Nancy and Anton

It was the third day of non stop snow. The light outside became dim, and the sky was the last shade of violet before secoming to the black. Nancy wiped her hands dry from the last of her dish cleaning. The house they had moved into was a very small farmhouse outside of town, with white muted paint that had its outer coat chipped away.
 Anton brought in the firewood they would need for the evening and morning and slid off his snowpacked boots.
 Nancy walked towards him and removed the scarlet scarf she knitted for him from his neck and hung it up along with his beanie.
 "Awww that's better" Anton sighed, setting the logs down beside the hearth. "Thank you Dear".
Anton collapsed into his chair as his legs sent waves of relief up into his body.
Nancy loved when Anton called her pet names, so far "dear" was as good as it got.
"How were the ladies?" Nancy teased.
"They all have been fed and their heaters flipped on" Anton removed his socks and prompted his feet onto the ottoman he had carved, with a deep satisfied exhale.
Nancy brought him a glass of water and laid a hand on his shoulder. "...What about Mr.bajoues?" she inquired. "He's enjoying his last supper I suppose" Anton let out a dark chuckle. "Well...I never like to see them go, so be kind to him.." Nancy always got attached to their hog every year, always. "I know, Jims gonna help me with him tomorrow, and he gets ham for his trouble." Anton finally gulped down his glass of water, as Nancy took it for a refill. Nancy placed the glass on his side table and kept reading a book she was in the middle of. Nancy tried not to think of the poor swine in his little shelter unknowingly eating his last meal. But she did like cooking with pork in the winter months, she remembered her classes from sterling, then resumed reading her book about quilting ideas.
Anton trifled through that day's mail, and cross referenced his market sales to his fuel needs for the month, and determined that there would be some extra money left over, and with Christmas coming up, he wanted to buy Nancy something special, he would get her something for Christmas and then her… birthday? Anniversary? He wasn't quite sure what to call it yet.

 The last embers of the fire glowed orange in the darkering living room as Anton let out a long yawn. Nancy always found yawns cute and fascinating, because they were an unconscious signal to other things saying they were tired,that concept made her smile.
 "Time for bed Anton?" "Mhmmm" he replied, rubbing his eyes and standing up. "Common sleepy, let's get to bed then," Anton adored when Nancy did nice little things for him.
 This had been their first  year living together, and they had really made it their home. Anton entered a contest in a magazine to win a new tractor, he instead got third place and won Nancy , she had arrived just a few days after christmas.
 He remembered how he wanted to send her back or trade her off to somewhere else, how embarrassed he was at first to have her around his part time farmhands or neighbors. The thought of him "Owning" her and sending her away now made his skin crawl, this was just as much her farm as it was his, even if the law didn't see it that way.
  Anton removed his high wool socks, unbuttoned his shirt, and kicked off his pants as he was embraced by the hot water of the shower. Lathering up and feeling all the dirt sweat and stress go down the drain.
 Nancy got ready for bed a little differently, she removed her sweater and high waisted jeans. Nancy wore to bed creme colored pajamas with thin lined green plaid. She wore them not only because she thought they were cute, but because they made her a little softer in bed. She often gave her hair a little spritz of perfume, the kind Anton said he liked when they were out at a big department store a few months back.
 Anton slipped on a pair of Underpants and a shirt and stepped out of the bathroom, he finished his cup of water and went up the stairs.
They were small stairs, only wide enough for one person at a time.
He settled into the sheets and the blankets made by Nancy. Nancy joined him shortly after. She scooted next to him and laid her head onto her pillow. They had only shared a bed in winter time to keep eachother warm, they never snuggled or were romantic out right in any way.
"Hey, don't forget to plug in tonight" "Shut up…. that was only one time!"  "Yeah I thought you  died remember?" Nancy shook her head.  "That's stupid, YOU'RE stupid, I just shut off I dont…. die" she poked him in the ribs.“Aah! hey hey okay jeez..”
 Their eyes met. Anton let out a smile and laughed. “What? What?” Nancy inquired. “Nothing! I'm just.. I'm Glad you're here with me” Nancy's cheeks flared up. “I'm glad I'm here with you too…. I'm glad you won me” Antons nose srtcuhed in disgust. “Eww no Don't say it like that… I don't...own you” Nancy laughed as she plugged herself in and faced him again. “Of course you do what do you mean?”  “No No… I don't see it that way at all, you're my partner, I help you and you help me, I don't ever give you orders do I?” She smiled, “No...you dont” “You're not property to me, okay? You're my friend…” Nancy's lip trembled, she struggled to formulate anything beyond a syllable. Anton pulled her into him and she buried her face into his chest. “Nancy, you mean so much to me okay?” Nancy nodded in his chest. “Heyyyy what's wrong?” She looked up, “Thank you…” He felt a warmth in his soul and he finally worked up the courage to say it. “I love you” she laid her head on his chest and felt a wave of comfort, and validation. “I love you too” the layed there for a while, taking in what they had said and drifting off to sleep warm with one another as the snow piled up outside.