Lips Like Coffee

cup: 10

Pen

"How was work," I asked, plopping down beside her on the couch.

Norma groaned as she laid back and put her head on my shoulder. I laughed at her response, then grabbed her hand to massage it. Every day she came home from work, whining about how much her hands hurt so I helped her out to relax them.

"Norma, get me coffee; Norma fax this spreadsheet; Norma, type this thirteen page summary report. I think they're trying to kill me," she sighed, giving me her other hand to massage.

"Aww, my poor Puddin," I cooed, and she flipped me off. "I was being sincere."

"It sounded condescending."

Smiling at her, I apologised as I shifted toward her and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. Norma leaned back on me again, and we watched television together. It was a normal evening for us.

Not putting much thought into it, I rubbed her arm as I focused on the blinking screen. The couch vibrated, my eyes widened and Norma looked up at me with creased eyebrows and eyes as wide as mine. If my face wasn't red before, it was then and she moved away from me to the other side of the couch. Quietly, I excused myself, then buried my face in my hand. Wow.

"Better out than in, but man," Norma laughed, holding her nose.

"It doesn't even smell," I said, a smile etching its way on my face.

Giving me a pointed look, Norma dipped her head as she waved her hand in front of her face. I rolled my eyes, then put my hand up toward her as I focused back in the television. I tried not to smile as Norma pushed my hand down, offense clear in her voice as she scoffed that I did not just give her hand. With a smug grin, I quipped back.

"Oh, but honey, I did."

There was a moment's pause, before Norma busted out laughing. Her laugh made me want to laugh, especially when a loud snort came out of her. She snorts when she laughed too hard, I think that was my new favorite thing. It was now my life's mission to make her laugh as hard as she could whenever I could. (For the most part, I have succeeded in doing this.)

Moving back over to sit next to me, Norma laid her head on my lap and stared up at me. Her eyes were large earthy rings of mulch, and they reminded me of the maple tree that grew in my back yard as a child. How I had leaned against it as I watched clouds roll overhead, letting the chips fall from my hands after I scooped up a handful of it -the mulch not the tree.

"Your hair is getting long," she said, separating a strand from the rest of my head.

"I'm trying to rock a man bun by the end of the month," I joked, and she screwed her eyes shut as she stuck out her tongue. That was cute.

I go to speak again, but Norma beat me to it as she propped herself up in her elbow. She had such a bone-y elbow, I could feel it pressing into my femur.

"What are we going to do for our two month friendiversary?"

"Friend what?"

She sighed as she sat up from my lap completely, then crossed her legs as she faced me. Her face seemed as if it were glowing, and it was a huge contrast from the first week she stayed with me. I remembered how she didn't smile happily until the fifth day, and that she hadn't gotten used to being there until the second week. Watching her become more comfortable with me and living together was actually fun.

"Our friend anniversary," she smiled, slapping her hands against her thighs.

"People celebrate those?"