Caught Up?

On Friday, I had the following group text conversation:

Me:  Anyone want to do something tomorrow?

Lauren:  Can't, Alex booked us a last minute weekend trip.

Kinsley:  Evil Stepsister's graduation :(

Me:  Wait, what?  A trip? Like without telling you?

Kendra:  How is Alex still alive?  I'm free!

Kinsley:  Oooh, I'd rather go on a weekend trip.

Lauren: YES without telling me.  I hate him.

Me: Kendra, I'll call you later, we can plan something!

I had to step out at that point for a client, and after my client I had 57 new texts from that conversation, discussing Alex's surprise trip (does he know her at all?) and Damien's sister's graduation.  I got caught up while I ate my lunch and then got back to work.  

After work I called Kendra and we made plans to hang out the next day.  She was going to come out to our house and we were going to have a low-key day.  I was excited.  I've never really spent any one-on-one time with Kendra and it would be nice to do that.  I was also excited to not have to drive into town.  

Then I went to the gym.  I was actually kind of enjoying having some "me time" in the evenings so I could get back into my gym routine.  It had suffered greatly when I was spending so much of my free time with Brody.  Don't get me wrong, I'd love to have more evenings with him, but I wouldn't argue with a few evenings a week to do my own thing.  I never wanted to be one of those inseparable couples that did nothing without their other half.

I swung by the grocery store quickly on my way home (dead on a Friday night, good choice), then made myself some dinner.  I put the leftovers in the fridge for Brody to eat at some point, which I had been doing every time I cooked this week.  Half the time I didn't actually see him eat, but they always disappeared so I assumed he ate them and kept doing it.  

I was exhausted.  What is it about the first few days back to work after a vacation?  They always seem to take a lot out of you. I decided to spend some quality time in the bathtub with my Kindle.  I was still there 45 minutes later when Brody knocked on the door.  "Come in," I said.

"Hi," he greeted me.  He looked awful.  

I frowned.  "You look exhausted," I said, concerned.  

"I am," he confirmed.  "I also have a really terrible headache.  Too much staring at the computer screen, I guess.  I'm going to lay down for a little while, I think."

"Why don't you just go to bed?" I suggested.  He shrugged noncommittally and leaned down and kissed me before walking back out of the bathroom.  I laid in the tub for a couple more minutes before I got out and dried off.  I threw my robe on and walked out into the bedroom, where Brody was laying on the bed.  

I meant to go straight downstairs, but Brody stopped me, saying, "Come talk to me."  

I went over to the bed and nudged him until he rolled over onto his stomach.  I rubbed his neck, shoulders, and head while I told him about my day, and about Kendra coming over the next day.   He told me his new HR team was doing another round of interviews and that he'd turned down another new client today.  "I hate doing it," he said of turning down the client, "but I'd much rather provided the best service possible to fewer clients than provide shitty service so I can have more clients."

We chatted for a few more minutes, and then I could tell Brody was getting really sleepy, so I rubbed his neck in silence for a little while longer and then softly said I was going downstairs.  He nodded, his eyes closed, and I shut the light off as I left.  I cleaned up my dishes from making dinner as quietly as I could then flipped through the TV channels until I was tired enough for bed.

Brody was fast asleep when I got up there, and he didn't stir when I got into bed.  As soon as I was settled though, he rolled over onto his side and draped his arm across my back.  I'm pretty sure he wasn't even awake.  

Brody's phone rang early the next morning, and he stumbled out of bed to answer it.  He'd barely been home, and I'd forgotten that he was on call.  He got back into bed about 15 minutes later and we both fell back asleep.  When I woke up again, he was stretching next to me.  "Good morning," he said cheerfully. 

I rubbed my eyes and squinted at him.  "Morning," I replied.  "Is your head feeling better?"

"Much better," he answered.  "If you get up now, we can make breakfast together before I head in."  

"That's an amazing idea," I admitted, rolling onto my back and thinking about getting up.  

