The twenty-five year old woman laid in the dark, in her shorts and tank top, still staring at the ceiling. At that very moment, it was exactly three forty-two, and it had been an hour to the second since she tried to fall asleep. But she couldn't. Why, you may ask? Because she didn't want to miss any moment of watching her husband next to her.

The twenty-six year old man had on the sweatpants, the ones that his wife loved to see him in so much, with a worn white t-shirt. The fabric was steadily wearing away in the shirt, his broad shoulders more pronounced than usual. His chest rose with every breath he took...slowly...gradually... His facial features were illuminated by the moonlight seeping through the cracks of the windows, framing his face like the beautiful picture it was. His eyelashes were dark and long, highlighting his cheekbones. His expression was priceless, like the innocent little boy he was. He looked so precious, fragile, and this was a state she rarely saw her husband. He was always tough on the outside -- invincible, he seemed to have to be.

But the young man was like everyone else when he was asleep: vulnerable, dainty.

And it made her love him even more.

However, the young woman hated to miss this time of night. She would be wasting these moments by sleeping when she could be studying his features, watching as he breathed rhythmically. Holding in her breath, she scooted closer to the sleeping person beside her, barely touching him.

The young man's back was to her, sleeping on his side. Entranced by the beauty of her husband, the young woman wrapped her arms around him, pressing her body against his. To her surprise, he pulled her on top of him, then let her down so that his left arm was around her shoulders as he was on his back. This startled the young woman, so her heart was racing at quite a speed. But instead of wondering what had happened, she just nuzzled her head into his side even more.

The young woman slipped an arm around her husband's waist as well, placing her right arm on his stomach, stroking it with her index finger in a steady pace. After a few minutes, when his heartbeat slowed down a little, she confirmed he was asleep. Yet she continued to trace along his stomach. She closed her eyes, moving her wrist around mindlessly, drifting off a little.

She sucked in a breath, opening her eyes immediately to find her husband holding her hand to his lips, the man looking directly at her. He smiled through the dark, his eyes still locked with hers, and then kissed her fingers. Each and every one of them.

He placed them back on his stomach, keeping his hand on them. The young woman slipped her wrist out of his grip reluctantly, and started to stroke her husband's middle some more. Once again, she told herself that he was asleep, but this time she assumed for real.

The young woman pressed the side of her head on his stomach, sighing comfortably. She closed her eyes one more time and, mindlessly, traced with her index finger three words on his t-shirt.

"I love you," whispered her fingers against the soft fabric of his shirt.

To her surprise, she was pulled closer to her husband, his arms tightening their grip of her small body. She was pressed up against the young man, her eyes widening, the young woman startled.

He placed his lips by her ears, his breath tickling her skin. The young man's words floated in the dark, echoing off the walls. Even though he said it so soft, so quietly, she didn't have to strain to hear. She hear it just fine, even if it was so gentle, and it formed goosebumps on her skin.

"I love you too," he whispered back, kissing his wife's ear. He inhaled before nuzzling his face into her neck, making her catch her breath once again. This time, she pulled away, a smile on her face when she registered what had happened.

The young woman was able to look the young man in the eyes, even though it was very dark. She just stared and stared, wondering what was going to happen next. This time, she rested back in position, where she was against his side comfortably. The two held onto each other with tenderness, not once letting go.

And then, satisfied, the young woman finally drifted to sleep, the young man doing the same.

Just a little romantic scene between a man and a woman, inspired by the quote:

"As we sat on the couch, in the dark, I traced my finger on his back. Mindlessly, I traced the words, 'I love you.' Suddenly, he turned over and looked at me. He smiled and said, 'I love you too.' "