The Young Couple: Lazy Sunday
Alex was deep in his dreams. He was not able to tell you what he was dreaming about, his dreams were often vague visages of sexual fantasies or action movies with himself self-inserted into the lead role. It was Sunday, the morning in which his usual schedule was to switch his TV on at 9am for political programs and drift in and out of sleep as he got angry at Tories. It wasn’t an extravagant morning, but he always enjoyed them, however, this one started differently.
He was barely conscious, but he felt the warmth of another person next to him. One of his arms wrapped around a soft stomach, the other under a neck with silk like hair laying on it, then that unmistakable feel of flesh pressed against his body, particularly fleshy near his groin. Alex, still unsure if he was awake or dreaming, stirred and tried to remember going to bed last night with someone and slowly realised he did not.
His… He wasn’t sure what to call her yet, Hazel, had went out last night with her friends he was pretty sure, so he sat up and watched a film, then tugged himself off and went to sleep, all in all a pretty decent Saturday night by his estimations. He cracked an eye barely open despite the fact they wanted to stay shut for at least another hour. He could make out the top of a head of hair in the darkness and a bare shoulder.
He moved his arm up towards the persons’ chest and squeezed a tit. Yep, that is definitely Hazel, his hands already able to recognise her breasts from feel and shape. He forced himself to get up and pulled his trapped arms out from under her, making her unconsciously stir and lay on her back, her pale torso fully exposed to him.
”Oi…” He whispered as he started to prod her face lightly, her rosy cheeks receiving his jab. He jabbed harder, ”Hazel?” He asked again.
She woke slightly from her slumber, ”Hmm,” was all she managed before fell back into silence. Alex shook her shoulders slightly, partly to wake but also partly because he was entertained in seeing her tits wobble, it is the simple things for men. ”Wake up!” which finally caused Hazel to turn on her side facing him and opening her eye slightly as she yawned.
”Hello,” she said through a tired slur.
”Good morning… What the fuck are you doing here?”
”Sleeping,”
”Aye, well done. No, in my bed,” he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. ”I’m sleeping in your bed obviously,” she answered with a smile. Hazel had realised quick one of her favourite activities to do with Alex was to infuriate him with cheek and attitude, she was like a fisherman with the amount of bait she threw out for him to bite onto. Alex didn’t take kindly to this though and gave her left nipple a hard pinch which woke up Hazel quickly.
”Ow, ow, ow!” She yelped as Alex held onto tightly to her nipple.
”You going to answer me properly?”
”Ow, yes, please, ah!” She spit out before he let go and as she rubbed herself to sooth the pain.
”Now what are you doing in my bed? I thought you were out, and how the fuck did you even get in?” He questioned as he reached for his remote to switch on the TV for this morning’s political shows, ”Well that is two questions for a start,” Hazel muttered, sitting up in the bed and tucking herself under Alex’s arm. ”Well we were out but you know clubs just aren’t my thing. We were out and Kayla got a message from Josh again-”
”Which one is Josh?” Alex cut in. Hazel had found herself a job working as a secretary at an office near the boxing club Alex trains at, this meant she’d been getting a whole new social circle of friends that Alex was having trouble remembering details of.
Hazel answered him laughing as she talked, ”The one with the tattoo of his ex’s name on his knee.”
”Oh yeah,” Alex laughed, ”that fucking idiot. Surely she knows not to mess around with that again?”
”Well that’s what I keep trying to tell her but she’s dickmatised I think. She said at the start of the night ‘never again’ and then within three hours she was jumping in bed with him.”
”Ok so, Kayla is accounted for, what about Rachel? I like Rachel.” Hazel made a noise of disgust, ”You would like Rachel.”
”The fuck does that mean?” Alex questioned.
”Firstly, she already told me about you and her cousin so don’t try and bullshit me on that one,” Hazel replied. Alex quickly responded, ”Hey, that was a long time ago, I’d almost forgotten about Cheryl.” Hazel eyed him, ”You forgot about having a sex with a girl in a bush?” Alex ran his fingers down through Hazel’s luscious mound, ”Not the only bush I’ve ever been near during sex.” Hazel giggled at that one and gave him a playful punch, ”But no, she said that it always seemed like you’ve got a type.”
Alex responded sharply, ”Beautiful women?”
”Sluts,”
”I do?”