"I'm going to shower, so you have a few minutes."  I nodded and yawned, trying to wake up.  I don't understand people like Brody, who can go from asleep to fully awake and alert in just a couple minutes.  I feel like I need at least an hour, a shower, breakfast, and some caffeine to get there.  

"What time is Kendra coming?" he asked over his shoulder as he walked into the bathroom.

"1," I replied, fighting another yawn.  "We were going to grill some lunch and just hang out and catch up."

He nodded and swung the bathroom door closed.  I groped around on the nightstand until I had my phone in my hand.  It was 8:30 and Brody didn't seem like he was in too much of a hurry to get to work, which was nice.  I was up and had a pair of sweatpants and a fitted t-shirt on by the time Brody emerged from the bathroom in his towel.  I sat on the end of the bed and watched him rifle through his closet in search of clothes.  He turned his head and cocked an eyebrow at me.  "See something you like?" he asked, smirking.

"A couple things," I replied.  "I think that red shirt is a good choice for today, at least."  

He laughed and shook his head.  "And here I thought you were admiring me, not my wardrobe.  I guess I'll just get dressed and go on with my day."

"I mean, if there are other options that involve putting off getting dressed, I can definitely pretend to admire you," I teased him.  

He tossed his wet towel at me, and I wasn't quick enough to get out of the way.  By the time I got it off my head, he was in front of me, pulling me to my feet.  I ran my hands over his chest and down his stomach.  "Ah, now that your wardrobe isn't distracting me, I see lots of things I like."  He kissed me hard and didn't waste any time tugging my sweatpants down over my hips.  I've never been a big fan of "quickies" but since Brody was far more talented in bed than anyone else I've ever slept with, I have no complaints anymore.  I still prefer something a little less rushed, but an occasional quick romp can be fun too, especially when your partner can actually get you off.

So needless to say, 15 minutes later I was complaint-less and pulling some eggs out of the fridge.  We joked around as we made breakfast together and sat down to eat.  I knew Brody was eager to get to work and get things caught up, but he didn't rush through breakfast, which was nice.  When he was done, he shooed me out of the kitchen, did the dishes quickly, and took off.  I went upstairs and took a shower and got ready for Kendra to come over.

Kendra made it around quarter after 1, and we threw some pork chops and chicken breasts on the grill and then sat on the deck, drinking wine.  Day drinking is classy as long as it's wine.  Or...something like that.  "So how are you liking living here?" Kendra asked me.

"It's pretty great, for the most part," I said.  I told her about the library Brody had created for me.  "He's got an awesome tub, and I have my own huge walk-in closet.  So I can't complain about that!  I don't share closet space well, so having my own makes a big difference.  I struggle a little sometimes with being out of town now.  It was so easy to go grab something to eat or walk to Kinsley's house before, you know?  But I also realized that it doesn't take any longer to drive into town, depending on which part, from here than it does to drive across the city.  I think it just feels more isolated because it doesn't have that city bustle." I shrugged.

"I felt kind of similarly when I moved out of my downtown apartment to move in with Christian," she said.  "Even living in a purely residential neighborhood is a big change when you're used to walking out your front door and having everything you could ever need within a block or two."  

I had been a little nervous about spending so much time with Kendra since I really didn't know her well and was worried we wouldn't have much to talk about, but we were still sitting on the deck when Brody got home at close to 7.  

"Hey, baby," he greeted me, leaning down to kiss me.  "Hi, Kendra."

We both returned his greeting, and Kendra said, "I should probably get going, I didn't realize it was already almost 7."

"Don't leave because of me," Brody replied.  "I just came out to say hi, but I can get out of the way too."

"No, I need to get home anyway, but thanks," she answered.  "Thanks for feeding me, Liv!  I had fun."

I thanked her for driving out to see me and hanging out all day and walked inside with her.  We said goodbye and I ran into Brody in the kitchen on my way back out to the deck to cover the grill.  "I'm starving, what do you want to do for dinner?" 

