Iris threw her laptop bag in the corner. Or rather, she wanted to throw her laptop bag in the corner, but then she'd have to explain why her laptop was broken and fill out forms and probably pay for a new one. Instead, she set it down carefully, but with gusto. The situation at work was becoming untenable, but there was currently no prospect of improvement, so they all just had to deal with it.
Her husband, Theo, wasn't home to greet her. She could really go for a kiss and a hug, and maybe a glass of wine together on the balcony and screw what the neighbors thought if they poured a second. Instead, she kicked her sensible but business appropriate shoes off, sending them flying across the little foyer, and sighed. Theo's shared location marker had left home about half an hour before she headed out from work, meandering through the plains outside their house.
She hated the commute every day she had to go into the office, but whenever she got home and saw nothing but nature outside. Luckily, she got to work from home a couple of days a week. Theo, the utter bastard, didn't even have an office.
Iris dragged herself into the living room and had to smile when she saw a glass of wine sitting on the coffee table, along with a tiny one-person charcuterie board under a glass serving dome. Her frustration at him being absent, despite technically having all day to go for a walk, ebbed a little. He had meetings and colleagues that worked certain hours, so it's not like he had total freedom.
Scrolling through Netflix to watch something dumb before he got home, she put her feet up and took a sip of the wine. She hadn't even made it through the first page of recommended horror and Halloween movies when Theo slipped into the living room. Sneaky bastard managed to open and close the front door without her even hearing.
"Ah, dangit, I thought I'd be home before you. How was your day?"
She lifted her glass of wine to him and popped a cheese cube into her mouth. "A little better now, thank you. How was your walk?"
"Good. Nice and brisk. That pumpkin patch we spotted is really getting there. Couple more days and we can pick our Jack-o'-lanterns, I think."
Iris leaned back and pursed her lips for a kiss. Theo bent over and kissed her upside down, lingering just a second longer than a quick peck warranted.
"You making pumpkin pie, then?" she asked.
"Mm-hmm. You'll have to wait till the weekend, though. They're not ripe. And the moose might find them still."
"Bullwinkle can get his own damned pumpkins. Those are mine."
"Got you something, by the way."
She heard a rustle and crooked her neck to look. He was holding a big bouquet of fresh-picked wild flowers, splashes of color among beautiful fall toned leaves. They were arranged a little awkwardly, but knowing he'd gathered them himself, just for her, made it perfect.
"I wanted to get them in some water before you got home, but I lost track of time trying to find some blue flowers for contrast, and I forgot traffic would be light."
"They're gorgeous, baby, thank you!" She put her glass down and made her way around the couch, kissing him properly. "Let me clean them up and put the--"
"Nope, you sit and pick something to watch. I already cut the stems as I picked them. I just need to plop them into a vase."
An hour later, Iris had a good buzz going after a second glass of wine and was lying on her back on the couch, feet in Theo's lap. He was rubbing them idly as the end theme for the show they were half-watching played.
"I'm gonna pop in some freezer pizzas," Iris said.
"You sure? I can cook. I've been home all day."
She shook her head. "I want you here. Pepperoni or Supreme?"
