Take a break from work.

You head home early, sending Mike to deal with the client. When you get home, you kick off your shoes and flick on the TV. You hear the sound of the back door, and round the corner to find Rebecca in the kitchen, her gym bag slung over one shoulder. She’s wearing nothing but a sports bra and leggings, her skin flushed from the workout, a glass of water halfway to her lips.

"You're home early," she smiles, setting the glass down.

You walk over and kiss her on the cheek. She's warm, her skin still flushed from the gym.

“Meeting got cut short,” you say, your voice rougher than you intended. “Thought I’d surprise you.”

“Well, you did surprise me,” she replies.

Her eyes flicker as she watches you from across the kitchen. She's noticed a change in you. There’s a new ease in the way you carry yourself, a quiet assurance that wasn’t there before. She watches it in the way you walk into a room, shoulders back, head high, like you belong wherever you are. The way you speak is direct, decisive, no longer second-guessing yourself. You take charge without thinking, leading with a confidence that feels natural, like it’s always been there. She thinks it's the promotion, but she doesn't know what it really is.

“I was just about to hop in the shower. Maybe we can do something after?”

You nod. She drops her bag to the floor with a thud and finishes her water before skipping up the stairs to the bathroom.