Reality dealt me a huge blow on the twenty-seventh of May, two thousand and twenty. I woke up really early that morning so I could beat my husband and make him a cup of coffee instead.

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The previous night, I had insisted on sleeping in my room so I could set an alarm and wake up fifteen minutes earlier than he usually does and surprise him with a hot cup of coffee.

Of course, with enough milk and sugar. I'm not among the group of people who drink plain black coffee. Coffee time is like a ritual for me. It's something I can not do without.

And it's one of my rigid routines. My routines are usually flexible but whenever I wake up, I brush my teeth and have coffee before proceeding to take my bath. Taking coffee just leaves me clear-headed.

There was a day I woke up late and had to rush to work, which meant no coffee. I was grumpy throughout the day and finally calmed down after grabbing a cup of coffee from a nearby cafe.

Apart from coffee making me clear-headed, it also gave me the opportunity to spend time with my husband in the morning.

Sometimes, I'd close late and we'd be unable to have dinner together and the same applies when he closes late. But we wouldn't have to worry about not spending enough time because we already did in the morning.

So you see why coffee time held such dear memories for me.

My husband likes plain coffee with a little bit of sugar, so I hurriedly made two cups for us, closed it halfway, and went to wake him. I smiled mischievously as a thought flashed into my head.

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Instead of just waking him up, I got really close and patiently splashed my hot breath on him. He woke up with a mischievous smile and kissed me lightly before opening his eyes.

"You look especially beautiful this morning," he said in his husky voice, making me blush heavily.

"How bout we skip work today and just roll around," he flirted which got me blushing and shy. His morning voice could make one's ears pregnant.

"I'd love to.......but I think the wait is even more fascinating," I said, biting my lips flirtatiously.

"Your coffee is ready," I said and left. He came out a few minutes later after brushing his teeth.

"Sweetie, can you help me check up on Cole," he asked

Cole was our eight-year-old son.

"Ok," I replied and turned to leave totally oblivious to his anxious appearance.

I walked to Cole's door and was about to knock when I realized that it was a holiday and Cole was with the grandparents.

I laughed at my forgetfulness and returned to the kitchen noiselessly only to find Kayden pouring out the cup of coffee that I made.

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I felt hurt and was too shocked to say a word. I watched as he went to a secluded place in the cabinet and brought out a water dye.

I recognized it from tv because some influencers have used it in their prank videos.

"What are you doing?" I asked and watched as the cup in his hand fell and broke with a loud shattering sound and his face filled with guilt.

"I.....I ...er ....wanted to play a prank on you," he stuttered. I would have believed him if not for how guilty he looked.

"Kayden, don't lie to me. If you don't like the way I made it, I could make you a fresh cup," I said.

He was silent for a while before saying,

"I'm sorry Christine, I .......," The fact that he called me Christine already alerted me that something was wrong.

"You what?" I asked, getting nervous.

"I don't drink coffee," he said.

I laughed, very amused.

"You very good at pranks you know," I said, not believing a single word of what he just said

"I'm not joking," he said seriously.

Then it hit me with a bang.......... He doesn't like coffee but has been drinking coffee with me for ten years.

"You've been lying to me this whole time," I said, getting upset.

"I'm sorry. I was just scared of hurting you. I know you like coffee a lot and like this ritual of drinking coffee. That's why I didn't want to hurt you at all, I'm sorry," he said in one breath.

I wanted to be mad but couldn't even get mad

"I like coffee, yes.

But what I cherish most is that we get to spend time together every day. And we get to spend our first hour of the day together.

If you didn't like coffee, you could have just said so," I said with a slightly raised voice.

I carefully walked over to him, avoiding the bottles, and hugged him.

"I'm also sorry for not paying attention to what you really liked," I apologized sincerely and he hummed in reply.

"So, let's get to know each other afresh," I said

"Now I'm curious, if you don't like coffee, what do you like? Colored water?" I asked as we both burst out laughing.

"I like a hot mug of chocolate drink and pancakes," he said.

Although we've been married for ten years, that morning marked the beginning of really being married and I loved it.