Lauren got home from work early to the smell of something cooking. She shrugged her backpack from her shoulders, slipped her shoes off, and made her way into the kitchen, pausing to bend down and cuddle Diane en route.
Joey had his back to her, stood at the oven and frying something. She watched him for a while, listening to him hum under his breath and feeling infinitely glad to be home, before she walked over to him. As she wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, she saw that he was making latkes.
He turned around in her arms, smiling down at her.
"This is a nice surprise," he said, leaning down to kiss her.
"So's this," she said, gesturing to the latkes frying behind him.
He grinned at her. "Now you can't say I never do anything nice for you."
"I have never said that and you know it," she said, and tiptoed to kiss him.
Before she could move away he pulled her into him by the small of her back, ducking his head down to deepen the kiss. Her hands slid up under his shirt and he picked her up, placing her on the edge of the counter. Her legs hooked around his back to draw him closer to her. He started trailing kisses down towards her collarbone, feeling the soft warm skin against his lips, inhaling the scent of vanilla and something floral and... burning.
Joey spun around to turn the heat off but it was too late, because the piercing beep of the smoke alarm was now going off. Lauren jumped down off the counter and grabbed a towel, starting to frantically wave it near the smoke detector.
Joey smiled at her effort and took the towel off her, his attempt being much more successful in clearing the smoke seeing as he had the height advantage.
Lauren looked dejectedly at the singed potato, definitely inedible.
"So much for that," Joey sighed, resting his hands on her shoulders.
She turned around to him apologetically. "I'm sorry for distracting you."
"Hey, don't apologise for that," he said softly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'll take a kiss from you over latkes any day."
"Good to know," Lauren said with a grin as she stretched up to kiss him again.
