"Florida." Ilse mumbled. I felt her sit up in bed.
"Mhpfff" I mumbled back, my face still in the pillow. I turned my head to look at her.
"Florida!" she exclaimed a little bit louder.
"Shh" I covered her mouth with my hand. She started to giggle. I rolled over on top of her and replaced my hand with my mouth. Her nosed crinkled and she giggled again.
"David." She whispered before she pushed me off of her and sat on me. So I lay there, looking into her eyes feeling helpless.
"Yes Ils?" She kissed me and laid down on top of me. I wrapped my arms around her and she nuzzled her face in the crook of my neck. "Your adorable." I mumbled, closing my eyes and breathing in the scent of her. She ran her hands through my hair and I could feel her smile.
"I want to hop on the next plane that we can get and run away with you, David" she said. I smiled to myself and kissed her forehead.
"Me too, baby-love." I said back. I looked at her and she was wearing my old Julliard sweatshirt that she once mistook for hers. "How are you feeling?" I asked her.
"I'm feeling ok," she said.
"I love you." I said to her.
"I love you too." She said back. She twirled my hair and sighed. Maureen had started to cry. " I got this." She said and climbed off of me.
While she was in the girls room, I lay in bed with my hands behind my head, staring at the ceiling. I thought about Florida and what we would do there. Then I smiled to myself. I heard Isle soothe our girl in the other room.
***
When she came back, she was carrying a bowl of popcorn and a movie. All the while smiling. She showed me the movie quickly before placing the popcorn in my arms. She popped in the movie and came and curled up close to me. I plucked a couple of pieces of popcorn from the bowl and fed them to her. She smiled and kissed me with buttery lips.
When the movie started, I saw that it was Phantom of the Opera, one of Ilse's favorites. She tried to move even closer to me and I wrapped my arm around her. I felt the hyper activity in Ilse's body and let her melt into me as I fell asleep.
***
When I woke up, Ilse's legs were sprawled out across mine and the bowl of popcorn had crashed to the floor and spilled everywhere. Violet was eating the popcorn that had spilled and scampered away once she saw me. I pulled Ilse closer to me and fixed the blankets. She hastily moved closer, still half asleep.
I inhaled her hair and smelled the faint remanence of her apple scented shampoo. She moaned and placed my hand over her eyes. I chuckled at her and draped my other arm over her waist.
She finally opened her eyes. They sparkled just as usual when she laughed and played with a strand of my loose burgundy hair. I kissed her forehead.