side by side.

We lie in bed, side by side. He sits with a book open on his lap, reading about food and cooking, passions of his. I lay beneath the sheets, my eyelids heavy and my mind content. The silence is comforting. Him, I can be in silent with comfortably, listening to him as he digests the material he's studying.

It's 2:39 am, I worked the dinner shift and got home around eleven o'clock, after having had a stop off for a drink and a snack with him at one of our places. I'd say eleven is a typically acceptable time to go to bed, some would argue it's late, but in our world it's many things but time to fall asleep. We can't. It's too soon for the day to end.

It's 2:48 am and my eyelids are weighted, fighting to focus on the music that plays softly from my phone's speakers. He sits beside me, scanning pages and fingering through them, speaking out loud as he reviews what he's read, what interests him. He talks about the things that have gained his extra attention.

He suddenly has a thought that makes him smile; an idea for a dish. He feels comfortable in a kitchen. He doesn't use recipes, he rather enjoys tasting the cuisine of others and learning about food regardless of the source of information. He wants to understand various cultures and the way they cook, so he seeks knowledge on techniques, tools, and ingredients. His skill is enhanced by his understanding and his keen palate, allowing him to recreate dishes and create original recipes.

He turns another page and I could easily fall asleep. But I don't. I'm not ready for today to be over. Moments like this make my heart smile. And that is something I cherish, these seemingly insignificant moments that I'd never give back.