At 5:36, they’re falling backwards onto her bed. He goes first and then she follows, slipping off her shoes and resting her head below his chin while her hands play with his tie. Exhausted from eight hours of paper, his hands move slowly around her back, roaming aimlessly. She absently touches the smooth silk of his tie to her cheek and smiles, moving herself up on his body a little more, trying to get comfortable. His legs are dangling off the end of the bed and his eyes are closed.

The light in the room is dim without the lamp or overhead on and just the sunset spilling in through the window pane on the opposite side of the room. She turns her head so she can look out the window where the green-gold trees are swinging their branches.

She feels his hands move again, letting her know he hasn’t fallen asleep. She turns her head again and kisses his jaw, his arms tightening around her, pressing her even closer to him. She kisses his chin and then the other side of his jaw and then his mouth. He kisses her back with startling fervor and now she finds herself gripping his tie as if it could anchor her, as if she isn’t already so far gone.

He lets her mouth go slowly and all she can do is sigh and keep her eyes closed. She tilts her head up and presses her nose to his cheek, breathing him in and whispering, “I’m so happy.”

His eyes open slowly and he looks down at her, sliding his hands up her sides. She feels them stop at her breasts but then he’s moving them back down and saying, “You have no idea,” before reaching for the hem of her blouse, pulling it up and over her head.

It’s 6:42 when they’re breathing again. It’s dark out and the green-gold trees and his face are just shadows now. She reaches out with her fingertips to touch his cheeks, make sure he’s really still there. She feels him smile, sees his teeth shining in the darkness of her bedroom.