Soapy Water and Shining Stars

Sybil and Tom had been going out for six years and married for three. When Tom had first told his family that he was in love with an English aristocrat, they had laughed at him and mocked him for "punching above his weight" and "aiming too high". They were trying to protect him from getting his heart broken – they had thought that no matter how infatuated Sybil was with Tom to start with, she would soon realise that he had nothing of substance to offer her and she would leave him broken hearted.

But as the years passed, the Bransons came to realise that they were wrong about Sybil. She may be a lady by name, but by heart she was on the same level as the Branson family. She fitted into their working class family seamlessly, until she was practically part of the furniture. Before long, the Bransons couldn't imagine a life without her. She and Tom had moved to Ireland shortly before their marriage, so that they were just a twenty minute walk from Tom's mother's house.

They often spent evenings gathered at Julie's house for a change of scene. Tom's younger brother, Jack, and sister, Marian, were still living at home, so it was the biggest and nicest house at which to gather everyone together, whether it be for a meal or just a chat over a steaming mug of tea.

Today, the whole Branson family had gathered there to celebrate Marian's seventeenth birthday. The Branson children had always been very close to one another. Ever since their father died when they were young, they had stuck together and had become each other's best friends. As the youngest of three, and the only girl, Marian was always protected by her elder brothers, despite the fact that sometimes all she needed or wanted was to be left alone. Now that Sybil had married into the family, she and Marian had become particularly close. If Marian ever felt like she needed to talk woman to woman, but didn't want to talk to Julie, Sybil was her first port of call. Thanks to Marian, Sybil had found out endless embarrassing stories about Tom's childhood, which she was storing up for when she needed a good laugh at her husband.

The family had eaten a birthday supper and were now sitting in the conservatory, feeling the worse for wear after haven eaten more than usual. Tom was sat at one end of the sofa, with his arm around Sybil, who was sat next to him, with her feet curled up beneath her. Jack and Marian were sat separately on the sofa opposite.

Julie walked slowly into the room, sat on her chair and said, "Right, there's a worryingly precariously balanced pile of dirty dishes in the kitchen. The dishwasher still hasn't been fixed, so I need a volunteer to do the washing up."

"I'll do it," Sybil said, as she stood up slowly, clearly reluctant to leave her husband's side.

"I'll help," Tom said, standing up next to her and taking her waist gently in his hands.

Marian laughed quietly from her seat on the sofa, which earned her a scowl from her mother.

"What?" Marian said defensively, putting her hands up in front of her in surrender. "They've been in love for over five years, and they still can't get enough of each other!"

"I'll remember that," Tom said, turning to look at his little sister, "and repeat it back to you when you're in love."

Sybil rolled her eyes with a smirk and took Tom's hand, dragging him out of the room.

"Come on," she said.

Once they had rounded the corner, and were standing in the middle of the small kitchen, Tom took Sybil's waist in his hands and pulled her in for a long, slow kiss.

"Marian's right," he whispered. "I still can't get enough of you."

Sybil smiled gently and drifted towards the sink. "Come on," she said. "We have a job to do."

"Fine," Tom sighed dramatically.

Sybil ran a sink full of warm water and added washing up liquid, creating bubbles in the water.

"How about I wash, you dry?" Sybil suggested.

"Sure," Tom said, taking out a tea towel from the drawer.

Sybil rather enjoyed washing dishes by hand. She found it oddly relaxing, especially when she had such a handsome sidekick next to her.

The two of them continued washing and drying until everything was done. Just as Sybil finished washing the last plate, she accidentally flicked a significant amount of water over Tom. He instinctually jumped back and Sybil bit her lower lip to fight back the laugh.

"Sybil!" he shouted, holding a laugh back himself.

"Sorry," she said, unable to keep the laugh in.

Tom lunged forward and dipped his hands into the bubbly water and splashed it towards Sybil.

"Hey!" Sybil shrieked. A smile spread wide across her face and she splashed him back.

Their antics continued back and forth until they were both completely covered in bubbly water. The floor was equally covered with water. Tom picked Sybil up, one arm around her back, the other behind her knees and spun her round as she wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him through their grins.

"What has happened here?" Julie said sternly as she stood in the doorway to her kitchen.

Tom quickly put Sybil down and they turned to face Tom's mother, looking sheepish and knowing they had made a mess of the kitchen and themselves. Despite the telling off they knew they were about to receive, they struggled to keep a straight face.

"You two are soaked to the skin," Julie said with a straight face. "Both of you clean up the mess and then you can each have a shower and borrow some of Jack and Marian's clothes so that you don't catch cold when you walk home."

"Yes, mam," Tom said, looking down at the floor, feeling like a naughty school boy, something he hadn't felt for years.

Sybil and Tom duly tidied up the mess and cleared the floor of soapy water, hardly speaking, and both feeling incredibly inferior, but not regretting their behaviour.

"I'm sorry I started all this," Sybil said after they had finally finished clearing up.

"I'm sorry I kept it going," Tom said, pulling her in for a kiss. "Go on, you have a shower first. I'll wait."

Sybil borrowed a towel and some clothes from Marian before hopping in the shower and washing the dirty, soapy water off her body. When Sybil came downstairs, her hair still dripping slightly, Tom was sent up to have a shower by his mother.

Despite the darkness of the evening and the chilly air, Sybil walked out into the back garden and stood with her arms crossed, her head tilted back to stare up at the stars through the clear sky. She must have been stood there for more than ten or fifteen minutes before anyone interrupted her.

"There you are," Marian said as she walked out of the house towards Sybil. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Sybil said. "Just contemplating life."

"Anything in particular," Marian said, standing next to Sybil and mirroring her stance, arms crossed, but looking across at Sybil rather than up at the stars.

Sybil looked down at the grass beneath her feet and sighed.

"I've been trying to find a way to tell Tom that I'm pregnant," she said, reluctantly looking up at her sister-in-law.

"Oh my God!" Marian shrieked, practically jumping back three feet. "Are you serious?"

Sybil nodded, biting her lip and knotting her brow.

"Serious about what?" Tom said, ambling out into the garden, a towel still in his hand to dry his hair.

"Uh oh," Marian said. "Sorry, Sybil."

Marian kissed Sybil on the cheek and swiftly scooted back into the house, leaving the married couple alone.

"What?" Tom asked worriedly, moving towards Sybil and taking her waist tenderly in his hands.

"Tom," Sybil said, taking his hands from her waist, and holding them between their bodies. "I love you."

"I love you too," Tom said quietly, "but what's up?"

"Tom," she said, not taking her eyes off his. "I've been trying to find a way to tell you and now seems like as good a time as any."

"Tell me what?" Tom said, the worry growing in his voice.

"I'm pregnant," she said, barely breathing. She wanted to gauge his reaction.

"You're… you're…" Tom spluttered, a look of disbelief on his face.

"Yes," Sybil said, a smile spreading across her lips. She raised herself slightly on her toes and kissed her husband's lips. "Are you happy?"

"Sybil, I," his eyes sparkled with a smile, "I've never been happier in all my life."

He cupped her cheek with his hand and kissed her deeply.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you more," she said.

"Not possible."

I hope you liked that little one-shot. Any review is more than welcome. I'd love to know what you thought of it.