Unhappily Married ✓

20. Mess

"What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility."—George Levinger

I scurry to our bedroom and throw the door open.

Early morning sunshine floods into the room and a cool breeze makes the curtains flutter.

The covers are draped over Todd and he is still sleeping peacefully, as soft snores escape from his lips. I walk over to him and slightly shake his shoulders. Groaning, he rolls onto his stomach and clutches the soft blanket under his chin.

"Todd, wake up," I say, leaning forward.

"What is it?" he asks, his voice raspy.

I try to pull the covers off him, but he clutches them to his chest. 

"I need your help."

"Just let me sleep."

I roll my eyes. "Todd, please, wake up!"

He yawns, "Stella..."

Bending over, I bring my mouth close to his ear and yell out, "The sun is up; wake up!"

With a sudden jerk, he sits upright and rests his head against the headboard. As he runs a hand through his tousled hair, he squints his eyes shut for a moment and then looks up at me with a scowl on his face.

"Sometimes, I just hate you so much," he says, slightly shaking his head.

For some odd reason, his words sting a little, but I know he didn't really mean it.

After yesterday night's conversation, I have come to a decision to be cool and be natural because I don't want more drama in my life. I mean, it's not that we kiss every day; our kiss was just a onetime thing and it won't happen again...ever.

I admit it was a mistake, but sometimes, you can't control your actions. I think if I had overreacted to the situation, things would've become uncomfortable for the both of us. Moreover, when I'm just a few days away from moving out of his house, I don't believe we need to talk out anything.

Lazily, he rubs his eyes. "Why are you wearing my cap?"

"Because I want to," I say, putting my hands on my waist, "now get ready and meet me in the yard."

"What for?"

"I'll tell you that later, okay."

He raises his eyebrows at me. "You're not doing anything dangerous, right?"

"Nope."

Before he could ask me anything else, I turn around and walk towards the door.

As I turn the doorknob, a smile spreads across my lips.

*****

As the blades of grass tickle my hands, I smile, humming a song to myself. The clouds drift over, blocking the sun from my face.

I don't need the cap now, but I still want to wear it. I think it suits me. 

I hear the creak of the door and look up to find Todd making his way towards me. When he reaches me, he shoves his hand in the pockets of his brown shorts and I smile at him.

His eyes land on the ground and widen slightly. "Oh."

"Yeah, come on," I say, patting the spot next to me.