Sam woke to his alarm beeping. Roger was still sleeping on his side of the bed, snoring like a big bear. He smiled. Sam always complained about how annoying it was to hear Roger like that, but deep down, he always found it very cute. He would never let Roger know that.

  The way he started snoring softly, letting Sam know he had drifted from the world of the living into the dream world. Sam always felt a quiet warmth on the nights when Roger fell asleep before him, comfortable enough to just close his eyes and rest.

  He turned his alarm off and got out of bed. First, he would take a quick shower, then wake Roger up. He had a very important day.

  He was walking to the shower when Roger called out:

  “Where are you going?”

  “It’s 6:30 a.m., babe. You still have half an hour to sleep. Go back to your dreams.”

  That didn’t seem to work. Roger got out of bed and walked toward him. His eyes were still almost closed, but the smile on his face was wide.

  “No, no, no. You’re going to take care of this for me. I was dreaming of you.”

  Sam looked down and understood what he meant. He smiled too, taking Roger with him into the shower.

  ***

  They were about to get out of the shower when Roger’s alarm started ringing.

  “Well, I think we took a bit too long in there, huh?” he said, kissing Sam on the cheek.

  “Yeah, but it was worth it,” Sam replied, kissing him back.

  Sam put on his white briefs and went downstairs to prepare breakfast. Roger had a big day for his career. He was going to present to the board the manuscript he had discovered a few weeks ago — the one he believed could become the next big horror bestseller in the country.

  It didn’t take long for Roger to come down, wearing his white T-shirt and black pants. He always said one of the things he loved most about the company was that they didn’t push people to wear fancy clothes. They valued the work, not appearances. He could dress casually, as long as it wasn’t too casual.

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  “Hmm, this smells good. What is it?” he asked.

  Sam laughed.

  “Shut up. As if you don’t eat the same cheese omelet every single morning. The only thing I know how to cook.”

  Roger smiled, sitting at the table and grabbing his coffee mug.

  “Well, I need to encourage my beautiful husband somehow.”

  A thunderclap echoed outside, making Sam jump at the stove.

  “Fuck, I need to leave soon before the world starts ending,” Roger said.

  Sam finished making his omelet sandwich and sat down to eat his own.

  He didn’t want to ask anything about work and make Roger more stressed. He knew Roger was prepared. He had been practicing for days, going over everything he wanted to tell the board about the book. Sam preferred to sit there and just enjoy his husband’s company on that cozy morning.

  Once they finished, Sam put the dishes in the sink.

  “Come here,” he said.

  Roger obeyed.

  Sam hugged him and held him there for a few seconds in silence, just breathing him in, keeping him close. Then he said:

  “You know you’re going to do great today, right? You’ve been preparing for a long time. And honestly, everything you touch, you make better. So go there and show them you’re the best employee that company has ever had.”

  Roger kissed him, his eyes watering slightly.

  “You know, having you by my side is what really matters. If things go right or wrong, I don’t care, as long as we’re together. We’re everything we need.”

  Sam’s eyes watered too. He kissed him again, then let him go.

  “Yes, and I feel blessed to have you in my life, too, babe. Now go brush your teeth. You need to leave soon.”

  “Not even a second round?” Roger asked, heading upstairs, laughing.

  “You wish. You need to work for it, babe,” Sam said.

  ***

  Sam stood on the stairs outside the house, waving goodbye to Roger.

  “Hey Siri,” he said.

  “Uh-huh?”

  “Set a reminder to buy some special food and tickets for that movie Sam wanted to watch.”

  “For what time?”

  “Hmm… 3 p.m.”

  “Done.”

  God, how he loved that man. He felt lucky their paths had crossed. That he had someone to hold his hand, to hug him tight, to tell him everything was going to be okay. Especially on days like this. Important days.

  He looked at his phone. 8:03 a.m.

  In a few hours, everything would change.

  ***

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