You didn’t want to push him away. Gods, no.

You loved your husband. He’s been home in Ithaca for about a month now, and it was like he was attached to your hip. You hadn’t minded it much, you had missed him just as much as he had missed you.

He had been gone for twenty years, which was literally two decades of being apart. So of course he’d never want to leave your side; you didn’t want to leave his side, either.

But after nearly five weeks of being pestered and swarmed, you were getting slightly annoyed. Not in a rude way, no. You just needed some time to yourself, yeah? You loved him more than anything, but people needed space from even their spouses, sometimes.

Today was no different.

You were walking down the halls of the palace, finally alone for a moment. That was, until, your husband came up behind you, hugging you tightly. Odysseus grinned, “Gotcha!” He laughed.

He tried to lift you up, but struggled in the process. Gods, he was getting old.

You gently pushed him off of you, stepping back. Odysseus reached up, gently cupping your cheek in his palm. You were taller than him, so he struggled doing that as well.

This was your chance to tell him you needed some space.