They arrived home and entered the front door. Marshmallow waited eagerly but, patiently for their attention. Beans didn't care, he jumped all over them as soon as they came in. Ivy went straight to the kitchen, to fill up their food and water dishes. Beans and Marshmallow went to town on their dinner. Carlisle went to tidy up the bedroom and living room, before retiring to the computer to check the day's news. Ivy cleaned up the kitchen and washed the dishes. She texted her friends, Clara and Mabel to make plans for lunch tomorrow. She stumbled tiredly into the bathroom. She took out her contacts, and washed away her makeup before tying her hair into a knot at the back of her head. She went into the bedroom where Carlisle was already in his pajama bottoms. She slipped out of the dress and put on a flowy tank top and spandex shorts, kicked off her shoes and flopped on the bed.
"Hey, did you hear about the kidnapping in New York?" Carlisle asked while scrolling through CNN.
"Haven't you ever read Walden? To paraphrase: once you've read about one kidnapping, you need not read of anymore, and I've read about many kidnappings," Ivy replied, except it came out very mumbled because her head was buried deep in a pillow.
"Yes but it's quite ignorant to not read the news," he said as he turned off the computer. This was one of the very few things they disagreed on. Carlisle was the gossipy stay at home mom of the two. He knew everyone's business in his family and friend group and he constantly checked up on the news to see what was going on. Ivy was always in her own world, she was almost disconnected from the real world, she lived in a fantasy. Yet, Carlisle admired this about her, he thought it was an admirable trait. He decided to drop it.
Carlisle hopped on the bed and started rubbing Ivy's shoulders. She moaned in response.
"Not too loud, the neighbors already think we are horn dogs, even though I think I've seen them kiss more than my parents ever did," Carlisle joked.
Marshmallow jumped up on the bed and snuggled in. Beans snorted and yelped, waiting to be picked up and put on the bed. Carlisle picked him up and scratched behind his ear.
Ivy sat up, "pfft we can't even do anything with our children watching, isn't that right?" She masaged Marshmallows stomach.
"I really see us in these dogs," Carlisle said speaking aloud.
"Oh really, and how is that?"
"You are so graceful and gorgeous, like Marshmallow, and I'm over here a gassy, snoring, awkward, pug faced creature, wondering how the hell I won the lottery and got you," the thought came out in a whisper.
Ivy leaned over and kissed him. They leaned back on the bed, still lip locked. ~pffrrtt~ "Beans!" They groaned in unison.
"Oh man, how can such a little thing create such awful smells?" Ivy chuckled.
Ivy took a sip of water out of the glass, it was slightly stale. She placed it back on the table, with her nose scrunched up and turned out the lamp on her night stand. Carlisle did the same and snuggled under the covers. He found Ivy through the pile of blankets and pulled her close to him. He whispered in her ear, "I have a secret."
"What?"
"I really, really like you, I think I might actually love you," he sputtered.
"Oh really, how so?" She instantly regretted saying that, why couldn't she have been smoother?
"And I'm not saying it like how a middle schooler tells their first boyfriend or girlfriend, I actually love you, I've never been so happy in my entire life, I would protect you from anything and everything," he was joking in a sense, they had said I love you many times before, but he felt this time was different, he had his heart one hundred percent tangled through his words.
"I—" Ivy tried to interrupt.
"I really, really love you, you are the best thing in my life, I've done some terrible things in my life—"
"Yeah, I don't think stripping your way though college was your best choice, but money is money," Ivy joked, humor was another admirable trait of hers. Carlisle gave her a slight nudge and pulled her back in.
"You know that is not what I meant, I really, deeply love you, and I don't know what I would do without you. If there is some ethereal being in this universe, he- or she blessed me with you. I don't think I would know what to do with myself if you weren't here," Carlisle continued.
"As if I don't have the same thoughts myself. If 'soul mates' or any of that cheesy shit is true, we are soul mates. Ick, I don't like how romcom-y that sounds," Ivy babbled, "but, really, I love you, a lot, words can't explain it."
They lay on their bed entwined in each others limbs, in pure bliss, knowing just how much they cared for one another.
Carlisle broke the silence, "Can you tell me a story as I fall asleep?"
Story telling was one of Ivy's best talents, it goes hand in hand, with her disconnectedness from the world.
"Of course," Ivy loved telling stories, "Once, there was a blue haired mermaid, she swam around all day collecting shells, and had a best friend—-"
"Be careful, Disney might call you up for plagiarizing," Carlisle kidded.
"Ha, anyways, she actually had two best friends, one was a pudgy, gassy, blow fish and the other was a gorgeous, albino, angelfish. They swam all around, and had the best of times, just the three of them. But, there was something missing from the mermaids life, but she couldn't put her finger on it. One day while they were swimming all around the ocean town, they decided to stop into Sand Dollars, a very popular cafe. The mermaid saw the most handsome walrus—-"
"Why do I have to be a walrus?" questioned Carlisle.
"Um, I'm pretty sure all references to anyone dead or alive are completely coincidental. So anyways, the mermaid lady swam up to the counter, and the uh jellyfish man, took her order, and was blushing the entire time—"
"No I was NOT!" he interrupted again.
"Ha," she snuggled in closer to him, "he came back with her drink and spilled it all over her beautiful, brand new, white, summer dress, she just ordered from Free People. She forgave him because she thought he was quite adorable. He remade her drink and gave it to her for free and in addition to that his number. He also tried to give the blow fish, a fish treat, but the blow fish instead farted and left. Besides all of the jellyfish guy's mess ups, she decided to give him a chance. They went on one date, and instantly clicked. They eventually ended up moving into a nice townhouse in the ocean town, and as of now I hear life is absolutely perfect."
"I really liked that one," Carlisle sputtered half asleep, and about a second later he was snoring.
Normally Ivy hated snoring, but his was cute, and about 5 seconds later they were both drifting into peaceful sleep.