I smiled.  "There's a pork chop and a chicken breast in the fridge, I grilled extras.  Otherwise there are some burgers we can throw on, if you'd rather eat your dinner freshly cooked for once."

He decided on burgers and went out to turn the grill back on while I got them out.  We made the burgers and sat on the deck to eat.  "What do you want to do tomorrow afternoon?" he asked.

"Hmmm, I guess I haven't thought about it yet.  Did you have anything in mind?"

"It's supposed to be really nice, I wouldn't mind getting out for a short hike," he replied.  I agreed.  "Somewhere around here, in case I get a call."  We tossed around a few trail ideas and agreed on one, then sat outside on the deck enjoying the sunshine until it got dark.  

Sunday morning Brody got up and disappeared into his office downstairs to work for a few hours before we went out hiking.  I crossed my fingers for no calls, and at noon we were still clear.  We ate a quick lunch of leftovers and headed out.  We got three hours of hiking in before Brody got a call that required us to head back.  I was pretty satisfied with that, and luckily it was something he could handle from home.  He took care of it in an hour and we spent the rest of the day relaxing and watching movies.  Brody had fallen asleep on the couch with his head in my lap by 9 pm.  I let him sleep there until I got up to go to bed.  

Lauren called me while I was at the gym on Monday.  I called her back and in lieu of a greeting she shrieked, "We said 'I love you' and I said it first and I don't even know who I am anymore!" 

"Hi," I said, blinking in surprise.  "What?"

She filled me in on their weekend trip and the events leading up to her accidental "I love you."   "Well," I said when she finished, "At least you don't have to worry about what to say back if he says it now."

"I guess not," she replied.

"What do you mean, 'you guess not'?"

"Well, I just mean that now he's probably going to expect me to say it, and it wouldn't make sense for me not to, so yeah, I guess I don't have to worry about what to say."

"You...sound like me," I said.

"I really do," she agreed.  "It's hard being you."  I burst into laughter.

When I had caught my breath, I asked, "You do love him though, right?" 

"Well, yeah," she replied.  "I mean, I think so.  I'm pretty sure.  I don't know what else I'd call it."

"Quick, someone tell my boyfriend that someone less romantic than me exists!" I said.  We talked for a few more minutes.  Once we hung up, I continued my recent weeknight routine.  Make dinner, eat, put leftovers in the fridge for Brody, shower, read until Brody got home.  It wasn't very exciting, and I was a little bored with it, even though I enjoyed my gym and reading time.  I just would have liked a little more time between Brody getting home and bedtime.  

The rest of the week was fairly similar to the week before.  Brody got home between 8 and 9 every night.  I worked on planning out details for the cookout he wanted to have that weekend.  He promised to help me shop and get things ready Saturday morning.

Thursday night, I was in bed reading by the time Brody got home.  "Guess what?" he said cheerfully as he came into the bedroom.

"What?" I asked flatly.  I was trying to be patient.  I was trying to be understanding.  I was also totally over working, being responsible for all the household stuff, and being Brody's event planner.  

"I'm pretty well caught up," he replied.  I could tell by his face that he had picked up on my lack of enthusiasm.  

"That's exciting," I replied, smiling this time. 

He smiled at my happier reaction.  "I'm sorry, these two weeks have sucked.  I probably won't be able to talk you into going on a week long vacation anywhere ever again after this.  I know you've been doing a lot around here, and it's decreased my stress a lot to know that I don't have to worry about feeding myself or cleaning or running out of clean clothes.  I know that doesn't make it suck any less for you, but thank you for everything that you've done."

"You're welcome," I said.  I looked down at my hands and then up at him.  "Next week won't be like this?"

"Next week shouldn't be like this," he confirmed.  "I'd like to be home in time to eat dinner with you next week.  And maybe even do the dishes after." 

"That's a plan I can get behind," I replied.  

Now to see if it happens.