Marcie and Leo Ch. 072

The alarm went off and my body was unwilling to move because Marcie was pressed against me. I reached over to hit the button before I went back within her grasp. When one remembers time, it is the little moments like this that seem to come up. It's a small moment to be sure. I learned to treasure them because of the pain both of us went through.

The first day after Missy's passing was one of the hardest. I remember waking up after a difficult night. Wanting to think it was a dream. Wishing it were. It was a moment I remember well. I remember staying in my bed that day. I didn't even move when Marcie let herself in. She came over to check on me. Luckily, I had the forethought to be wearing shorts when I slept. I remember her making a great effort to coerce me out of bed before she helped me make breakfast. It was a short visit when she did, but it meant a ton back then. Her husband was still around back then. She had to go back to help him.

I felt her arms surround me. It told me she was still partially awake when she was doing this. I enjoyed the embrace for another moment before I turned to hold her back. There is something about the intimate moments when our chests touch that calm me more than anything. As I started to wake up a little more, I looked over at the clock again and remembered.

"Marcie, we need to get up."

She lay there motionless, but with a huge smile on her face. I kissed her forehead.

"Sweetheart, we need to get moving."

"Just a few more minutes, Baby," she replied.

I stayed there holding her. I love the moments when her mushy side comes out. Ever since we started getting serious with our relationship, I treasured those moments. Marcie had always been an independent woman since I have known her. She was so confident, so unshakable at times. There were times she would reveal her vulnerability to me back then. Times when it was difficult for her to process Mitchell being gone. Times when she let down her guard because there was nothing left for that moment. But it was later when she started allowing her heart to love again that I remember. The little kisses when I wasn't expecting it. The dreamy look in her eyes when I surprised her. Those were the moments I gravitated towards the most. Those were the moments that spurred me to imagine the thought of being with this angel for the rest of my life. It was moments like that where the world felt perfect, even when it wasn't.

We remained like that for a few minutes. I knew I was getting too comfortable when she looked at me with that mix of dreams and the realization of what that day was. She leaned forward and shared a small kiss with me. It was then she whispered.

"Now I see why you hate getting ready for work so much."

She slipped out of bed towards the shower while I slipped in behind her. The shower was a tame one per our standards. It was a bit when we were drying off when she started realizing what we were doing.

"What should I wear?" she asked.

"I thought you had an idea. It's not like you're doing everything Aubrey does."

She was quiet for a bit, biting her lip as she ran through ideas.

"I guess jeans are out of the question."

"I wish I could say they weren't. The only ones who wear jeans are the lab techs. Usually under their white coats"

She looked at me before she started looking through her closet. As she was still deciding, I chimed in.

"Baby, you can wear whatever you want. I doubt we're doing anything major this week."

She looked at me.

"Are you wearing a suit as usual?"

"I could go khakis and a polo."

"Would you?"

I paused for a moment. Normally, she never batted an eye when I dressed for work. I was starting to deduce an idea.

"Marcie..."

She looked at me. The look was more of a little apprehensive. I went to her and wrapped my arms around her before she melted. I just held her for a bit. I started rubbing her down her back as I started whispering things to her. I whispered how awesome she was and how she was beautiful. Not in a condescending way, but more as encouragement. She started to relax more as I reminded her of these things. She then looked up at me.

"You have amazing women in your life, Romeo. Missy, Aubrey, it's daunting sometimes."

"You are amazing also, Amor. I never want you to think of yourself less of that."

I held her longer. It was definitely going to be a culture shock of sorts. Ever since Aubrey was hired to be my assistant, she was always there at the office when I arrived. Since she and Wes were having their honeymoon, I was going to be without her for a week. That was the whole reason Marcie was coming with me. Matt even sweetened the pot by letting us know his wife Shannon would be there also. I started having a daydream of them trying to get their son ready to go to the office. I started smiling thinking about that.

"Penny for your thoughts, Romeo?" Marcie asked.

"Do you think Shannon is having a difficult time today also?"

"Why?"

It was then that she realized what I meant. She started to laugh a little, not maliciously but more playfully. I was imagining what she was thinking at that moment before she pulled out a pair of her white-washed jeans. I looked at her decision thoughtfully. As she went to sit on the bed to slip them on, I was pulling out a black polo. I could hear her from the bed.

"Blue, Leo. Blue polo today please."

I hung the black one back up before pulling out the dark blue.

"Light Blue, Leo. Please?"

It's when she said please that I started understanding what was going through her mind. Before today, Marcie had visited the office a few times. She only spent a full day there once and Aubrey was there for it. This would be the first time she had gone in with me and spent the whole day without Aubrey being there. I started realizing what I needed to do that day.

"Did you want to pick up breakfast on the way, Baby?" I asked.

She smiled at me as she was putting her choker around her neck. I finished getting dressed before we headed to the kitchen to make some coffee. I was getting ready to grab my keys before my phone started to ring. I looked at the display and saw Matt's name.

"Hey, Bro. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, having a difficult time getting Junior ready."

"No worries. Think we'll be alright this week without Aubrey?"

"We should be fine. She wasn't always there, you know."

"I know. It'll be different."

"Why do you think I suggested bringing Marcie along?"

"Please tell me it's a light week."

"I'm afraid not. We have a shareholder's meeting on Wednesday."

"Did we already get all the prep done?"

"My assistant has it all taken care of. Just get to work, Leo. I'll be there when I can."

"No worries. See you there."

It was when I hit the button when Aubrey walked out wearing a flowery top with her jeans. Seeing her made me smile. I started forgetting what I was worried about, especially seeing her smile.