>A gentle breeze caressed your cheek.
>The oak at your back and boughs up above groaned plaintively; peacefully against the wind.
>There you sat upon a rolling hill of vibrant green.
>A pink-orange hue hugged your panorama, warming the dark places of your world.
>You dug your toes into the grass; it was cool, soothing, cathartic.
>And below your eyes feasted, beholden to a vast expanse.
>A sea of golden wheat danced before you, a beatific ballet of refulgent amber.
>And beyond that - heaven.
>A glowing ember hung on the horizon, hiding drowsy half behind a distant snow capped mountain.
>The gentle blue sky was blushing; deep, calling reds burst forth and tapered out into a velvet yellow, engulfing the heavens in a lurid aurora.
>And then it graced your cheek.
>A pressure, a sensation.
>A familiar touch exclusive to this place.
>Moist.
>Tender.
>Loving.
>You lifted a hand to welcome the affected cheek, but before you could-
>You awoke. 
>Your eyes, still filmed over in dream, flittered open.
>For a fleeting moment your landscape lingered, your ceiling acting as canvas.
>But the visage soon faded and your eyes saw your bedroom true.
>It would have been understandable for you to grow forlorn, wistfully wishing for your return to dreamscape.
>But you smiled.
>You need not dream.
>The tender moisture still tingled on your cheek.
>For you, reality was far more the dream than slumber could ever provide a man.
>And as you turned your head on the side of your marked cheek, it was left no wonder why.
>Turquoise gems beamed warm in greeting, fixed upon yours with the kind of tender welcome that somehow seemed new every single morning.
>Yellow streaked on a cascade of red silk that draped over her shoulders and came to rest on her pillow.
>And her lips-
>Those merciful petals that every morning bestowed your wake-up call- 
>Turned in an affectionate smile.
>"Good morning, sleepy head."
>You grinned into your pillow at Sunset's customary greeting.
>Even after so long she always managed to make it seem fresh.
>Raising your hand from beneath the covers, you gentle brushed a lock of red from her face back behind her ear.
>She closed her eyes and slightly moved her hand against your touch.
"I was having a bad dream..."
>"Oh? What happened?"
"You weren't in it."
>You trailed a finger across her supple cheek down to her chin.
"This is much better."
>Sunset lifted her hand to meet your own.
>Grasping it warmly, she guided it to her chest, holding it soft yet firm to her.
>The beating of her heart rippled from your hand, echoing through your body.
>"You say that every morning."
>You shuffled in close to your love.
"And every morning it's true."
>Sunset's smile flared, affecting a rosy hue on her cheeks.
>You slipped your hand from Sunset's grasp and slid it behind her back, drawing her into you with the motion.
>Lips embraced as your bodies met, locking in sync, snug in the warmth of your bed.
>If only this, this very moment, could last forever.
>Both of you drew back in time and, eyes open, simply stared into one another.
>Being lost isn't always a bad thing.
>Sometimes lost is exactly what you want to be, comforting in the thought that you could linger on.
>And lost is what you both were in each other's eyes.
>At length you spoke.
"Let's not get up. Let's just stay here a little while longer."
>Sunset smiled and nodded her agreement.
>Working against the early morning, your love turned languidly, her back to you.
>In a heartbeat you pressed yourself against her, wrapping your arms around.
>You held her tight, delicately weaving your fingers in between hers against her stomach.
>Tight in your cuddle, you rested your head on the cusp of her flowing hair.
>Closing your eyes, you inched in closer.
>Shimmer's hair tickled your nose as you began to breath in the alluring scent of her highlighted mane.
>It wasn't an aroma of shampoos or conditioners that drew you in.
>There was simply something about Sunset herself that smelled wonderful to you.
>And that was the great thing about it - she didn't need anything to make you happier.
>That intrinsically, truly, you loved her for her.
"Mmm...I love you, Sunset."
>"I love you too, Anon. Now and forever."
>Rapturous sleep quickly reclaimed you.

