Page 24 of Lisa's Unexpected Valentine's Day

Maya was ahead of him, already boneless and limp. She’d sprawled forward, half-across the bed, and he could hear low ‘mmm’ sounds coming from her covered face. It was unlikely she’d be coherent for a while, and it was tempting to just roll her into place and let her sleep.

Probably not the best idea though. “Maya, sugarbear, let’s get you cleaned up so we can sleep.”

“…noooo…” It was soft, muted and more sound than word.

“You’ll regret it if you don’t. C’mon, Little girl.” He didn’t bother with warnings or threats. She was too far gone for that.

Instead, he physically dragged her back to the edge of the bench and pulled her to her feet. He supported her weight as she leaned against him heavily, all the way to the bathroom. She was too out of it to even complain. The first sign that she was aware of her surroundings didn’t occur until her punished backside hit the cold, hard toilet seat and startled a yelp out of her.

“Mean,” she blurted. Her eyes had gone wide. The shock of it had pulled her back to the present, for the moment anyway.

Rick laughed. “I’m not being mean, Maya. I’m taking care of you. If you don’t pee and get washed up, you’ll end up regretting it later.” He started the hot water in the sink, and cleaned himself while she took care of her business.

And then he took his own turn to pee. It was a fairly efficient process between them, and far from the first time they’d shared the bathroom for the necessities. Within ten minutes he’d corralled her into bed, so he could finally,finally, collapse next to her.

What a fucking day.

He couldn’t remember the last time he’d had one that felt so long, endless really. Not all bad, of course, but still, the exhaustion was bone deep. Maya was practically asleep before her head hit the pillow. The brief surge of energy in the bathroom had only lasted long enough to get her through the basics before she was gone again.

Punishment tended to empty her out, mentally and emotionally. He, on the other hand, usually had a lot to think about afterward. It was a time for self-reflection, maybe some internal judgement on how he’d handled whatever the problem had been. Tonight he had more to think about than usual, but not the capacity to do so. No sooner had he pulled her up against him and relaxed, than he was out.

For most peopleSaturday mornings meant staying in bed late, sleeping in. Rick would have loved that, but the set rhythms of his body never really allowed it. His eyes opened at the usual time, and he only had the patience to lie there for a few minutes before he felt the need to get up.

He carefully disentangled himself from Maya’s arms. It wasn’t easy. As soon as she felt him pulling away, she clung to him, trying to hold on with a sleepy whine, but he managed to extract himself with patience. As soon as he tucked her in under the blankets, she slipped back into a deeper sleep.

Morning runs were his favorite thing to do on the weekend, especially when it was still dark and almost no one was out and about. Something about the steady beat of his feet hitting the pavement relaxed him in a way nothing else did. He did a five-mile loop and after the first few minutes he barely even noticed the bitter cold.

The sun was just clearing the distant mountains during the home stretch and the warmth on his face was welcome as he slowed to a quick walk to wind down. His mind was focused on the present. Like how his body felt after the run, and the smell of impending snow in the air.

It wasn’t until he came through the backdoor that his mind lost that single-purpose clarity, and his thoughts scattered to the current problems on the table. Normally, this was his time to plan out to-do lists, and work on solutions for the mundane issues, and he did that while making breakfast.

Waffles had been the plan this week. They were his wife’s favorite. Maya loved decorating them with far too many toppings, and he indulged her, to a certain extent, while making sure that most of the available choices were on the healthy side. He sat down to give his legs a rest while he began chopping fruit.

He’d worked his way through a pile of strawberries, and had started pitting the fresh cherries when he heard a sound fromthe doorway. He looked up, a smile already spreading across his face in anticipation of Maya’s tousled hair and sleepy expression. “You’re up earlier than I—oh.”

Lisa looked down quickly, but not before he noticed two bright spots of red coloring her cheeks. “Sorry… I heard… I thought Maya was up. I-I’ll um, go back to my room,” she said, stammering slightly as she turned to go.

“Don’t be silly. Come in and have a seat.”

She hesitated, looking ready to bolt, but finally moved a little closer until she stood behind one of the tall kitchen stools.

His mouth twitched up at one corner. “I don’t bite.”

After a few long seconds, she pulled the seat out and settled on it. She was quiet, but he expected she was still feeling embarrassed from the night before. He didn’t know Lisa that well.

She was Maya’s best friend, so he’d interacted with her a few times here at the house, or out at various places. She’d also been part of Maya’s whole Halloween rebellion and had almost gleefully ratted his wife out—which he’d appreciated. He hadn’t really been curious beyond that. Well, until now.

“Maya sleeps in on Saturday and I make breakfast.” He pointed the tip of his knife toward the counter, where the waffle iron sat. “Waffles today. You can help if you like.”

Lisa drew in a breath and nodded. An awkward, half-smile tilted her lips. “I’ve never made waffles, so you’ll have to walk me through it, but I’m happy to help. Least I can do, all things considered.”

Rick tilted his head. “And… what things are we considering?” He shouldn’t tease her about what she’d done, but it was hard to resist.

“Huh?” Her lips parted as she gave him a confused look, and then her cheeks pinkened again. “Oh, I just meant… you’re letting me stay here. Least I can do is be helpful.”

He regarded her silently for a long moment, letting her squirm under his gaze. He’d perfected that stare in the courtroom and knew exactly how it affected people. She broke eye contact first, dipping her head down.

“Do you like to be helpful, Lisa?” It was a simple question. There were any number of ways she could have answered it, but he was curious.

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