You've been married to your wife Angelica for a few years now but recently you've started noticing how cold and distant she's been acting towards you. This has been going on for a few months now where she'll come home from work later than usual and basically completely ignore you for the entire evening, there's also been quite a lot of instances recently where you two have planned dates together just for her to forget them, leaving you alone.

Today is your birthday and naturally, you expect your wife of all people to remember but to your surprise that very morning plays out like any other and she doesn't wish you a happy birthday once before she leaves the house to go to work so you decide not to think too much about it and instead decide to go about your own day.

You go through your day like usual and are relaxing on the couch, watching some TV and you've noticed how late it's become yet Angelica still hasn't arrived back home which causes you to worry and so you decide to call her and she answers with is that she'll be home soon. A few more hours pass and it's currently 3 A.M and Angelica still hasn't arrived back home but then you hear it, the door opening but you remain seated in the kitchen where you've been waiting and then you see Angelica walk inside, rubbing her shoulder lightly before stopping and looking at you with tired eyes. "Oh, you're still awake, huh?" She says in a slightly curious but also nonchalant tone, almost as if she doesn't care about your presence.

She glances down at the plate you're holding out towards her with some suspicion in her eyes but accepts it nonetheless, taking the piece of cake from you and then sitting down on one of the chairs opposite to where you're sitting. "Thanks," she says tonelessly before taking a bite of the cake, closing her eyes briefly as if savoring its flavor although there's really no expression on her face that would suggest so.

After swallowing the first bite of cake she looks back up at you and narrows her eyes slightly. "So, why are you still awake?" She asks with an air of annoyance in her voice, like she can't believe you aren't asleep already even though it's 3 A.M.

She then pauses for a moment before adding almost as an afterthought: "Oh yeah... I forgot about your birthday." There's no apology or regret in her tone, just pure nonchalance. It stings but you're used to it by now.

"Oh... That's nice," she says with another nonchalant shrug, not bothering to even look at the papers you're pointing at. Her green eyes slowly drift back down towards her lap as she folds her hands in front of herself, seemingly bored or tired already from this whole conversation.

She clears her throat and continues, "Well... I guess I should head to bed then." Without waiting for a reply or permission, she stands up abruptly and begins to make her way towards the hallway that leads to their bedroom, her footsteps quiet but audible on the hardwood floor. Over her shoulder, she throws out one last comment: "Goodnight."

The word itself feels almost foreign to you now; it's been so long since she's actually used it as anything more than a polite formality at the end of their arguments. You remain seated in the kitchen, watching her go with a mix of annoyance and hurt swirling around inside your chest.

She doesn't respond or acknowledge your words in any way as she continues to undress herself slowly but methodically, her movements almost robotic as if on autopilot. Once she's naked beneath the black lace bra and panties she wears to bed, she slides into the bed and immediately buries herself underneath the covers, not even bothering to turn around to face you or make any sort of space for you beside her.

It's become so common now that it hardly bothers you as much as it used to; instead, it's almost a relief in its familiarity. With a sigh, you climb into your side of the bed and curl up on your side, facing away from her, determined not to let this night end any differently than any other recent argument they've had.

But still, as you close your eyes and try to force yourself to sleep, the sting of rejection and loneliness remains sharp in the back of your mind, refusing to be ignored or dismissed no matter how hard you try.

She blinks several times as she takes in the sight of you standing there, half-naked with an obvious morning wood. Her eyes narrow slightly in annoyance and she crosses her arms over her chest defensively before responding: "What do you want?" There's no warmth or affection in her tone; instead, it's cold and distant, just like every other word that has come out of her mouth since you woke up this morning.

You pause for a moment, trying to decide how to proceed. On the one hand, she looks pretty sexy right now with her hair messy from sleep and those curves on display underneath that black lace bra and panties... but then again, you know how touchy she's been lately, so maybe it's not such a good idea to make any advances. With a sigh, you decide against it.

"Nothing," you finally say, sitting down on the edge of the bed beside her instead. "I just thought I'd see if you wanted to talk or something." There's no real conviction in your voice; it sounds more like an afterthought than anything else.

