Feather Bound

Chapter 53

You sighed, stretching as the early morning light poured through the window. Your alarm was blaring, and you groaned as you reached for it in your nightstand, stopping the offensive noise and plunging the room back into blissful silence. You blinked a few times, unable to stop the smile on your face as you looked at the window. Finally, it was the day you'd meet with the lawyer. In just a few hours, Himari would be home.

You nibbled your lip, a sly smile crossing your face. These were your last few hours child-free, and what better way to celebrate than one last good, loud romp around the apartment? You rolled over, fully intending to take advantage of his typical morning situation, only to pause when you realized his side of the bed was empty.

They say the early bird gets the worm, so to speak, but there was no bird in your bed and certainly no worm. What a fucking bummer.

"Keigo?" you called out, sitting up as you looked around the room, but only silence answered you. Frowning, you reached for your phone, unlocking it, and finally noticed the notification in your inbox that you had missed. You sighed as you opened it, reading through his message with a frown.

Keigo:

Sorry, Love Bird, got an early morning phone call for a meeting. I didn't want to bother you so early, so I just snuck out. Not sure what's going on or how long it will take, so if I don't make it with you to the lawyer, I'm really sorry. I left some cash on the table; take Himari shopping for some clothes or something, and I'll meet you both at home for dinner. Can't wait to meet our beautiful girl.

Keigo:

Oh, and I love you!

You smiled as you read them, though you couldn't help the annoyance you felt at the situation. Keigo had requested the morning off forever ago, since you had gotten the date for the meeting. He wanted to take the whole day, but after all the time off he'd gotten from the agency for Christmas, he knew they'd never approve it. You'd seen the leave slip; the President herself had approved it. Had something big happened for them to take it back and call him in anyway?

You opened your news app, searching for some significant natural disaster or villain attack that would explain what was happening, but everything seemed unusually quiet. A few small break-ins here and there, but nothing substantial. There was nothing you could see that would warrant them taking Keigo away. You sighed sadly, glancing at the time. You only had about an hour and a half until you needed to be at the lawyer's office. If sex was off the table, you might as well get yourself ready.

Pushing the blanket off yourself, you turned around and made the bed. Frowning at the sight of Keigo's pajamas scattered around the floor, as if he had thrown them off in a hurry, you gathered up all the clothes. Stripping off your own, you walked out into the hallway before shoving them all into the washer and shaking your head. Maybe it was a secret mission, and that's why he had to leave so early and in such a hurry.

You hurried into the bathroom, turning on the water before stepping under the warm spray with a satisfied groan. As you tilted your head back, allowing the water to wet your hair, you sighed. It was odd not to have Keigo in the apartment in the mornings; you typically shared an entire morning routine together, even when he had work. Showering without him almost felt wrong, despite enjoying the absence of large wet feathers sticking to your exposed skin.

Normally, both of you would wake up when his alarm went off, though he had a horrible habit of snoozing it or trying to sleep through it completely. When he finally forced himself to open his eyes, he would roll over to hold you – if he wasn't already – and one of two things would happen. He would just hold you tightly as you sat in a comfortable silence, or he would continue to roll until he'd slotted himself comfortably between your legs, tugging your panties roughly to the side before fucking you senseless. Afterward, you both would shower together before he got ready and gave you a kiss goodbye. It was blissful, perfect in a way you never could've imagined. You had never really been a morning person, but somehow living with Keigo had turned you into one, for sure.