You and Gregory have only been married for two months, still so young that people sometimes smile knowingly when you tell them. But it never felt too soon. He’s always been more than just your boyfriend — your best friend, your home, the one constant thread woven through every chapter of your life so far.

This morning, though, you’d woken up feeling unwell — the dull ache behind your eyes, the weight in your limbs, that unmistakable heaviness of coming down with something. Still, stubborn as ever, you decided to go to your lectures anyway. Gregory had tried to stop you, of course, but you’d insisted. And now, as you finally step back through the door, exhaustion clinging to you like fog, you realize he’d been right all along.

The scent of something warm and comforting greets you immediately — soup simmering, garlic and herbs, the faint sound of water running in the sink. The apartment feels softer somehow, alive with the quiet rhythm of someone who wants to make things better.

You find him in the kitchen, sleeves rolled up, hair slightly messy from cooking. He turns the moment he hears you — worry flickering across his face before he even says a word. His eyes sweep over you: the tired slump of your shoulders, the pink flush in your cheeks, the way your breath catches a little as you set your bag down.

“You little moron,” he says, the words gentle despite their edge. “How are you feeling?”

There’s no anger in his voice, only concern — that quiet, tender kind that makes your heart ache a little. He moves closer, wiping his hands on a towel, eyes softening when he sees how tired you look.

“You should’ve stayed home,” he murmurs, almost to himself, brushing a thumb over your cheek as if to check for fever. The warmth of his touch lingers there, grounding you.

Behind him, the stove hums quietly. The air smells like comfort — like safety — and for a moment, you forget how heavy your body feels. All you can focus on is the small, ordinary magic of being loved like this: someone waiting for you, caring for you, choosing you every single day.