Later that evening, after dinner and a few distracted conversations about the dullness of their routines, Josh and Danielle found themselves in bed. The house was quiet except for the soft hum of the air conditioner. Josh lay on his side, his back to Danielle as he stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. Danielle, on the other hand, was flipping through a magazine, though her eyes barely seemed to land on any words.
Josh shifted, pulling the small bone from his pocket again. He rubbed it absent-mindedly between his fingers. It had a strange effect on him—like it was soothing and stimulating all at once. He had half the mind to ask Danielle if she thought it was... something more than it seemed, but he didn't. She was never one for the mystical or mysterious.
"You know," Danielle suddenly said, breaking the quiet, "I really think we need to spice things up a bit." She tossed the magazine aside, propping herself up on her elbows to look at him. "I don't know how to fix this... whatever this is between us."
Josh sighed, turning toward her with a small smile. "We’ve talked about this. I don't think either of us has the energy for 'spicing up' these days."
Danielle frowned, but her expression softened quickly. She reached over, gently running her hand across his chest. "It’s just... we used to have fun. You know? It felt like every day was an adventure, even when we were just sitting on the couch, watching TV." She sighed deeply. "Now it feels like we're just going through the motions."
Josh looked at her, wondering if this was a cry for help or just the frustration of the daily grind creeping into their lives. He didn’t know what she needed, or what he needed. Maybe they both needed something different.
Danielle let out a small, wistful laugh. "Maybe we need to get a little dramatic, like one of those soap operas. You know, where people yell at each other, and there's passion, and all those ridiculous misunderstandings? Just... something that feels alive."
Josh raised an eyebrow. "You want us to turn into a soap opera?"
She shrugged, her voice growing a little more playful. "Yeah, maybe. What do we have to lose? If things are already stale, why not make them ridiculous?"
Josh chuckled, not thinking much of it. But as he did, something about her words seemed to settle in the air, a little heavier than usual. Something about the way she said it felt... real. But before he could respond, he heard her mutter under her breath, "I wish our marriage was like one of those soap operas. At least it’d be exciting."