”Yes,”
”Why?”
Hazel rolled her eyes, ‘Well given that nearly everyone I’ve met in this town knows about you and I’ve had multiple girls say they’ve been with you!” Alex turned to look at her, ”It is a small town, Hazel! Everyone knows each other.” Hazel smirked and looked up at him, ”Well it certainly doesn’t seem hard to go five minutes without finding a skirt you’ve chased! So go on then, how likely am I to meet a former ex of yours or something?” Alex couldn’t resist, ”I’ll fill you in on it later,” he said with a put-on sleazy leer.
Hazel rolled her eyes in such an exaggerated way they nearly became unscrewed and fell out, ”I can’t believe you just said that.” Alex laughed, ”Can’t you?”
”Actually yes, I can completely believe you would say that. You’ve got to get me a coffee or I’m never talking to you again,” Hazel said, pulling away from him and turning to face the other side of the room. ”Ok, fair enough.” Alex said, clambering out of bed fully nude and walked around the bed down by the foot so he could get to the bedroom door, but not before stopping at Hazel’s legs and reaching under the covers to grab her leg and pull her down towards him, ”Hey!” She protested and kicked out at him, only making Alex laugh more as she clambered back up to her pillows.
***
Alex walked back into the bedroom with two mugs of coffee, placing one on the coaster of Hazel’s bedside table and then walking around to place his on his side before climbing back into bed. ”Is her ladyship ready to talk again?” He asked. Silence, god it was good he liked her otherwise he would probably think she was the worst person in the world. ”Oi, Princess,” he said as he pulled her towards him, her face turning round with a big beaming smile before coming at him like a snapping viper, and kissing him on the lips, putting both hands around the back of his head and pulling him down on top of her while maintaining their locked lips.
Alex pulled away, ”Cheeky,” he called her, giving her a slight tap on the hip, more than a nickname than a descriptor at this point, ”Ok, so what happened last night?”
”Oh yeah, right. So basically, all the girls ended up just hanging around a club and since I’m not single-”
”You aren’t?”
”Fuck off. So I have literally no need to be there since I wasn’t planning on getting finger blasted by a stranger in a close and didn’t fancy being hanging today so left early. Didn’t fancy on being by myself either, so just came here and used the spare key to get in.” Alex regarded the information, ”When did I give you a spare key?” He asked.
”Oh you didn’t, I took the one you had hanging up.”
”Fuck you doing that for?”
”So I can get in dummy,” Hazel brushed off.
”Do you not think it is overstepping taking my spare key without saying?” Hazel reached under the covers, grabbed his cock and felt it immediately start to get harder in her hands, ”Are you complaining now?” Alex pulled himself away from her, ”Yes, I am. Hazel, you can’t just steal a bloody key to my flat.” She looked at him apologetically, pulled herself in and hugged his chest, ”Ok, sorry. I just, I don’t know. I like you.” She said this with her face buried in his chest muffling her speech.
”Well, that’s nice to hear. But still, you shouldn’t have,” Alex pulled her away, lightly grabbed under her chin and pulled her face up to meet his. Her eyes were tearing up and her bottom lip started to go, ”Ok… You can keep it,” Alex said. Hazel broke out into a smile as Alex used his other hands to wipe her tears away from the corner of her eyes, ”And just so you know, I like you too,” he said before bringing his head to hers for a kiss which they passionately fell into an embrace with.
”You want to…” Hazel said as she eyed him closely. Alex regarded her for a moment and looked at the TV, ”We absolutely can’t, not while the news is on,” he said as he looked at a cabinet minister being taken to task, which was pretty much dirty talk to Alex. Hazel sighed, crawled out from under Alex and reached for her coffee, taking a big sip after checking its warmth. He did the same, nice and lukewarm, just how he likes it.
”You do realise you have just given us both coffee breath when all I want to do is kiss your face off?” Hazel said, turning toward him after placing her mug down, ”Hey, it was you who nearly went all Bobby Sands without one,” he replied.
”Who is that?”
”He was an… It doesn’t matter, just don’t do a dirty protest in my flat and we’ll be chill.” Hazel rolled towards Alex, snuggled back under his arm as they sat together and watched TV with Hazel interrupting every minute to ask who a person was, not because she didn’t know, just to annoy Alex.
