OLIVIA
The Grinch.
Rotten tomato of a thing known best for his scowl. The tiny heart in his narrow chest that, somehow, manages to beat. It beats plenty, considering all the energy he has to chew glass.
That bad banana. His heart is two sizes too small, but his dog stays loyal... Well... I don't know about that part, but...
This guy got all this food that he could enjoy all on his own. Mountains of feast for days! But, epiphany struck his shrinking soul.
And then his heart grew.
Three sizes.
"Why can't my grinch be like that?" I thought to myself, watching Rob as he frowned at the TV.
What's his problem?
I don't see the issue with watching Spongebob on a Saturday afternoon. Such a grump.
"Stop scowling," I said, quietly as I watched him. He sighed, looking over at my slightly smiling face.
"I'm turning off the TV. It's too much stimulation for the kids' brains," he got up and reached for the remote.
I gasped, "no," launching one of the grapes in my bowl at his active hand.
He looked between the wet spot on his hand and me, agape.
"What the hell?!"
"Don't be such a grump, Robert..." I resisted the urge to laugh at his salty face, "if you must change to something, put in a Christmas movie. Preferably, Home Alone 2. Thanks."
He smiled, his lips pressed into a thin line from irritation. I was just pushing his buttons today, and enjoying it. I feel kind of bad admitting that, but it was funny. For some reason, all the little things I was doing were annoying him to no end. He woke up this morning looking like one of those cats with the frowns on their faces.
And, I was just as happy as could be. The babies were happy with me, laughing and smiling all the time. They've even started calling me mommy. But, with Rob? Oh, God... His nasty attitude has just been rubbing them the wrong way. Well, Nuru was trying her best to have patience with her father. She smiled at him so much in an attempt to put a smile on his face.
It worked, slightly.
Well, until I popped in SpongeBob.
"Whatever you wish, princes-," he rolled his eyes, causing me to giggle, "I mean, queen."
******
"Okay, babe, this is the next pose," I said, lifting my phone up from my yoga mat to show Rob.
It's Saturday, and I wanted to go out as a family. Sure, I go to the park or to some of the girls from the club's places and our kids play together. We drink tea, have some snacks, maybe a meal together, laugh and chat about our lives and each other. It's good time to bond.
I've become so close with some of the women from the club, but I miss my husband...
Did I say husband?
I meant boyfriend.
I wanted us to go out and spend some time together as a family today, then go on a date tomorrow. But, he says he's tired from work and his muscles are tense.
What better way to relieve tension than with yoga?
He looked at the phone, panting from exhaustion. I could tell this was making him tired, and that didn't surprise me one bit. He believed in the gym being where people really get fit, as well as sprinting and running. After many attempts at convincing me to get off of my mat and into the facility, he finally gave up and let me be.
Rob also assumed that yoga is simple enough for anyone to do. Especially someone of his fitness level. This guy assumed it would be a breeze, even though the only time I see him stretch is post-workout.
So, I brought on the challenge.
Power Yoga.
We'd been at it for about half an hour, so I thought it was time we eased our way into some couple's poses.
"God, Liv. Aren't we done yet?"
I shrugged, a smirk planted firmly on my face, "It's not that hard, hon. We only have like five more poses to do."
He shook his head, mustering up a lopsided smile, "you're enjoying this aren't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about. I love yoga," I said, crawling over to him so that we could do the next pose together.
We went through exactly four poses, moving and flowing according to the photos. Well, for Rob it was more like shifting and struggling. With each different pose that we did, I felt more connected with Rob. The two of us don't work out together, so this was our kind of bonding time.
I took a breath, closing my eyes as I relaxed on my soft blue yoga. As I thought about things, I started to realize that we didn't spend much time together anymore. He was constantly working, and I was either taking care of the kids, with the club, my sisters, or friends.
We were bonding, but not as much together.
And, I missed us.
And then, it was like a light bulb turned on in my mind. I lifted up my phone, searching for three more poses. Even though I knew he'd complain initially, they would benefit us for sure.
"Alright, come close to me. Like, stretch your legs out wide after you sit in front of me," I instructed, sitting up.
Rob did as I said, no questions asked.
Once he'd stretched his legs out as far as he could, I matched my legs with him and came really close.
"Just follow me," I whispered, bringing my right hand around his head and bringing his forehead down to meet mine. I used my left hand to come as close to him as possible in the position.
Rob placed his hands comfortably around my waist, all the while our eyes locked with one another's.
Our breathing matched up as we held that pose for a minute, intimate and close in the space that we were sharing.
I took long, deep breaths, fighting the strong urge I had to kiss him. The intimacy of touching, but not enough, was making the both of us feel something. I could feel the connection between us, making me appreciate this practice even more than I thought possible.
We moved slowly into the next pose, Rob following my lead. But, no words had to be said as I moved away from him and back onto the mat.
I reached out for him as I lay down, bringing my right leg up to my shoulder. I pulled a little on his left leg, silently telling him to bend it.
He did, then leaned into me.
We stared at each other, eyes locked, faces centimetres apart.
"Breathe, Liv" I told myself, the warmth of his body getting to me.
I closed my eyes, attempting to get up for the next pose when Rob kept me down on the mat.
He brushed his lips against mine, making each part of my being tingle. I didn't know if this was him teasing me, or him wanting to amp up the intensity between us.
But, he was taking forever.
His hands slowly brushed up my thighs, trailing my tummy and the side of my ribs. My breath hitched as I willed myself to open my eyes. They were met with his, dark with something I'd definitely seen before.
Just when I thought he was going to kiss me, he got up and stood above me. I could feel his eyes on me as I sat up.
He's probably gonna start laughing or something... This Grinch, honestly-
"Ah!" I shrieked as I was brought up into his strong arms.
"You thought I was done?" He asked huskily, throwing my legs around his waist and capturing my mouth in a hungry kiss.
"No," I breathed quickly.
He swiftly brought me upstairs, closing the door to our room and putting me against it.
I was pulled as close to him as possible, as he reached under my tight shirt. The smallest distance between us was too much, as he fought to bring me closer and closer to him.
We needed to be intimate, close, like we were completely connected.
He brought his center against mine slowly, a surprise gasp escaping me.
"Rob-"
"Ma ma ma mamamama," We both heard one of the babies chorus in their daytime room.
"They can wait," he whispered, kissing my neck and down to my collarbone.
I shook my head,reluctantly pulling his face up and giving him a quick kiss, "we have all of tonight."
He laughed, "we're going out tomorrow. Just you and me."
I kissed him again, longer and sweeter this time.
"It's a date."
*********
A/N
Hey Everybody!!
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