Claudius, who was looking at his phone, put it down. “How long have you been feeling this way?” 

Eldora shook her head, trying to remember how long. “I don’t know… couple of months? A year?”

Claudius nodded silently. Eldora looked at him intensely. Claudius returned her gaze, and blushed bashfully. She was charmed that he was still somewhat bashful when it came to flirting, even years into their marriage. 

She loved this about him, but she also wished he would romance her recklessly and without fear. She turned her face make to her pot of spaghetti with a frown. 

She felt a hand on her arm that gave her goosebumps and sent a shiver down her spine. 

“I hope you’ll stick with it.” Claudius said. 

Her cheeks turned a deep red, and she was surprised by the reaction her body had to his soft touch. “S-stick with what?” 

Claudius blinked rapidly and then smiled an awkward smile. “Stick with your job. You’re a fantastic teacher. The kids need you.” 

She cleared her throat. “Right. How was your job?”

“Just awful, as I said earlier. Managing forty-people at the grocery store is no joke.” Claudius grimaced. 

She frowned. “That’s too bad… what happened?”

“Half my team didn’t show up to work, so I had to do most of the remodel we have going on. It was a disaster.” Claudius grumbled. “It’s weird that we’re always hiring and we still can’t get people to work.”

She giggled at that. “Well, be honest, darling. If you could just go on unemployment where you get paid as much or more than working a soul-killing job, wouldn’t you rather sit on your ass all day, too?”

At hearing her giggle, Claudius managed a smile. “I think I’d enjoy it for a time, but it’d get old pretty fast.” 

Eldora smiled at his answer, remembering one of the reasons she had fallen in love with him in the first place. He was such a hard, honest worker. She knew he would always have a job, and even if money was tight, she knew he could do what was necessary to support her. She reached out a hand to gently brush his cheek. 

Claudius grinned. “Something on my face?”

She shook her head. “No, I just appreciate you.” 

“Is that so?” he removed his glasses, making her cheeks turn profusely red. When they first met and he was moving in to kiss her, he would remove his glasses first and it always sent electricity down her spine. Now was no exception. 

He closed the space between them, lips drawing close to hers. His hands found their way to her hips, and she breathed in a sharp breath. They came closer and closer to hers. She found herself getting way too excited when it was only a kiss--but then, it had probably been a week since they had last kissed.

The doorbell rang, making them both jump. Claudius rolled his eyes, he moved in again, and she got excited again… only for the doorbell to ring again. 

Claudius groaned. “Dammit, who’s ringing this time of night?”

He left the kitchen and went to get the door. Eldora grimaced, pouting. She cleared her throat and smoothed her hair back. 

She heard her husband talking to someone at the door. She heard him shut the door, then heard his feet scuffle into the kitchen. 

“Who was it, darling?” she asked him.

“Some kids who knocked their ball into our backyard. I’ll go get it.” He answered.

She sighed heavily. The timer on the oven went off and she removed the pot of spaghetti from the burner and dumped it into the colander in the sink, draining the water. She served up a bowl for herself and Claudius, putting on shredded cheese and sauce on top of it. Claudius came back in carrying a ball and walked to the entryway. 

Eldora placed her bowl and her husband’s on the table. When he returned to the kitchen, she waved him over. Claudius smiled and took a chair next to hers. Their table was big enough to seat four people, as they both decided they wanted four kids, and it reminded them of how quiet their house was. 

“Were the kids glad?” Eldora asked.

Claudius nodded. “They were grateful.”

“Good.” Eldora said with a smile. 

There was a moment of silence, and then Claudius said, “I’m gonna invite some of my friends over tomorrow night.” 

Eldora immediately grimaced. “Really? I have a really long day tomorrow and—” 

“I haven’t seen them in weeks.” Claudius said. 

Eldora sighed. She hated his friends, but she nodded slowly. “Okay. Sounds good.” 

Claudius regarded her with a smile. “Thank you. It means a lot to me.” 

“How about us? Do you want to go to dinner tomorrow?” Eldora asked hopefully. 

“I want to, but… we still have to buy a new washing machine.” Claudius gave her a mournful smile. 

“Oh, come on, we’ve been doing fine washing our clothes the old fashioned way! I’d rather go to dinner with you.” Eldora prompted.

Claudius smiled brightly, considering it. He took a bite of his spaghetti with a frown. “But I’m tired of letting you wash all the clothes by hand. I’m supposed to take care of you.”

Eldora was charmed by that, but insisted, “I don’t mind it for another day. I want to go somewhere romantic with you…”

Claudius gazed into her eyes for the first time in a long time. She could tell he was enraptured by the idea. Claudius looked down. “But if we ever have a child, we need to be able to wash its clothes.” 

Eldora was crestfallen. She nodded wordlessly. But then, her eyes lit up. “Maybe we should try again tonight?”

Claudius cleared his throat awkwardly. He was speechless for a moment, but then he said, “I’m a little tired.” 

Eldora bit back tears. She swallowed them, then took a bite of her own spaghetti. Claudius saw the look on her face. He cleared his throat and held her hand. “I promise we’ll try tomorrow.”