***
Alex and Hazel had managed to transition themselves from the bedroom to the living room, albeit not managing to get clothed and sharing the bed’s duvet as they laid on the sofa with the TV on. Alex commandeered the remote as they tried to figure out what they wanted to watch. ”All I’m saying is that I think you’d really enjoy Stranger Things!” Hazel argued at Alex. He gave a slight look of confusion at her, ”Really? It’s a bunch of daft kids fighting a load of aliens or something. And I hate Kate Bush.”
”That’s offensive.”
”How? To whom?” Alex exclaimed.
”Kate Bush!” Hazel yelled back. Alex sighed and continued on through Netflix’s endless catalogue, ”I honestly don’t know why I pay for this; it is mostly shite anyway.” He kept clicking through various things that didn’t interest him until he stopped on The Queen’s Gambit, Anya Taylor Joy catching his eye, ”How about this?” Hazel eyed it for a second, ”What is it about?”
”A lassie who is good at chess when everyone else is a bloke,” He replied.
”Fucking chess?” She almost shouted at him.
”What’s wrong with chess?” Hazel gave him a look which Alex understood immediately as ‘I will leave this flat completely nude if you make me watch a chess show’, ”Ok, fair enough.” Alex continued the search, both of them arguing for and against their respective choices for a while before Alex reached Wednesday with Jenna Ortega, ”You seen this?” He asked.
”Nope, I heard decent things though. It has the girl from Scream in it.”
”I saw the old Addams Family movies as a kid.”
”Were they in black and white?”
”Fuck off! You are only six years younger than me.” Hazel kicked him lightly under the duvet, ”I know, I’m only teasing. Did you have to rewind the VHS tape every time you watched them?” She giggled and moved up to Alex, giving him a cuddle under the duvet while he laid on the sofa for them to get comfy as he started the show. Their naked bodies pressed together in the warmth, and he could feel her pubic hair rub against his thigh, making him start to get hard. Alex gave Hazel a light kiss on the cheek as she let out a slightly tired yawn and closed her eyes, ”You still tired?” He asked.
”Yeah, a little. So, how many is it then?” Hazel asked him.
”How many what?”
”Girls have you been with that I am liable to meet,” Hazel said quietly. Alex had to think, he honestly didn’t know the answer, but to him it was a long time ago, mostly from his teenage years before leaving to uni. He looked at Hazel, ”Does it bother you?” She took a moment to think about it, ”No, I’m not jealous like that. It’s just… I don’t want to worry about you finding someone else,” she shrank down a bit after saying that. Alex could feel her worry, she was still young and still inexperienced and who knows what stories she was being told about him. He caressed her cheek slightly, ”Hazel, honey, you have nothing to worry about.” And she silently nodded and closed her eyes laying against his chest.
***
Hazel awoke to the sun shining in her face through the windows, the light hitting her eyelids and blinding her as she opened her eyes. She way laying under the duvet on the sofa, a pillow propped up under her head. Hazel sat up and rubbed her eyes to wake herself up. Alex seemed to have gone at some point while she was sleeping. She looked around the living room, no sign. She looked to the kitchen area in the corner, no sign. Standing up she walked into the bedroom, and he wasn’t there either, she was very fucking confused. She walked to the draw she had occupied with her clothes for staying over and got out a pair of pyjama shorts and a top to wear.
She walked back into the living room, grabbed the large duvet and dragged it back into the bedroom before throwing it onto the bed and properly making the bed. She knew Alex would undoubtedly comment on it later, but she was just too tidy to leave it and if he says something she can just call him a prick for it. She checked her phone, her friends had messaged her which she replied to before she heard a key in the door and Alex came walking in wearing his jeans and a t-shirt that showed off his muscles, she bit her lip and yelled, ”Hey!”
”Oh, somebody is finally up!”
”Yes, yes. Where have you been?” She looked at his hands, in one was a shopping bag and the other was a bouquet of flowers. Alex placed the shopping bag on the counter in the kitchen area before walking over with the flowers, handing them to her as he gave her a kiss on the lips, ”Well, you know, you did say you liked me so I thought I might get you a treat.” Hazel examined the flowers, she had no fucking clue what type they were, she had never been giving flowers before by a boy. The best gift Hazel had ever been giving was by her ex-boyfriend and that was not having to pay her share of the Maccies order.
