Ch 23

The past month had been relentless. Lea was swamped with rehearsals, recordings, and endless calls, while I had been buried in patient rounds, meetings, and administrative chaos at Mount Sinai.

Our texts were brief, our calls rushed, and by the time we finally carved out a night for just us, the anticipation had grown to an almost unbearable intensity.

I arrived at her apartment first, pacing lightly, heart thudding. When she finally opened the door, her hair slightly messy from the day, a tired but radiant smile spread across her face.

"Honey... you're here," she said, eyes lighting up.

"Honey... I've missed you," I replied, stepping forward instinctively, my arms opening.

We collided in a hug so tight it felt like we were trying to make up for the entire month in one embrace. For a moment, the world outside disappeared — no work, no deadlines, no chaos. Just us.

Pulling back slightly, I looked at her, brushing a stray hair from her face. "I'm sorry, honey... I should've called more, texted better..."

Lea shook her head immediately. "No, hon... I should've tried harder too. I feel like we've been living parallel lives this past month."

"I know, honey... I know," I said quickly, and before either of us realized, we were both talking at the same time, trying to explain ourselves, apologize, and reassure one another.

"No, hon, you start — I've been —"

"No, honey, you! You've been —"

Our voices overlapped in an unintelligible jumble of "I'm sorrys" and "you shouldn'ts," and then, inevitably, we both paused, eyes meeting, and burst into laughter.

The laugh started as a hiccup, then turned into full-bodied, uncontrollable giggles. I clutched her arm, wiping tears from my cheeks, as she leaned into me, shaking her head and trying to catch her breath.

"Honey... we look ridiculous," I gasped between laughs, still holding onto her.

"You're telling me, hon," she managed, laughing so hard her voice shook. "Two grown adults, apologizing and talking over each other like toddlers. This is... insane!"

I leaned my forehead against hers, still chuckling, our laughter mingling until it became quieter, soft, and warm. "Honey... I love that we can be ridiculous together. That even after a month of barely seeing each other, we can... just... be us."

She kissed my temple, smiling. "Exactly, hon. And now... we're finally here. No work, no chaos, just us."

Later that evening, after the chaos of laughter and apologies had faded, we found ourselves sitting quietly together on the couch. The soft hum of the city outside was the only sound, our hands intertwined, warmth radiating between us.

Lea's voice broke the comfortable silence. "Hon... when do you want to get married?"

I blinked, caught off guard, then let a mischievous grin spread across my face. "Why not... tomorrow? Since we're always so busy with work, hon. Might as well get it done."

Her smirk was instant, eyes sparkling with amusement. "Oh... hon... is that a dare? Or a challenge?"

I squealed, a burst of playful panic overtaking me. "Honey! You're not supposed to make it sound like that!"

Before she could respond, I bolted toward our bedroom, laughter spilling from my lips, heart racing. Lea chased me, calling my name, laughing as she tried to catch up.

"Honey, you're impossible!" she shouted between giggles.

"And you love it, hon!" I yelled back, dodging around her.

Eventually, we collapsed onto the bed, laughing so hard we could barely catch our breath. My chest pressed against hers, our foreheads touching, eyes sparkling with unspoken affection and desire.

"I swear, hon... you're ridiculous," I murmured, still catching my breath.

"And you love me anyway," she countered, her lips curving into that infuriatingly perfect smile.

The laughter softened, replaced by quiet, intimate touches — hands exploring, lips meeting, the electric warmth of desire wrapping around us. Every kiss, every whispered "hon" and "honey," every brush of our skin was a promise, a confirmation of everything we'd been dancing around for months.

The night unfolded in a haze of laughter, whispered confessions, and shared passion. Time seemed to bend around us, and when it was over, we lay tangled together, hearts still racing, breaths slowing, and the comfort of being entirely in each other's presence wrapping us in warmth.

"Honey..." I murmured, nuzzling into her shoulder, "I could stay like this forever."

She pressed a soft kiss to my hair. "So could I, hon. So could I."

And for the first time in weeks, the weight of our busy lives fell away. It didn't matter how packed our schedules had been or how many days we'd missed each other. In that moment, laughing, holding each other, everything else ceased to exist. It was just us — perfectly, wonderfully, us.