Parting gift

The next morning both Noah and Laila slept in and woke up quite late for a workday. When Laila did open her eyes and grabbed her phone from the nightstand she noticed that it was 8:15. Her eyes shot wide open and she turned to Noah who was still fast asleep. She shook his body and called out his name in order to wake him. "Noah, get up. It is 8:15. Don't you have to go to work?" Noah opened his eyes and with a dreamy voice he replied, "Good morning my dear wife. You sure are energetic this early in the morning." Laila rolled her eyes before she said, "Stop fooling around. Don't you have to hurry and get out of bed. Normally you are headed out the door by now but today you are taking your sweet time. Did you take the day off or something?"

Noah shook his head before saying, "No. I planned on being at work around nine but that is unrealistic right now. So, instead of rushing to get try and get there at a time I know I won't make, I would rather take my time and spend some time with you before you go." Laila stood up on the bed and started pulling Noah's arm in order to get him up as she said, "What are you saying silly. Didn't you spend enough time with me yesterday? Stop wasting time and get up. You are the boss of a company. You can't be irresponsible like that."

While showing a cheeky smile and playful eyes, Noah responded by saying, "It is because I am the boss that I can do these things." After that he pulled her arm with a sudden movement and Laila lost her balance, making her fall on top of him. Of course Noah made sure to catch Laila just before she would land on him in order to make sure the baby wouldn't get hurt from the fall but this didn't mean that Laila did not get startled. Her eyes were closed shut and she only opened them slowly after processing what had just happened and to make sure that she was indeed fine. When she had fully opened her eyes, she saw a grinning Noah looking directly at her. When they made eye contact he said, "But if you want me to be a responsible boss you will have to give me my parting gift. Only then will I have the motivation to leave."

Laila was completely flabbergasted. She looked at Noah with widened eyes as he was still holding her up in the air. In her mind she wondered, was he asking what she thought he was asking? With a bit of confusion she asked, "What are you talking about? What parting gift?" But Noah was a goal oriented man. Once he had set his mind on something, he wouldn't let it escape his grasp or his sight. "You know the kind of gift I need. The kind of gift any wife should be able to give her husband and a gift that no husband will say no to."

Hearing Noah's words confirm what she had thought and being in the awkward position that she was, made Laila grow crimson red. "Stop fooling around. What are we, some lovestruck teenagers. I am certain that you got plenty of that as well during our week away. So, you can use those nights as memories to keep you warm while I am away during these next couple of days." Laila tried to break free but Noah refused to let go of her. "Well you might not be but for me, I most certainly still am. So, unless you plan on hanging above me for the rest of the morning, I suggest that you make a decision. Will you give me a parting gift or will I stroll into work when I feel like I have spent enough time with you?"

Laila looked a bit hesitantly and wondered what the right thing to do was. She looked like she was about to give in and Noah was certain that she would but Noah would soon find out that he wasn't the only one who was crafty and smart. "Fine. Let me down and I'll do it." Noah looked at her with a bit of suspicion and said, "Just so you know. If you are lying to me in order to escape and avoid making a decision, I will catch you and have you back here in no time. So, choose wisely." Laila's expression remained unchanged and she said, "I know. Don't worry. Hurry up already and let me down."

Noah did as Laila asked and lowered her gently. Laila ran her fingers through Noah's soft hair and gently traced his brows with her fingers as she laid on Noah's chest. Noah accepted it all in full silence and waited for Laila to deliver on her promise. When she had Noah where she wanted him, all excited and anticipating, she placed a kiss on his lips. Slowly she intensified the kiss and just when Noah thought he was going to get the gift he wanted, she stopped kissing him, turned around on the bed and walked away.

Noah was completely confused and he called out to Laila. "Hey, where are you going? Come back. This wasn't the deal." With a looked that made it clear she had outsmarted him, and a smile that would taunt his very soul, Laila said, "All you told me is to give you a gift that any wife should be able to give to her husband and any husband would be glad to receive. A kiss perfectly meets those criteria. After all, I did promise I would get you back didn't I? What better moment than when you are already in a hurry." After that she escaped through the door and into the bathroom in order to wash her face for breakfast, leaving poor Noah without a single word to say in response and all alone to accept his loss.