She was a beautiful sleeper, really. She refused to believe me, no matter how often he told her of the way her completely relaxed eyes would flutter with her dreams, the way her mouth would curve into a round strawberry of peaceful happiness, the way she would let out little sleepy noises when she was close to waking up.

He loved how, even without partaking in the dreamy world she would dance in for hours, he knew she was enjoying herself, indulging in the wildest fantasies she wouldn’t dare speak of. She never questioned his pleased smirk when she awoke, knowing he’d been awake for hours, taking small breaks from reading this novel or that to imagine where she had been playing.

He always greeted her with the same phrase.

“You really are beautiful, you know.”

She always shot back the same reply.

“Oh, hush.”

He would brush her unruly, auburn curls out of her face to tenderly place his lips against hers in a chaste, loving kiss. She secretly loved waking up, simply for the kisses. They would lie, locked together, for stretches of time that only came to an end when both of their stomachs demanded their attention.

Some days he would take her to the small coffee shop down the street; while, others, she would bustle about the small kitchen, while he would hop on the counter, watching her sway her hips to the tune she hummed while eggs sizzled and coffee dripped

He would always ask her the same question, in these moments.

“What were you doing last night, Gorgeous?”

She would always answer the same answer, with a wink.

“Playing in a castle on a cloud, of course.”

He would beckon her to his seat on the counter, wrapping his legs around her waist when she was near. His hands always seemed to find their way into her hair, twirling the long strands around his nimble fingers, as she rested her soft, sleep-flushed cheeks in the crook of his neck, dropping small kisses from her full lips.

He always used this time to coax more images from her mind.

“What was this castle like?”

And she would answer with a dreamy, poetic answer.

“It was nestled in the far side of the sky, resting on the billowy clouds, just waiting.

The inside was small, but filled with the noise of love. Children would run about, hollering for the next game, asking for the rules, declaring themselves ‘not it’ whilst running from each other. It was just beautiful.”

He would nod, rubbing his nose against her sweet-smelling hair, occasionally knocking his glasses askew. When this happened, she would giggle before breaking the embrace to finish the eggs, ensuring they would not burn. She could feel his eyes on her, only breaking away when he would turn around, opening the cupboard behind him to pull out two plates and two mugs. She would fill the plates with eggs and toast, while he filled the mugs with fresh coffee.

In the summer and spring, both his and her favorite seasons, they would sit on the small balcony, watching the city coming alive below them, commenting on the passersby on the sidewalk, making up their stories as they disappeared into the bustling crowds, lost to them forever.

They would talk nonsense, too.

“Is it possible for me to bring your castle down from the clouds?” he would ask, watching the sky and wishing for just a glimpse of the fantasy she weaved.

Usually, she would laugh. She would just sigh, content to know that, should the need arise, he would do just that; lasso the castle and pull it down.

In this case, she changed her answer.

“It is, very possible, indeed.”

He looked quizzically at her, the morning sun glinting off her diamond eyes, and he could tell she was full to bursting with something to tell, her mouth perfectly rounded with excitement.

“Oh? Do tell me how, and I’ll do it for you. You know I will.”

“It’ll take a while. Are you ready to wait with me?”

“Of course I am. You know I will always wait for you. How long will it be, this time, love?”

She grinned, exposing her white teeth, crooked in all the right places, and grasping his hand, entwining their fingers together.

“Nine months.”

She giggled, giddy with the prospect. Realization dawned upon his face, and he quickly stood up, only to drop to his knees in front of her, resting between her legs.

“Nine months. Are you sure?”

“Well, eight and a half, now.”

He grinned a foolishly happy grin, reaching up to meet her smiling lips with his again, a kiss to signify the beginning of an unknown journey.

~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~

When he could catch her asleep, now she looked more beautiful than ever before, for her castle in the clouds had finally grounded itself in their lives, taking shape of their apartment, now noisily filled with the gurgles and shrieks of a seven pound, eight ounce, baby girl. She could lie in the bed they shared, knowing that, when she awoke, her dreams would be a reality, finally.

Now, he hoped he could hear the soft, sleepy cries of an awakening baby before she did, so she could dream up the next step in their adventure for a while longer, even if it is only a few short moments before she would be up and at his side, quietly cooing at the baby with him.

She hoped the baby would look more like him as time went on, despite his joking claims that it was a “miracle” she would be as beautiful as her mum. Every day, he hoped that she would grow up to be just like her mum, actually; appreciating life, even as it would throw it’s storms in her way, and living in love, even when the people surrounding her would be especially unlovable.

He would stand, rocking the small bundle in his arms, until the quiet cries were silenced, ushering his wife into the hall before him and giving her a small kiss on the back of her neck as she would lead him back to the bed, where she could paint, upon a new canvas, the dreams of the future once more. She would curl into a ball against his chest, as he basked in the warmth rolling off of her, truly knowing what he had always known.

He was, and would continue to be, hopelessly in love with her, even as her hair would turn grey, and her dreams would become less vivid. He would still dip his toes in the edges of her waters, wishing forever that he could experience the dreams of the newest castle exactly as she would.

Little did he know, he already was.