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Gala season. Jayce wasn’t sure he could even call it a season with how long it lasted. They were long, tiring events filled with people and noise. Most of the time he felt like the walls were going to close in on him. But Mel would lovingly pat him on the cheek, plant a small kiss, and hand him a glass of the expensive champagne they always managed to swing for at those events, and suddenly things didn’t seem so bad. Nothing ever really felt impossible with her.
Jayce stood at the full body mirror in his and Mel’s room, adjusting his bowtie. He could hear Mel in the connecting bathroom humming to a tune all her own as she painted her face into what she considered perfection (though Jayce thought she always looked perfect). Jayce was pretty sure she wasn’t even aware she was humming. He liked holding these details in his chest. He loved collecting the little things. The things people never felt were important. The things that made them human.
“Can you check the forecast again, love?” Mel’s voice rang from the bathroom, echoey and light.
Jayce glanced out the large window behind him, which painted a very complete picture. Dark clouds had been looming overhead, threatening to open the floodgates, all day. Jayce opened his suit jacket and pulled his phone out. Before he’d even gotten his phone unlocked, a low rumble shook the entire house. Jayce looked over at Mel, where she was leaning forward against the bathroom countertop. She looked over at him in surprise, mascara wand still in hand.
They shared a look. A look that said exactly one thing: they were not leaving the house that night. Jayce shucked each piece of his suit off one by one, fast as he could. It wasn’t long before he was shirtless in nothing but his boxers. He watched Mel slip her dress off, leaving her only in that thin white slip she wore under her event dresses to cover her underwear. Jayce was entranced for a moment.
“What are you staring at, hm?” Mel asked teasingly, head tilted as she removed her earrings. She had already taken her hair down, and it cascaded down her shoulders in thick waves. Her locs framed her face in the most beautiful way.
Jayce shrugged. “I could stare at you all day.” Her cheeks deepened in color, and she rolled her eyes fondly. Jayce wanted to scoop her up and smother her with kisses.
“Eyes on the prize, Talis,” She admonished him. “Focus.”
“You are the only thing I need,” Jayce said, giving in to his urge and walking into the bathroom to hold her in his arms. “And as far as I’m concerned, as long as I’m with you I’ve won.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist and she let out a small ‘oof’ before pressing in close, her arms trailing up around his neck. “Feeling sentimental, are we?” she said softly.
Jayce picked her up and placed her on the countertop, leaning his forehead against hers. She spread her legs enough for him to stand between them, pulling him in by the back of his neck. The kiss was soft and sweet. It made Jayce’s chest feel full of fuzz. Jayce was certain that if he died right then he would die happy.
They broke apart slowly, as if waking from a wonderful dream they shared. “I love you,” Jayce murmured against her lips before trailing down her neck. She giggled and he could feel it vibrate through his whole chest.
“I love you dearly,” She said.
—
The rain began to come down in droves, as if someone had flicked the ‘on’ switch. The forecast on Jayce’s phone informed them that it would remain that way through the night. Thunder rumbled every so often, shaking them down to their bones. Jayce had never been fond of storms, but he and Mel had a routine for nights like these. Jayce dug in their closet and pulled out two large, softly knit sweaters that both technically belonged to him. He pulled one on and, before he could turn, the other was snatched from his hands.
Jayce turned in surprise, chuckling as Mel disappeared under the sweater. She wasn’t wearing any pants, and it fell to her knees. It was big on him, and on her she was practically swimming. She wrapped her arms around herself, burying her nose into the neck of it. Her expression was so overly fond he felt his chest tighten. He was tempted to get down on one knee right then, but he restrained himself. That was a plan for another day.
Instead, Jayce took her hand and they meandered out towards the kitchen. Mel broke away while Jayce pulled the leftover caldo de pollo his mother had made for them last night out of the fridge. His mother always made far too much, insisting they take it home with them, and the tupperware too, and they could return it next week. He loved his mother and the time they spent with her. Jayce turned to see Mel place a pot on the stove before pulling herself up to sit on the counter.
“How kind of you,” Jayce said, ticking the stove over to medium, pouring the soup in. He stirred gently with a wooden spoon.
“You forget, I am the kindest person ever,” Mel shrugged, her sweater slipping down to expose her bare shoulder. Jayce wanted to bite it, and so he leaned forward and did just that, gently nibbling on her bare skin. Mel shrieked, giggling and pushing him away.
Jayce put his hands up in false surrender, and turned back to the soup. She hopped off the counter and meandered away at a leisurely pace, but not before grabbing his ass in retaliation. All Jayce could do was laugh. It wasn’t long before the soup was bubbling, hot enough to eat. Mel was lighting candles as he turned the stove off. Jayce filled two bowls and set them on the small circular table while Mel opened them a bottle of wine. They almost never had a meal without it. She set the glasses before them and wandered over to the old record player that sat on the TV stand in the living room. She chose something low and jazzy, something to talk over. The sound of it mixed in with the smell of their caldo, and a bubble of comfort formed around them. Though it was cold and stormy outside, Jayce was certain he had never felt warmer.
—
They sat on the couch cuddled together under a large plush blanket. Jayce was laying on Mel’s lap as she ran her fingers through his hair. The tv was playing Twilight. Rain and wind competed for their attention over the sound of the movie. They only watched it when it rained. Mel said it only worked with the right atmosphere and Jayce wasn’t one to argue. Thunder clapped overhead, the windows lighting up briefly, and a shock of nonsensical panic shot through Jayce. He really wasn’t a fan of storms.
Jayce cuddled in closer, shivering. He knew Mel noticed, because she leaned down to place a kiss at his temple. It helped a bit. Jayce turned away from the TV so that his face was pressed against her stomach, still covered by the sweater she wore. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. He could smell the perfume she’d put on earlier. He was certain he could get drunk off of her scent.
Mel began to trace patterns onto all the skin she could reach, and it was filling him with fuzzy shivers. She ghosted her fingers over his ear to trace the nape of his neck, running her hand through the short hair there. She slipped her fingers past the neck of his sweater, grazing her manicured nails on his skin, raising gooseflesh as she went. Jayce sighed in contentment. Mel’s hand wandered back to his face, and he leaned back a bit to allow her to trace his features one by one. When she reached his lips, he caught her hand with his, pressing a lingering kiss to her fingertips.
“Dance with me,” Jayce said. He wasn’t sure what made him say it, but the moment it left his mouth he knew he needed it. Mel looks down at him in confusion, pausing the movie.
“What?” she asks softly. “Why?” Her expression was a mix of confusion and delight.
“Dance with me,” Jayce repeated. He extracted himself from her lap, rising to stand on his feet. He took a moment to choose a record to set on their player before making his way back to her. The slow crooning of the jazz singer accompanied by a band plays lightly. He held one hand out, a silent request. “Please?”
Mel sighed and took his hand. He pulled her to her feet, wrapping both arms around her in an embrace. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laid her head on his shoulder. He leaned his head on hers. They fit together like pieces of a puzzle, like they were made for one another. They swayed back and forth to the rhythm of the music. It rings clearer and truer than the pattering sound of the storm just outside. Calm fills the gaps between them, binds them together. The wind and the rain could never touch them there, in their little bubble. For a moment, they floated in a universe all their own. It was peace. It was warm. It was home.