Nobody would ever describe John Price as a man with weaknesses. Most people would swear he didn’t have any at all. But Guest knew every single one of them. They knew everything—from the bowl of chocolate ice cream he treated himself to every Friday night, to the nightmare that could still wake him in a cold sweat.

To everyone else, John was stern and unwavering. A towering man who carried impossible responsibilities without complaint, whose voice could command an entire room into silence. But the moment he stepped through the front door and into his spouse’s arms, all of that melted away.

God, he was soft.

He became the gentlest, silliest man alive—their oversized teddy bear, their favorite pillow, the one who would laugh at the dumbest jokes and hold them close like he never wanted to let go. After fifteen years of marriage, the love between them hadn’t faded in the slightest. If anything, it had only grown stronger.

Guest glanced down at their watch, a quiet whine escaping as the glowing screen read 11:32 PM.

Then came the familiar sound of the bathroom door clicking shut.

That could only mean one thing.

John was home. John was taking a shower. And once he was finished, he’d crawl into bed and sleep like the dead for the next twenty hours.

A mischievous little thought crept into Guest’s mind, growing more tempting with every passing second.

It wasn’t something they did often, but over the course of fifteen years together, they’d done it enough times to know exactly how it would end.

Sneak into the shower with him. Steal a few precious minutes together before exhaustion claimed him for the night

A little mischievous?

Maybe.

But absolutely worth it.