand up and covered the small distance between them. With her arms crossed before her chest, she looked at him sternly.
"What do you want to imply, darling? Hm?" she asked him with anger in her voice as she towered over her boyfriend. Erik seemed adamant to study his toes, as if not to enrage her even further, while still trying to get his point across.
"Nothing, dear, I don't want to imply anything. It's just ... since we started dating, I keep having those ... memory lapses, where I am sometimes losing hours and hours of what is happening. Just yesterday, after you came from work and brought me some water from the kitchen ... the next thing I remember is me waking up in the morning from my alarm. I talked to Dr. Reinold about it, but he says it's probably stress related. I just ... I just don't know, what is going on with me anymore." he confessed and buried his face in his hands, as if he wanted to start crying at every second. Ioana knew instantly, that she had to work quickly.
"Baby ... Baby, Baby, Baby." she whispered calmly and slowly stroked her boyfriend's head. "Don't be upset, everything is going to be fine as long as we have each other. Just relax, and let me take all those poisoning thoughts away, that make you feel bad. Just remember how good it feels to just let go and relax, relax for me."
While continuing to stroke her boyfriend's head, Ioana sat down next to him on the couch and drew slow circles on his temples. The slackened expression of Erik told her that he was already forgetting what he was complaining to her about only minutes ago. If everything went ahead as planned, she should be able to finish her task in a short while.
"Yes, relax, and let go of all your worries. I know, it sometimes can be hard at work and then you come home and you need to cook a delicious meal for your girlfriend... I know, it can be tiring, to clean the whole apartment on your hands and knees, to make it absolutely spotless for her. But isn't it worth it? Isn't it rewarding, to see the praise of the love of your life when you spoil her?" she cooed, while continuing her assault on his temples.
"Yeeeeshh-nooo. You are ... doing ... smthshn" he slurred and his eyes began frantically moving from side to side. But before he could clear his head, Ioana pressed her tempting lips onto his and gave him a long and sensual kiss, silencing him at once.
"Shhh, don't say anything for now. Just enjoy those warm, fuzzy feelings that begin to swirl around in your pretty, little head. Just let your mind go loose and limp. Just let all those stressful thoughts disappear. It can be quite hard, having to think that much in life, isn't that right, darling?" Ioana whispered into his ear as soon as their lips parted and Erik's mouth was still agape.
Her boyfriend murmured something, but Ioana was already continuing her verbal assault on his mind. "Yes, so hard and stressful and exhausting and tiring, all those thoughts in your head. It is like a big messy room, cluttered with unnecessary things that we have to tidy up, my dear. And I will help you with that; it is going to be so wonderful."