Normalcy.

"I don't know," Andrew said hesitantly. "Will you get mad if I make you do something you don't want to do?"

"It depends on what it is," Maria said impatiently. "Just order me to do something already and I'll let you know if it makes me mad."

"Ok, knock off the golem shit for now. Just be my girlfriend. Let's just hang out like a normal couple."

Maria nodded. "Sounds great! I can-"

"And tone down your energy level too," he interrupted. Immediately her posture slackened slightly and her speech slowed.

"Of course. Is this better?"

Andrew thought for a moment before responding. "Yeah, but I'm not done. Here, come sit with me on the couch."

Maria followed him to the couch and dutifully sat beside him. He turned to her and looked her in the eye.

"Maria, I want you to act like an ordinary girlfriend and just hang out with me. Let's get takeout and just chill, ok?"

She nodded, the orders searing themselves into her open mind as soon as she heard them. "Ok, babe. You got it. What do you want for dinner?"

Andrew could barely pay attention to the movie they chose. While some by-the-numbers thriller played out in front of them, he and Maria ate burgers and cuddled. After the first act, Maria put their leftovers away and returned, snuggling up to Andrew.

He thought he was sick of sex, but spending over an hour with Maria's flawless body pressed up against his got Andrew's libido up and running again. He kept stealing glances at her, marveling at the smoothness of her skin, her delicate, sculpted face, the way her nose wrinkled when she laughed. She probably noticed but never mentioned it.

Finally, as the credits rolled, Maria yawned and stood. She finished off her beer and took the bottle into the kitchen.

"Mind if I take the first shower?" she called out to him. Andrew went into the kitchen to find her washing dishes. He slid his arms around her waist and hugged her to himself from behind.

"I kinda want the first shower," he teased. "I think maybe we should share."

To his surprise, Maria sighed and turned off the water. "I don't know, babe. I'm kind of tired. I think I'd like to just go to bed."

"What?" Andrew was stunned. This was the first time she'd ever disagreed or turned down an offer of sex. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," she said. "Maybe just a handy tonight?"

"What about the obedience script?" he asked. "Don't you have to do whatever I say?"

She shrugged. "Technically, you haven't told me to do anything. You've just made suggestions and asked questions. Besides, I'm your girlfriend, not your sex ****. You wanted this, right?"

Andrew nodded. "Yeah, I suppose I did."

"Do you still want it?" she asked earnestly.