a flash of lightning briefly illuminated the sky outside. a moment later, a booming clap of thunder echoed. feisty raindrops pattered at the window, creating a watery star scape on the glass.
safe inside from the blustery storm, you flipped a page. you were resting your head on his lap; his legs sitting over the edge of the sofa. the lamplight warmed your fingertips, his soft breathing steadied yours. he turned a page in his book, which was wavering over your head.
as much as you treasured the daily adventures he took you on, quietly reading in each others' presence was one of your favorite "dates". aside from enjoying an alluring book, you had an opportunity to sneak glances at him without being shy. you followed his eyes as they sprinted down the lines of text; he was wholly engrossed in the literature. his eyebrows moved, expressing internal reactions to the descriptive words. each time he reached the bottom of the page you made a quick shift back to your own text.
between snatching observations and reading, the thunderstorm drained out of your consciousness momentarily. a snap of thunder interrupted your focus, causing you to twitch.
"ah!" you yelped, knocking your book into his.
"haha," he smiled, taking no eyes off the words, "scared of a little storm?" he taunted.
"it was just...shocking." you mumbled, embarrassed.
"yes, it is eerily silent in here," he stated. he paused to finish the paragraph, then shut the book and set it on the coffee table in front of you. "read to me."
"what? but i'm in the middle of the chapter-"
"doesn't matter. read to me." he insisted.
you inhaled, running your eyes to the beginning of the next sentence. he had never asked this of you before. usually, you read with each other, not to each other. anxiety butterflies filled your stomach, cautioning you to not mispronounce any words. that would be tremendously embarrassing.
"go on," he placed his hand on your shoulder, crossing his arm over your torso.
exhaling, you timidly recited the words from the page. taking it eminently slow confirmed that you did not skip over any words. as the next paragraph began, you flowed casually through the literature. the sentences became your own, falling out of your lips with ease.
he picked up a mug of warm tea and took a sip. his eyes were glued to your face; tilting his head to the sound of your voice changing for dialogue. as he returned the mug to its coaster on the table, you delivered the final words of the chapter. you discreetly closed the book and dropped it on top of the other one.
"like a melody," he mentioned while stroking your hair, which fanned out over his thighs.
you cleared your throat, "thank you, but you made it difficult by staring the whole time."
"don't act like you aren't the same," he chuckled, "i've noticed it."
you stiffened, eyes widening. he coyly smirked as you realized how un-stealthy you were. the rain roared on outside; the boisterous thunder made you shudder. you sat up, lighting flared in the black sky.
"your turn...distract me with reading," you shoved his book into his hands.
he sighed, fluttering the pages open with one hand. "come here," he gestured to his open arm. you crawled back and curled into his side, nuzzling your face onto his shoulder. with a full view of the text, you followed along as he read each line.
as he stated earlier, it was similar to a melody. you contently listened to his enunciation of every syllable. thunder clapped; you did not flinch.
