Late in the stillness of the night, around 4am, you were roused from your sleep. Your eyes forced open and landed on the empty bedsheets beside you.
The duvet had been flung to your side, enveloping you, and your husband Regulus was not on his side of the bed.
A lean figure paced back and forth rapidly; the lights switched on, and you recognised a panicked Regulus.
Clearing his throat, he stated worriedly,
"I can't find my bloody wedding ring."
"Reggie....it's 4 in the morning....."
"I know!"
Regulus exclaimed, his voice laced with stress. Despite the time of day, he appeared to be wide awake; his nerves were visible through his expression and the way his hands fidgeted with the rim of his sleeve.
Despite his apparent lack of fatigue, he ran his fingers through his black hair before speaking,
"Where the hell is my wedding ring?"
"Darling come to bed. We can find it at a NORMAL hour"
"You do understand how important this ring is to me, don't you?"
Regulus shot you a look of intense annoyance, his tone sharp. While he knew his voice bordered on being curt, he couldn't help himself — a sense of urgency swept him.
"You can't be telling me to just go to bed," he continued, his tone laced with frustration.
"Baby of course I know it's important to you. Mines important to me to "
"Then why do you want me to go to bed?"
Regulus retorted, his expression darkening as he glared at you with intense disappointment.
His voice was cold, uncompromising, as he continued, his words laced with scorn,
"The ring is far more important than your need for sleep," he added, rolling his eyes.
You look slightly upset by the comment but let it go knowing he's stressed.
"darling I'm not gonna love you any less just because you sleep without it for a few hours"
Regulus's expression softened only slightly, but he didn't back down as he replied,
"I don't want to sleep without it, dear,"
he explained, his tone firm but compassionate.
"The fact that I can't find it is what worries me more than anything,"
he added, glancing at the clock, the time slowly creeping closer to 5am.
You get up and begin to help him look for it.
Regulus looked over as you rose to help him, but his expression remained stern.
"There are only so many places that it could be,"
he remarked, taking a deep breath before continuing, "We should only search in the most obvious ones first."
With that, he immediately began to comb through the bedroom, lifting and moving items such as pillows, blankets, bedsheets, and other possessions off his side of the bed in the hope that his search would prove fruitful.
You glance under the bed and sigh loudly as you reach under and pull out his ring.
"reggie.....it literally slid off in your sleep. It was under the bed."
Regulus stared at the ring in your hand, and then his tone softened, his shoulders slumping as he felt immense relief wash over him.
"I suppose... that would explain why I couldn't find it anywhere,"
he replied softly with a small nod, his tone laced with self-deprecation after realising how his search had been largely unnecessary.
As he took the ring from your hand, his tone grew more apologetic,
"I'm sorry for waking you up at such a ridiculous hour — over something so insignificant."
You give him a gentle kiss.
"It's okay baby. Do you feel better now?"
Regulus was caught off guard by the unexpected kiss, but he didn't protest as a smile crept onto his lips.
His tone was gentle, but his cheeks felt the familiar heat of a blush upon them as he replied softly,
"Yes — I... I actually feel much better."
