Let’s Do It Together

Mark woke up at the crack of dawn and was totally in his best mood ever. He looked at Zuzzy, who was sleeping peacefully in his embrace. "Hmm, my wife is so pretty," he murmured, admiring Zuzzy's beautiful face. He gently caressed her rosy cheeks before planting gentle kisses on them, followed by her nose and her supple lips.

He moved carefully, making sure he would not disturb her. He was positive Zuzzy would be hungover as soon as she woke up because of last night. So he wanted to prepare something good to assuage her discomfort.

He tiptoed out of their room and headed to the kitchen. On his way there, his eyes landed on the fire pit, and a broad smile curved his lips. He was still on cloud nine at the thought of what had happened last night. "Maybe banning my lovely wife from drinking is not a good idea after all," he pondered.

'Pervert!' His inner voice mocked him. Mark ignored it and hummed cheerfully as he prepared some hangover food for Zuzzy. The sun had not yet risen, but knowing Zuzzy, who was as an early riser, Mark was sure she would wake up soon.

He was all smiles while he cooked as he replayed last night's incident in his head. His face would occasionally turn red as he recalled the feeling of pleasure that he was experiencing by courtesy of his wife.

Mark took a quick shower as soon as he was done with cooking and went back to bed to wait for Zuzzy to wake up. The radiant ray of sunshine flickered through the window and landed on Zuzzy's face. Mark was about to raise his hand to block it, but Zuzzy already stirred and gently opened her eyes.

Mark's smiling face was the first thing her eyes saw, and she unconsciously smiled back as she murmured, "Good morning. Oh crap, my head will burst…"

Mark laughed and said, "Wait here. I've made soup, and I'll get some medicines for your hangover."

Mark came back with a tray in his hands and saw Zuzzy sit on their bed, leaning her head on the headrest with her eyes closed. "Darling, breakfast is here…" Mark said as he placed the tray on the bed.

Zuzzy was already used to Mark calling her darling that it no longer made her feel awkward, like before. "Did I do a lot of crazy things again last night?" She asked curiously because she was sure she must have, and she wanted to know what it was that made Mark adamant in not allowing her to drink.

Mark's face reddened, and Zuzzy noticed it, so she commented, "You're red." She touched his face to check his temperature and felt that it was quite normal.

"Oh, it must be the weather. You were not that crazy last night. Uhm- just … Uhm the rock, paper, and scissors game... You screamed each time you won, and you finished the whole bottle and asked for more…" narrated Mark in a stammering voice.

Zuzzy frowned and asked, "Is that all?"

Mark's mouth twitched as he was not sure whether he should tell Zuzzy about the finale of her drunken act last night.

"It didn't sound crazy enough to me…" Zuzzy murmured as she ate her soup.?

Mark massaged the nape of his neck and mumbled, "Yeah, nothing crazy…"

"Hmm, then let's drink again tonight… Let's try their wines…" Zuzzy suggested enthusiastically, to which Mark could only respond by swallowing really hard and coughing to clear his throat...

The couple got ready for their first outdoor activity. Zuzzy wanted to try horseback riding. It had always been her wish since she was young, but unfortunately, she had never gotten around to doing it because her grandfather had always been busy growing their Shi Globals group. And when she got older, she still had not managed to do it since she had also become so busy continuing her grandfather's work. Now that she thought about it, she had never enjoyed the simple things in life.?

"Let's ride on one horse since you're still a beginner, or do you already want to try it alone?" Mark asked when the stable master arrived with two horses. He was quite skilled in riding a horse because it was one of his pastimes with Rauf.

Zuzzy did not respond as she was still contemplating. Mark winked at her when their eyes met. Then he offered his hand and said, "Let's just go together for now…" He could tell from Zuzzy's expression that she wanted to do it alone, but was unsure… No, she was afraid…

Zuzzy looked at the hand that Mark extended and then back at his smiling face. Then she raised her hand to accept his. Mark immediately pulled her closer and held her waist. He looked directly into her eyes and whispered, "Whenever you're unsure or afraid of things, remember that I'm always here for you… Always take my hand, and don't hesitate..."

Then he quickly turned her around and lifted her up so she would sit on the saddle. It made Zuzzy gasp. And when she was settled, Mark also hopped onto the horse and sat behind her, pressing his upper body on her back as he guided the horse to walk slowly.

Zuzzy could feel Mark's warm breath on the back of her neck. Mark guided the trusty steed along a slow-paced trek that allowed them to take in their surroundings. "Are you still nervous?" Mark whispered in her ears, and it sent shivers through her body.

Yes, she was still nervous, but not because of the horseback riding. Her heart was beating irregularly from their physical closeness as Mark hugged her from behind. "Uhm, no.." She murmured plainly as she tried to calm herself.

"When you feel you're ready, you can try it on your own," said Mark.

Zuzzy let out a small sigh and said, "It's okay... Doing it together like this is enough. I just wanted to try this because it had been my dream since I was young. Funny, I'm already twenty-nine…"

Mark heard Zuzzy's soft laughter, and happiness shimmered inside him because Zuzzy was starting to open up about herself to him. He listened attentively as she continued to tell him more about her childhood and the things she had failed to experience before.

"Let's do it all… Together…" Mark told Zuzzy with a genuine smile on his face.