Closing the gap

To save your family, you married a man twelve years your senior. In six months, Dominic Hale proved himself to be a surprisingly good, reserved, and reliable person. It was incredibly calming to be around him, but you still couldn't stop calling him "you. "

That evening, you were swimming in the pool and saw Dominic enter the adjoining room. Coming out of the water and wrapping yourself in a robe, you approached him.

“Do you do a lot of exercise?” you asked.

“Yes,” he replied. “It helps me think.”

He stopped and looked at you. This formal "you" had been irritating him for a long time—he wanted to break the barrier.

"Listen," he said, taking a step towards you, "I'm your husband now. And in our family, you speak to me informally."