Taste of Melanin

Saccharine

Y'all... I cannot even begin to describe the way life is absolutely dragging my ass through the mud rn. Like fuck a two/six/eight piece- this bitch hittin me with a 40 piece, 3 large sides, and a gallon of sprite.

But anyhoo I miss y'all. How y'all doin? <3

Remember to wear your mask, condoms, and chapstick. I love you guys!
—

No face claims
~~~

Andy sighed, his body attempting to exhale the pain and exhaustion that littered every nerve. The low hum of his truck and the soft blowing of the heat were the only sounds as he closed his eyes for a moment.

"Okay." He mumbled to himself before reaching to shut the vehicle off. The 12 hour shift he'd just worked made itself ever present in the ache of his back, shoulders, and legs.

A stiffness caused his face to scrunch as he picked up his things from the passenger seat. Exiting the vehicle slowly, the cold darkness welcomed his body. It'd only snowed once last week but consistent negative temperatures kept the snow covering every unshoveled surface.

The crackle of salt beneath his boots, watering of his eyes, and bright lights along the perimeter of his home made his headache worsen. Andy had just made it to the last step up the porch when the door to his home opened and a warmth graced his cold face.

As he lifted his eyes from the doorknob, a beauty all too familiar met his eyes. The pain seemed to be pulled from his body the wider her smile got.

"Well, you gonna turn into a popsicle out there or you gonna come in?" The sweet, slow rasp of Karena's voice sprung life back into his body.

Stepping inside the opened door, he suddenly remembered the item in his hand. "These are for you."

The colorful bouquet of flowers were fake, his wife's favorite metaphor for the undying beauty of their love. Her face lit up, a sight he strived to be blessed with once a day, before she softly took the flowers from him.

"They're beautiful, honey, thank you." As she finished speaking, he couldn't resist leaning down to steal a kiss. The full lips seemed to swallow his own- a feeling he'd become obsessed with.

"I missed you." He confessed as he did each time they were apart. Andy's friends often called him a lost puppy the way he craved the presence of his wife but he simply called himself a man irrevocably in love.

"I missed you too," she reciprocated with another soft kiss, "come on. Your dinner's ready and I already got your shower running."

She pulled him behind her through their home, the familiar smell of her lotion flowing into his nostrils. It was their own routine. He'd get home around midnight, take a shower and eat dinner, before they both laid down for bed. Unfortunately, Andy would be back up at 6am to begin the process all over.

He was a farm mechanic who worked about an hour and a half away. If it hadn't been for the $75,000 he made a year, almost $40,000 more than the average, he'd have taken a job closer.

The job allowed him to support his wife as she pursued her doctorate in biomedical engineering. She'd been hiding the desire from him, but he knew her like the back of his hand so it wasn't long before he figured it out. Andy never let it escape him how such a smart woman could have fallen for him but he made sure each day she never regretted that choice.