”Thank you so much, cutie.” She smiled at him, inside she felt like her heart was going to explode, she knew already that her cheeks were going to be bright red, so she turned away from him towards the kitchen, ”Do you have a vase for these?”
”Yes, surprisingly, there is one in the top cupboard at the end.”
Her feet padded across the floor as she went to get it, ”Why do you have a vase?”
”Sometimes a man can like some flowers to brighten the place up!” He said as he rummaged through the shopping bag. Hazel took the vase to the sink and started to fill it with water and added the flower nutrients they came with. She turned the tap off and walked over to him, reaching up and running his hair through his short dark hair. He turned and smiled at her, ”I got you something else,” he pulled out a shiny key, ”I just got this cut for you,” then he dropped it in her hand.
”Oh, thank you so much,” she closed her palm around it and held it to her chest. She knew how much it meant to him to give her that, especially after what she had done which she still felt bad about. She walked over to her bag hanging off the coat rack next to the door and fished out the one she had taken before walking up and handing it to him, ”I’m sorry I took this.” Alex put the key on the kitchen counter and turned back to face her, ”Well, I can’t stay mad at you forever.” And then held her and kissed her deeply, his tongue making his way into her mouth.
Hazel looked at Alex and pulled away, ”Want to fuck?”
”…Okay,” her womanly charms still worked.
***
Alex with one hand motion grabbed Hazel’s top on the hem and pulled it up, her lifting her hands up to help get it off and he threw it over the room. Hazel’s tits wobbled as they escaped from the top, Alex instinctively taking them into his hands and sucking onto her nipples, he felt them harden in his mouth as he frequently swapped sides, saliva covering them as he sucked. Hazel lowered to pull her grey shorts down, ”No, not yet,” Alex told her. He grabbed her hand and led her to the sofa, sitting her down in the middle while he took off his clothes.
Sitting next her on the sofa fully nude, Alex wrapped his left arm around her back, while he started to kiss her neck, fully aware of how much Hazel got turned on by that. She was already starting to moan before he took his right hand and lowered it down into her shorts, her body trembling with the realisation of where he was going. His fingers passed through her bush and found their target, her pussy already feeling wet as he slid his fingers through her lips, brushing her clit and getting a gasp from her as he did so. Hazel turned to Alex, ”Fuckkkk,” She let out as she looked into his eyes as he continued to play with her pussy. Staring into her eyes Alex could only see a mixture of both lust and affection, and he hoped that she could see the same back. He had truly never felt this way for a woman in his life before, realising that even though he had told people before he loved them, he realised there was a shameful dishonesty compared to what he felt for Hazel.
Hazel swung her legs over Alex and mounted him, her tits hanging in front of his face, Alex didn’t know why but he just can never get enough of breasts when they are in front of him. ”I want you to fuck me,” she said in a pleading tone. Alex wanted to, he truly did, but Alex new better than to just give her what she wanted right away, Hazel was terrible when she doesn’t get what she wants, and Alex fully planned to use this to his advantage. He placed his hands on her arse cheeks and squeeze them while looking into her eyes, he could see in her how much she wanted him, ”Oh really? And why do you deserve that?” He asked.
”Please, come on, you know you want to…” She slowly bucked her hips against his leg, her shorts showing an obvious wet patch where her pussy was aching for him. Alex exaggeratedly pretended to think, ”Hmm, I don’t know if you deserve it, I mean you have been a bad girl.” Hazel leaned close to him, her hands caressing his chest and shoulders, ”But maybe you want to punish me… For being such a naughty girl.” Alex began lifting his leg slightly, increasing the pressure on her crotch, knowing it would only entice her further, he leaned next to her ear and whispered, ”You’ll have to do better that that.” He pulled away and leaned back against the sofa with a smug grin on his face.
Hazel looked back at him, she couldn’t help but crack a slight smile at the challenge he was providing her, she leaned down and started kissing his neck, ”But you know,” She started breathing heavily as she spoke, ”If you don’t punish me now, then I’ll just keep being such a naughty girl…” She lightly bit into the lower section of his neck. Alex reacted with a sharp yelp and pulled away; Hazel knew the nightmare that a hickey would provide him at work, but it seemed she bit low enough that his shirt collar would cover it. Alex looked at her and met her eyes, she was ready.
