clichés and other daydreams

the bath

you set down your keys on the counter and walk into the next room. it had been an particularly rough day, dealing with your least favorite people and everything that could go wrong had. and as the cherry on top, you'd gotten a call from your parent that was especially hurtful. you called out for your partner, you had told them a bit about your day on the drive back from your errands. it would be nice to vent a little, or even just sit with them quietly for awhile. when you don't hear any reply, you start to worry a little and walk further into your home. from another room, you can hear the water running from the faucet. following the noise into the room, you walk into a heavenly sight. your partner had drawn a bath with salts, oils, candles, and flowers. normally you'd roll your eyes at the cliche, but it was steamy and warm and you were beyond grateful for such a sight.

   you gently slammed your body into them for a long, tight hug and a rush of appreciation. you both undressed and got into the bath, the water was almost too hot but perfect nonetheless. you settled down and submerged your head to clear your leftover makeup and wet your hair. it smelled sweet, floral, and earthy. your partner sunk down a bit, and pulled you closer to them. you rested your head on their heart, tilting your face a little to avoid smushing your nose. they brought their hand up to trace up and down your spine and eventually settled their palm onto your upper back. they held you close as you breathed softly, feeling the sleep pull on your eyelids. it was so peaceful listening to their breath, heart and the distant music. it was the type of quiet, innocent intimacy that would make your whole chest feel as if it were glowing. you lifted your head and took to tracing their face in a repeated pattern, so that you wouldn't fall asleep just laying with them in the water. you brought your fingers to their nose and ran them up and down the bridge, eventually following their bone structure up to their forehead and down to their cheek bones. you sat tracing with light pressure under their eye sockets for a bit, and eventually trailed down to lightly outlining their lips. after you'd gotten to their jawline, your arm was beginning to tier and you settled down closer to them. they softly began to massage you a bit, using pressure to work out knots in your muscles and and loosen your tension. you could hear them humming to one of the songs on your playlist, and being so close you could feel the vibrations in their throat. it could have been hours of just listening and watching the fire flicker, taking in all of the scents. it was the most at home you'd ever felt.