She glances down at her stomach self-consciously before looking back up at you with an unreadable expression on her face. "What do you mean by that?" she asks cautiously, her tone edged with suspicion. You can tell that she doesn't want to believe you're being genuine, but part of you wonders if maybe it's better this way; if keeping her on edge will make her more interested in keeping things the way they are between them... for now at least.

"You know what I mean," you say nonchalantly, turning to look away from her again. "If you want me to stop mentioning it or whatever, just tell me." There's a hint of challenge in your voice as if daring her to speak up about how much weight she's gained recently.

The way you casually mention her weight gain clearly irritates her; she crosses her arms even tighter across her chest in response, almost as if preparing for a fight. "What do you want from me?" she asks with exasperation in her voice now. "I've been working all day every day and coming home late because of my job... is that why I should be punished by gaining weight?" Her expression turns accusatory, as if you're somehow to blame for the changes in her body even though she's the one who chooses what to eat and how much exercise she gets.

"I just thought maybe we could talk about it," you reply carefully, trying not to sound too confrontational yourself. "You know... figure out if there's anything I can do or..." You trail off, unsure of how else to phrase it without coming across as patronizing or pushy.

For a moment, her expression softens slightly; she looks into your eyes as if searching for something there, then slowly nods her head. "Yeah... I know that," she whispers hoarsely before closing the distance between you and pressing herself against you, wrapping her arms around your waist and nuzzling her nose against yours. There's a tension in the air that's almost palpable as she hesitates for a moment before speaking again: "I just... I don't want to gain more weight than this, you know?"

You nod understandingly even though part of you wonders why she cares so much about her appearance when it seems like lately she doesn't care at all about maintaining any sort of connection with you emotionally or sexually. But for now, you decide to just enjoy the closeness and intimacy that she's allowing between them; who knows how long it will last?

Her cheeks flush slightly at your words and she shakes her head slowly from side to side as if trying to deny it. "I don't know... I guess I just can't help but worry sometimes," she admits quietly. "It feels like everything has been changing lately, and not all for the better."

You pause for a moment before asking carefully: "Do you want things to go back to how they used to be?" There's hope in your voice even though deep down inside you wonder if that's really possible anymore.

She closes her eyes as you press your lips against hers in a soft kiss, feeling herself melt into the embrace as your hands roam over her body in slow, gentle movements that send shivers down her spine. For this brief moment, she can pretend that everything is normal between them again; that they're still connected on some level despite all of their problems and disagreements.

When you pull away from the kiss, there's a different air about you this time around - one of sincerity and desire. She looks up at you with questioning eyes before leaning in once more, tentatively at first but then growing bolder as her tongue meets yours eagerly in the sweet exchange.

Her hands move to undo your shirt while yours continue downwards, unfastening her bra and pushing it aside to reveal her perky breasts free from confinement for the first time in what feels like forever. The sensation of his rough hands against her skin sends a thrill through every nerve ending, making her arch her back instinctively as she moans into his mouth, hungry for more contact with him.

It's been so long since they've made love; since they've felt this close together... and in this moment, it feels like everything else is fading away into nothingness except for the two of them and their intense need for each other.

Her breath comes in short, sharp gasps as your hands move downwards over her body, trailing lightly up and down the length of her belly before dipping lower still to find the sweet spot just behind where her underwear meets her skin. She moans softly into your mouth at the contact, arching further back against you in response.

Her own hands roam over your chest, exploring the hard planes and ripples of muscle she's become so accustomed to feeling beneath her fingertips. The contrast between the roughness of his skin and the softness of hers is intoxicating; it heightens every sensation, makes everything feel more intense.

Their mouths never part, their tongues tangling together in a dance as old and familiar as the two bodies entwined on the bed before them. With a sudden movement, Angelica wriggles out of her bra and underwear, throwing them aside carelessly as she reaches for your belt, undoing it with nimble fingers before pushing downwards to release you from your pants.

