Sleep Peacefully Read Online Free

I take off my jacket and shoes, dumping
them with my handbag at the bottom of the stairs. I pass the living room,
popping my head in where Josh sits far too close to our already massive TV,
fixated on some farmyard based cartoon. He is sipping away at a bowl of pink
strawberry ice cream. He doesn’t even acknowledge my presence when I say hello,
happy in his own little carefree world.
    Dan
is in the kitchen preparing what looks like a gorgeous meal. My belly gurgles
as I realise I am famished. I hadn’t eaten any breakfast this morning as I
couldn’t stomach it and lunch had slipped my mind. Dan looks up from the gas
hob, smiling as he notices me.
    “Hey
you,” he says in a faintly sympathetic tone, as he quickly moves to the
glass-fronted wine cooler and produces a chilled bottle of Pinot Grigio. He
presents it to me as if we were in a restaurant; a folded white tea towel slung
casually over his arm. I smile and nod back to him gratefully. I have already
told him the basics of the day, and I think that he can likely pick up from my
drowned rat status that I’m not in a particularly chatty mood at the moment. I
seat myself heavily on a dining room chair. Dan puts a large glass of wine on
the table in front of me, which I retrieve as it barely makes contact with the
surface of the table. I take a sip; it tastes dry and has a crisp, citrus
flavour. He gives me a kiss on the cheek and squeezes my shoulders tightly
before he returns to the oven, and I shake my head and chuckle at just how bad
a day I have had.
    Dan
dishes out dinner soon after, and I polish off the whole lot along with another
large glass of wine, while filling him in on the events of my day. I’m starting
to relax a little as he puts Josh to bed and prepares me a hot bubble bath. He
tells me that tomorrow is another day, and everything will seem a lot better in
the morning. He always knows exactly what to say to cheer me up, and is
generally right with his assumptions.
    The
bath is divine, and the sweet smell of lavender scented oils clears my head and
soothes me. The bubbles are nearly spilling over the lip of the tub, but the
hot water feels wonderful as it covers my still incredibly tense shoulders.
    My
mind wanders to how Jess would have acted in an interview like the one I had
today. She had been so tenacious, knowing what she wanted and how she would get
it. She had always been an assertive character, but never in a bad way. She had
a presence when she entered a room, it wasn’t uncommon for complete strangers
to feel a natural pull towards her, curious to know more. Sometimes I wish I
was more like that. My lack of confidence and insecurities have always been my
downfall, and I have a feeling that this will lead to a decline on the job
front today. Jess would have been offered the job instantly.
    I
can hear Dan downstairs talking on his mobile, his gentle yet authoritative
voice flowing through the hall and up the steps. Although he tries to escape
work when he is at home, sometimes it just isn’t that easy. Even though it’s
now quite late in the evening, and he is still dealing with business, it never
appears to faze him. He takes it all in his stride, and apart from the odd
stressful occasion he remains incredibly laid back. This sort of outlook has
propelled him upwards over the years, and he is now a senior partner at a
reputable law firm. He is fantastic at his job. He has earned so much respect
from all his work colleagues and is held in high regard by the company. He is
highly recommended and always gets good results for his clients. He works hard,
too hard, I sometimes fear. I have to admit next to him I feel inferior when
looking back at my own career, although he would hate me for thinking this way
about myself.
     
    Dan
and I had met through work. I decided after finishing college to skip
university and headed straight into full-time employment. I was independent,
and wanted to become self-sufficient; not have to rely on anyone other