>When you awoke, you found yourself alone in bed.
>Mid-morning sun beamed through the window lifting your room in bright spirits.
>You sat up, stretched and yawned.
>Mind enclosed in a post-slumber fog, you aimlessly surveyed your room.
>Nothing out of the ordinary save for a tantalizing fragrance wafting in the air.
>It tickled your nose and riled your stomach.
>Your interest (and nose) piqued you lumbered to your feet and followed the scent outside of your room.
>Step by heavy step you walked down the hall and trod down the stairs.
>Your house was thick with the smells of cooking.
>Finally, your quest came to its end as you turned the corner into your kitchen.
>The room was a carnival of olfactory delights.
>Bacon, a pan still sizzling on the stove.
>Sausage, a platter of which sat beckoning on the table.
>Orange juice, freshly squeezed and weeping with condensation.
>Pancakes, cloyingly sweet alongside the scent of maple syrup, hung in the air and stood in a tower upon the table.
>And the piece de resistance: your amore, swathed in a fine white robe that emboldened her hair in contrast, center stage at the stove.
>Your eyes drank up the sight as she turned, a plate of bacon and eggs freshly hot in her hand.
>At the sight of you she pouted playfully.
>"Awe, now I can't say it. It only works if you're still in bed."
>Sunset gingerly placed the plate on the table.
"You could still say it, Sunbun."
>Shimmer slowly advanced on you as you stood in the doorway, her hips swaying deliberately with each step.
>"But it wouldn't be the same. You're already awake~."
>Sunset's robe, diaphanous and flowing, would hang idly from her if not for the cord at her waist.
>Yet it still betrayed the whisper of her body beneath, thinly veiled as they were.
>Her breasts, ample and unrestricted by undergarment, pressed curvacious and pert against the silk of her mantle.
>Legs, soft, supple, and lithe trailed on from the knee where the robe ended.
>God, you wished they could go on forever.
>Sunset must have been aware of your leer and cocked a coy smile, waiting for your response as she halted before you.
"Are you sure about that?"
>You stretched out a hand and placed it on her hip, gradually drawing her in to you.
"Because I swear this must be a dream."
>Shimmer placed her hands upon your chest and looked up at you, smiling coy and bright.
"Go on, say it. Wake me up."
>With a pleased giggle, Sunset gripped the lapels of your pajama shirt, rose on her tip-toes and cooed into your ear.
>"Wakey, wakey, Sunny made some eggs and bakey~."
>She fell back to her feet, her eyes fixed a beatific gaze to yours.
>It was you who broke it.
>An impulse came over you.
>You squeezed her hips with both hands.
>Quickly, you closed the gap between the two of you and planted another tender kiss upon those yearning lips.
>And yearning they must have indeed been.
>Roughly gripping your lapels once more Shimmer pushed off on her toes again, greedily taking as much of the kiss as her hunger demanded.
>Neither of you wished for it to end.
>But, perhaps, it dawned upon Shimmer that breakfast may soon be spoiled if not acted upon soon.
>She broke from you and patted your chest playfully.
>"You should save some of your appetite for breakfast, Love."
"Do I really have to?"
>Your lament was met with a coquettish "hmph" as Sunset turned away from you and crossed the kitchen.
>Pulling an open chair, she invited you to sit.
>As you walked forward to accept her invitation you could not help but bask in the sight before you.
>Morning sun cascading through the windows, washing the kitchen in an opaque orange glow. 
>The air thick with the sweet aromas of a breakfast cooked with love.
>A kitchen table, quaint and picturesque, beleaguered by dishes and foods fit for a king.
>Yet made expressly for you.
>And the center of it all, ushering you in to a world that you once swore was unattainable, was your darling girl Sunset.
>You floated forward on a cloud of thankful wishes and disbelief.
>Taking your seat, you surveyed the spread before you covetously.
"Sunny...this is unbelievable. Seriously."
>Another giggled graced your ears as Sunset draped her arms over your shoulders, crossing them upon your chest.
>She nuzzled her head against your neck and planted a few fine kisses.
>"Do you like it, Hun? I made it extra special for you this morning."
>You looked around once more at your idyllic life and took a deep breath.
"It couldn't be any better, my Love."
>"Oh, I don't know about that~."
>You cocked an eyebrow.
"Oh? Why is that?"
>Your darling wife planted a few more preparatory kisses on your neck.
>"Because I have some news~."
>The rolling lilt of mystery in her voice affected a smile upon you.
>You reached your arms behind you, wrapping them around Sunset.
"And what would that be?"
>Another giggle.
>"Oh, let's just say that our company will soon become a crowd."
>You cocked your head slightly, trying to decipher her riddle.
>And then, like a rising sun's first peak over the horizon, it dawned on you.
>Butterflies fluttered madly in your stomach.
>A heat began to rise in you.
>You spun in your chair and looked intently at Sunset whose features could not express the full extent of her joy.
>You yourself were filled with an indescribable feeling of happiness.
>Excited, exuberant, you bolted up from your seat and scooped Sunset into your arms.
>There in the kitchen, in the light of the blossoming morning sun, you spun your wife around with you, here silken red and yellow hair dancing in the air.
>Laughter, full of joy, full of excitement, could be heard from houses down echoing from your kitchen.
>Placing Sunset back on her feet, you both drew into a longer, loving kiss.
>Breakfast was forgotten.
>It could wait.
>What mattered now was this very moment.
>What mattered, beyond everything else-
>Beyond the day to day grievances and petty troubles.
>Beyond the tedium of work and the stresses of life.
>Fundamentally, none of this mattered.
>What mattered, truly mattered, now and for always, was the girl in your arms.
>And the little one soon to come.

>Life can be good if you make it so.

FIN