She looks up at you through heavy-lidded eyes as you kick off your clothes, revealing yourself fully naked to her once more. Her hands move slowly over your chest and stomach, tracing patterns on your skin that leave goosebumps in their wake; she can feel the tension coiled tightly beneath her fingertips, an invitation she cannot refuse. With a seductive smile curving across her lips, she climbs up onto your lap, straddling you and rubbing herself against you in slow, teasing movements that drive them both to the brink of insanity.

"I love how we're still so connected like this," she whispers hoarsely between kisses, her breath fanning

"No... I could never hate you," she gasps out as the sensation of your thick length stretching her tight entrance sends waves of pleasure coursing through every nerve ending in her body. Her hips begin to move in time with yours now, meeting each thrust with equal vigor as they ride him harder and faster, their passionate lovemaking echoing through the silence of the room like a primal chant.

Her hands fly up to grasp fistfuls of your hair, pulling your head back roughly so she can look into your eyes. The need to connect with you on this level is overwhelming; it feels like they've been starving for each other for years and now that they have the chance to feed their hunger again, nothing else matters. Her breath comes in quick, hot bursts against your lips as she tries desperately to find the words to tell you how much she loves you... but all that seems to come out are moans of pleasure and cries of ecstasy.

She arches her back, throwing her head back against the pillow with a groan as the familiar sensation begins to build deep within her core; her muscles tense and bunch beneath your hands, giving you warning after warning that she's close, closer than she's ever been before... but still you push deeper, harder, refusing to let her go until she lets go completely.

Her fingernails scrape roughly against your back as she grips you tighter, the pleasure overwhelming her senses until there's nothing left but a haze of white-hot ecstasy. She feels her body convulse around yours and with a shout that is more relief than anything else, releases herself into the most intense orgasm she's ever experienced.

Her muscles relax, going lax against you as her body trembles from the aftershocks of pleasure. You follow close behind, groaning her name as you thrust one last time and release yourself inside her. As the last echoes of your orgasm fade away, she collapses forward onto your chest with a satisfied sigh, pressing soft kisses against your neck and shoulders.

She stays like that for several long moments, catching her breath and trying to reconnect with reality after being so utterly lost in the sensations you've just shared. Finally, she lifts her head slowly and looks at you through half-lidded eyes, a small smile playing about her lips.

"I love you, you know," she whispers softly against your skin. "No matter what."

She sighs heavily, her gaze moving away from yours as she wrestles with the memories of their past fights and arguments. "I was stressed... over work, over school, over us," she says at last, her voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't know how to handle everything that was going on in my life, and sometimes I took it out on you... but it wasn't because of what you did or didn't do."

She pauses for a moment before continuing, "Maybe if we had talked more... if we had been more understanding with each other..." Her voice trails off, leaving the thought unfinished. They both know where this line of thinking leads; they've been down this road before and it never ends well.

After another long silence, she lifts her head to meet your eyes once again, determination shining in them like a beacon in the darkness. "I want us to try harder," she says firmly. "To make things work between us... even if it's not easy." Her hand reaches up, cupping your cheek gently as she searches for some sort of reassurance in your expression that her words aren't falling on deaf ears.

She bites her lower lip nervously before speaking, her voice small and unsure but sincere all the same. "I do love you... very much," she says quickly, like she needs to get the words out before she can change her mind. "And I'm sorry for making you think that maybe things were different between us... they aren't. You're still the most important person in my life and I want to be with you."

Her hand moves from your cheek to curl around your neck, pulling you down for another gentle kiss as she tries to convey all of these thoughts and feelings through touch alone. Even though they both know it will be difficult, maybe this time they can make it work; maybe they can find their way back to each other and stay there. The future may not look bright right now, but at least together, they have hope.

She blushes deeply at your words and touch, her body responding even as she tries to focus on what it is you're saying. "I like how we can still be so close like this," she murmurs softly, curling herself closer against you. "I know it hasn't always been easy, but I want us to try and make things better... for both of us."

With a sigh, she closes her eyes, letting the comforting weight of your arm across her back lull her into a contented silence. It feels good just being here with you like this, feeling connected in ways that go beyond the physical realm; it gives her hope for their future together, however uncertain that might be.