Lights Will Guide You Home

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

It was early in the morning when Ross started to stir from his sleep. Noticing the sun was just barely rising, Ross decided to go back to sleep. He tossed and turned, trying to lull himself back to sleep, but instead, the other occupant of the bed didn't seem very happy with his constant movement.

"Back to sleep." His wife mumbled as she untangled herself from him, rolling over so that her back was facing him. "Too early."

Ross let out a smile before deciding to climb out of the bed, not wanting to disturb her sleep. He padded his way to the bathroom and then changed into a fresh pair of clothing - a plain shirt and a short. After he was done with his morning routine, he then went to her side of the bed, bending down to give her temple a quick kiss and pulled the blanket over her.

He kneeled down, brushing her hair soothingly, and whispered into her ear. "Sleep. I'm gonna go get us some breakfast." He heard her mumble something resembling the word 'okay' and with another peck on her cheeks this time, he gathered his key and went out.

As soon as Ross stepped outside their breakfast and bed, he was welcomed by the smell and the wind of the morning sea. He took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air offered by the ocean. Glancing at his watch and noticing he still had plenty of time before his wife usually woke up, he walked to his left - making his way to the beach. He always enjoyed spending morning strolling on the beach, it made him want to move here someday - with Rachel and their kids, maybe enjoying their retirement days.

He shook his head and laughed. It hadn't been a year since they were married and he already thought about where to spend their retirement days. He was pretty sure Rachel would mock him endlessly if she could hear his thoughts right now. But Ross was always that kind of a person, he loved planning for his and their future ahead of time. That was what made him so different from Rachel. His wife was more a spontaneous kind of a person. She enjoyed the thrill of not knowing, she loved being surprised. Maybe that was why they were so good together, she'd be there to remind him that it was okay if any of his plans hadn't worked out the way he wanted to.

"Maybe it's just not meant to be." She had said to him once when his plan didn't work out as he planned it. "Or maybe it's just isn't the right time yet. Bottom line is, sometimes your plans don't go out the way you wanted to, Ross. But sometimes life offers you something better in return. You just have to have a little faith. After all, we never planned to have Emma, but she's the best thing that had ever happened to us - our little surprise."

"The best surprise ever."

"The best surprise ever." She echoed.

She was really good at keeping him grounded when his expectation was far above reality. He tended to beat himself up whenever he faced failure at work, but she had always been his biggest cheerleader - giving him the pep talk he needed.

As he arrived at the beach, he took off his slippers and carried them in his hands. He strolled through the shore, dipping his feet to the cold water every now and then, enjoying the view. Lately, life had been so hectic, he sometimes forgot how to breathe. This mini vacation he had initially planned with her on his mind turned out to offer some sort of healing for him too. For once he could actually enjoy his mornings, without his work came breathing down his neck.

It was such a shame that they had to head back to the city after lunch. He was going to miss this, just relaxing near the beach with his wife, taking their time, enjoying every second they had alone, and actually communicating. He almost forgot the last time his wife and him had a late night talk like the way they had last night. Last night reminded him of the first year they dated, when they used to talk till dawn - talking about any topics they could think of, telling each other's joke, whispering their deepest secret they only shared with one another.