Alex placed his hands under Hazel’s thighs and stood up, lifting her with him. She made a noise of surprise and clung onto him, he turned and dropped her onto the sofa leaving her staring up at him. Alex grabbed the waistband of her shorts and squeezed and pulled hard, the shorts fabric making a ripping sound but not fully tearing apart, so he yanked again. Hazel was taken back in surprise and looked up at him as he threw the material that used to be her shorts away into the room somewhere, leaving her completely exposed. Hazel changed her reaction very quickly, however, and spread her legs wide, exposing her pretty pink pussy to Alex, obviously wet and ready to take his length inside her.
She did not have to wait long as Alex quickly positioned himself in front of her, his cock hard and waiting to penetrate. He leaned in and pressed his cock head against her wetness, her eyes opening and breathing increasing as the tip of his head pressed inward. Hazel’s legs aided Alex as they wrapped around his waist, just above his buttocks and pulled him inward further, he remained on his feet but squatted down further to push himself inward, feeling the warmth of her pussy more as his cock ventured further. He placed one hand on her smooth but slightly jiggly thigh, and the other he ran through her luscious hair, his fingers wrapping around her head as he brought her in for a kiss, their lips and tongues frantically entwining. He started to motion his hips up and down, producing moans from Hazel as he fucked her, her hands squeezing against his body, her nails digging in, but he did not mind a bit.
He increased his pace; he didn’t want this to be slow and seductive, he wanted this to a hard fuck. Hazel let out a long moan as Alex rhythmically started pounding with long strokes, ”Fuck, you are-,” she let out a loud gasp as he upped his pace, ”You are amazing, please don’t stop, please, please don’t stop.” Alex was getting slightly exhausted and could feel the sweat starting to form on his body, but he did as she requested, squeezing her thigh hard and securing his legs against the sofa for more leverage, he continued thrusting into her which only drew louder and louder moans and various swears, at this point he too was audibly panting and couldn’t help but give away his pleasure, Hazel’s pussy just had the right level of tightness to make him feel its grip but also leeway to let him fuck her hard.
”Fuck… baby, fuck your pussy is just too good,” Alex exclaimed, feeling his balls continually slap against her arse.
”Keep going, I want you so much, I want you so much,” Hazel let out, her pale body getting red as she was getting more exerted from the pounding she was receiving. Alex felt the pressure building inside his cock, he was going to cum if he kept going. He held on to just the last minute, let out a loud shout and pulled himself out of Hazel completely, although he was truly tempted to just instead go as deep as he could and unload inside of her.
”Get up,” he breathlessly said to Hazel as he grabbed her hand to aid her. She complied and they lunged into a tight embrace to kiss. Their bodies both covered in sweat and other fluids, making them slap together, Hazel’s hair sticking to her back and shoulders as Alex led them over to the kitchen counter. He spun Hazel around and lightly pushed her down onto it, her waist bent over leaving her arse protruding in front of him. He gave her arse cheek a light slap and used his foot to kick in between her legs to get her to spread wider. Hazel reach over the counter and grabbed the edge of the other side to steady herself as Alex placed his hands on her hips and got his cock ready to enter her from behind. He thrust in and he instantly re-felt the pleasure he had before when he was fucking her, that was yet to ever wear off when it came to sex with Hazel. Her head was turned to the side her pants were slightly muffled but increased in volume as he upped his speed, her shorter height making it easier for him to thrust into her as he was coming in from a downward angle.
His waist kept slapping against her fleshy butt, her cheeks recoiling every time he slammed against them. He would occasionally pull himself out for a longer period of time to slap her arse cheeks, a very clear red handprint showing on her pale skin, she would be reminded of this every time she sat down for a few days, but Alex knew that was just as likely to get her turned on and wanting him more. He continued to fuck her rapidly, and although Alex did consider himself quite fit, he was beginning to tire. To keep her turned on while he slowed himself slightly, took his right hand and wrapped it under her, pressing his finger against her clit. He felt her moan as he slowly fucked her and began massaging her clit, his finger feeling how wet and slick her entire vaginal area was. Hazel called out to him, ”Thank you, right there, please just keep going, I’m going to-” He upped his pace ever so slightly hearing that, causing her to let out a moan. Sweat was dripping from his body onto her back, but Alex kept going, he was determined to make his girlfriend orgasm. Did he just think of her as his girlfriend for the first time?
