This Year is My Year

Country Mouse

I beamed up at Eddie, absolutely thrilled with how wide-eyed we had been since we got into the city. My affection for him grew at his inability to keep his mouth closed, slack jawed as he stared up at the skyscrapers and we walked towards the hotel, hand in hand.

"You doing alright, country mouse?" I teased, leaning into him. He glanced down, his face blooming with color, and grinned nervously at me.

"I didn't realize the buildings would be this tall," he admitted, looking up again. I squeezed his hand and pulled him along.

"Just wait until I take you to New York," I replied. His smile grew and he yanked me back to his side. I giggled as he kissed the side of my face. "Come on – you look like a tourist when you walk slow!"

He picked up his pace and we slowed to a stop as we got to the doorman. The older man was dressed in a red suit, with gold embellishes and large buttons, and he tipped his cap to us. He held the door open, and I was overwhelmed by how elegant it was inside.

The ceilings were tall with large chandeliers and there was red, plush carpeting everywhere. Everyone who worked at the front desk was dressed impeccably, and the lobby filled with soft music. I stopped Eddie.

"Eddie, this place is so fancy," I said lowly, uncomfortable with how nice everything was. He pulled me along, squeezing my hand tight.

"Only the best for my girl," he whispered lowly before kissing my temple.

I smiled up at him, feeling a bit better about the un-birthday surprise. We got to the front counter, and the man behind it smiled at us. He was wearing small glasses, and had bright, red hair. He looked between us, trying to sort us out. Eddie wrapped an arm around me possessively and pulled me tight to him.

"Hi, we're checking in," Eddie announced with an air of authority. I smiled up at him and leaned my head onto his shoulder. The man nodded and looked down at his notebook.

"And what is your last name, sir?" he asked, skimming the pages. Eddie cleared his throat.

"Munson. Edward Munson."

I tried not to laugh at his sudden need for formality and smiled brightly at the man. He checked something off on the page and handed us a small envelope.

"Yes – Mr. and Mrs. Munson, we're thrilled to have you as guests. Your keys are in this envelope, and you are in room 1524, on the fifteenth floor. We have your dinner reservation set at the hotel dining room, please be downstairs by eight," he explained.

I felt my face bloom with color – Mr. and Mrs. Munson?

"Thank you, sir," Eddie replied, snapping the envelope up and pulling me towards the elevators. Eddie clicked the button, giddy at the whole event. He grinned down at me until he noticed my flushed face. "Are you okay?"

"Did...did you tell them we were married?" I asked awkwardly. The elevator chimed and the door slid open. Eddie smiled nervously.

"No – I made the reservation and said there would be two of us. I guess they just assumed. Kind of a fun little surprise though," he said, pulling me into the elevator with him. I felt my stomach flip and beamed up at him.

"You think people thinking we are married is a fun surprise?" I replied. He shrugged and guided me back against the wall of the elevator, making my heart pound as he pressed me against it. He pressed his lips to my ear, and I felt my body heat.

"I think Y/N Munson has a nice ring to it," he murmured. He started kissing my neck, making me weak in the knees. I pulled him to my face and kissed him deeply, getting lost in him like I always did. His hands started to roam, but we were interrupted by another ding, the elevator letting us know it was time to get out.

Eddie groaned against my neck, making me laugh, and I picked up our bags to go to our room. I glanced behind me as Eddie got out, hoisting one of his bags over his shoulder. As soon as the elevator door closed, I started running down the hallway, laughing maniacally as Eddie called after me.

"Y/N! Get back here!" he shouted, making me laugh harder. I got to our door, quickly realizing that I didn't have the keys. Eddie arrived, out of breath. I beamed up at him and leaned against the door.

"I wanted to see our room," I explained coyly, shrugging as he raised an eyebrow. I winked and poked his chest. "Wanted to get to our room as soon as possible so we could test it out."

His eyes widened at my flirting and a goofy grin grew on his face, He unlocked the door, laughing as I pulled him in with me. We dropped our bags right by the door, each of us giggling and wrapping our arms around each other and stumbling towards the bed. We got to the middle of the room and Eddie stopped, pulling me tight to him. He kissed me softly and I melted into him.

He pulled back and smiled my favorite smile. The one where he was full of sweetness and syrupy sweet love for me. I loved that smile. He glanced over to the window, my favorite smile giving way to a shocked expression.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed. I looked over, smiling at what he was stunned by.

Our window had an incredible view of the city – we could see through all the different buildings and bustling people. Eddie walked to the window in a stupor, looking down in amazement. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around his waist, perching my chin on his shoulder while standing on my tiptoes.

"Pretty cool, right?" I asked. He nodded furiously.

"I don't think I've ever been this high up before," he remarked quietly. I smiled and kissed his shoulder.

"I'm so glad you chose me to do this with," I said quietly. He turned to me, wrapping me back up in his arms.

"Of course," he replied. He kissed my forehead, making me sigh happily. He grinned wickedly and started walking me back to the bed. I felt my heart pick up again when my legs bumped up against the bed. He got close to my lips, ghosting them like he did when he wanted to set me on edge. "Who else would I bring but you, Y/N Munson?"

We fell back on the bed, and he kissed me hard. I felt butterflies in my chest swarm when he called me that. I threw my arms around his neck and pulled back for a moment to watch him. He was breathing heavily, his face flushed. I grinned.

"Want to try the room out?" I flirted. His eyes flashed and he was immediately on me, consuming me with her fervor.

---

"How do you like Chicago so far?" Y/N asked, tracing my chest. I grinned up at the ceiling and kissed the top of her head as I scratched her bare back.

"I love it so far," I quipped, pulling her closer to me. She nuzzled her head into the crook of my neck and sighed happily.

"You just like it because you got lucky in the first hour you were here," she teased. I set my face in the top of her head and smiled.

"That definitely helped," I replied. She laughed and curled up closer to me. I pulled the covers over us like a fort and pulled her face to mine. She grinned at me before I kissed her softly. She pressed her forehead to mine, and I steeled myself for my next question. "How's your un-birthday so far, dove?"

Her smile was now sad, but she kissed my nose.

"It's good. Everything's good when I'm with you," she said quietly. My heart skipped and I kissed her again, trying to get us as close together as possible. She shook her head and smiled brightly. "What's the plan for tonight?"

I grinned and kissed her quickly.

"Well, tonight – tonight you need to dress up," I said. She crinkled her eyes.

"Good thing I bought a fancy dress," she joked. I nodded and kissed her forehead,

"It's a great thing, because I am treating you to a big night, Y/N Munson," I flirted before kissing her hard.