I playfully gaze at him and stroke his shoulder, and he looks at his book and then back at me and knows immediately what I’m up to. The continuation of a joke from a few nights ago.

He tackles me and pushes me down into the pillows and jokingly says, “Oh my dear, I just love you so very much,” while smooching my face. It’s a ruse to move my head out of the way.

I lay there laughing, and he returns to his reading position and impassively turns a page to simulate reading.

My heart is racing. He slipped. I can see that his mind is cranking through the gears. Shit.

I continue laughing and open my book and start to read.

So there it is. Not how I expected nor exactly the right context.