He couldn’t focus on that as he felt her body begin to tremble, he continued his pace and his fingered swirled her clit quicker, her panting increasing, ”Ah, yes please, I’m going to- Ah! I can feel myself-” He felt her shuddering increase, her legs shaking like a boxer about to go down for the count, he finally heard a climatic moan and a sudden freeze as she lifted herself back onto his cock as far as it would go, he wanted to cum but the exhaustion had somewhat deterred him from that so he couldn’t match her orgasm. She shook slightly as her moans died down, almost collapsing under Alex, but he managed to grab her and keep a hold as she settled herself, finding her footing. He let go as she stood and turned at him, her face red from exhaustion and the kitchen counter covered in her sweat. They look into each other’s eyes before slowly coming together to kiss. Alex couldn’t help but admit his heart warmed whenever they kissed like this, his feelings for her were at this point undeniable, he truly was falling deeply for her.
”You didn’t cum,” Hazel said pulling away and wrapping her arms around his neck, leaning back.
”No, I was a bit distracted,” Alex admitted, still trying to catch his breath.
”That’s ok,” Hazel reached down with one hand and grabbed his cock which was still hard, ”I can help with that.” She lightly gripped it and pumped her hand backward and forward; she had been practicing her technique on him after he admitted to her she was somewhat weak at hand jobs when they met.
”You did so well today sweetie,” Hazel told him, maintaining a deep eye contact while having a soft tone in her voice. ”I feel so alive whenever you do that to me, you make me feel so special.” She had increased her hand movement and grip strength slightly, all without breaking eye contact, ”I’m so lucky to have you baby, I’m so lucky you are all mine.” Alex was struggling not to explode all over her hand, onto probably the kitchen counter and the carpet under them, his knees feeling like they may buckle at any moment. He was unable to stop his moans from escaping as he looked at Hazel, she was clearly enjoying seeing him this weak as she let a broad smile spread across her face, still without breaking eye contact. ”Are you ready to cum now, baby?” She looked at him with the expression of someone who asked him how many sugars he liked in his coffee, ”…Yes” He finally was able to let out, ”Good,” She replied.
Hazel dropped down onto her knees suddenly and took the tip of Alex’s cock into her mouth, her tongue quickly swirling the head inside. That was all it took for Alex to give a climatic moan and for his cock to burst, his orgasm making him need to grab the kitchen counter to steady himself. He felt the ropes of cum shooting out inside Hazel’s mouth, but she quietly just continue to hold him in place. He finished and pulled away from her, moving backward and finding the sofa arm to sit on. Hazel casually standing up and wiping her mouth, swallowing the remnants of his ejaculation down her throat. She’d swallowed some of his cum in the past but never to that amount before, but she did so like it was a casual drink of water, or milkshake might be a more fitting metaphor he realised.
Hazel strode over to him and the two embraced quietly, Alex resting his head against her shoulder and Hazel rested hers against his. They just stood their quietly, taking in the moment, feeling their breaths and calming down of a wild sex session. Both mentally and physically drained, he had begun to love her, he truly had, this wasn’t some one night stand extended a month or two, this was a true connection. Alex did not know how to honestly handle that. Hazel broke away, ”We should probably shower and clean up,” she said softly.
”Yeah,” was all Alex could really say with the emotions circling his brain. She turned to walk away, ”Hazel,” she turned to look at him, ”If you want, feel free to bring more of your stuff up to keep here.”
She broke out into a wide smile, ”Thank you, but you also owe me some new shorts, you big dafty.”
End of Lazy Sunday
Author’s Comments: Hello everyone, just thought I would say some stuff regarding my plans for this series. I was able to get the turnaround on this one done fast as I published the first part a few weeks after it was finished, but the next part might take slightly longer as it isn’t started, and I have a busy personal life at the moment. I also have named the series The Young Couple, it’s hardly A Song of Ice and Fire but it’s a pretty apt title. I’ve tried to up the romance in this work and the relationship will be built with every part published. I have only written three stories in total since deciding to take up this new hobby, so you’ll definitely notice some rookie errors here and there but hopefully I’m a fast learner. This story is planned to have five parts total at least for now before I move I relaunch a series I have been planning to do when I become more confident as a writer. Any thoughts and comments are deeply appreciated and thank you for taking the time to read this!