The morning unfolded like any other. I was straightening the sheets, smoothing out the wrinkles in our bed, when something odd caught my eye.
Nestled beneath my husband’s pillow, scattered across the pale fabric of the mattress cover, were tiny, dark brown specks.
They were minuscule—barely noticeable at first—but once seen, impossible to ignore. A handful at most, but they sent a jolt of dread through me, sharp and immediate.
My breath caught in my throat.
My mind leapt to the worst. Could it be insect eggs? Or even worse—some kind of parasite nesting under our heads while we slept, unknowing?
A cold, sick feeling settled into my stomach as flashes of worst-case scenarios reeled through my imagination: bedbugs, mites, jungle-borne horrors with too many legs.
Panic bubbling beneath my skin, I turned to my husband, still half-buried in the blankets, and scanned his arms, his neck, his face. No rashes. No bites. Nothing.
He opened one eye lazily, blinking at me with that half-sleepy, slightly amused expression only someone deeply unaware of potential bug infestations can manage.
I forced myself to breathe, to slow down. Curiosity overrode fear.
I reached for one of the specks, carefully pinching it between my fingers. It was dry, a little crumbly. I brought it up close, squinting, examining its surface in the morning light.
There was something… familiar about it. Something almost appealing.
Found these tiny brown specks under my husband’s pillow and couldn’t figure out what they were—until I looked closer.
I lifted it to my nose—and there it was. That unmistakable, warm scent: chocolate. Rich, sweet, and just a hint of buttery dough. I paused, stunned by the realization.
Cookie crumbs. Chocolate chip cookie crumbs.
That man. That ridiculous, lovable man. He had clearly snuck a midnight snack in bed—again—and this time hadn’t even bothered to clean up after himself.
He’d just curled up and gone to sleep on a scatter of dessert shrapnel like nothing happened.
I laughed. Not a polite chuckle—a full, loud, body-shaking laugh that startled him fully awake.
He blinked. “What? What’s so funny?”
Still laughing, I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye and replied, “Oh, nothing. I just briefly thought you were hiding a nest of bed bug eggs under your pillow as a surprise.”
Found these tiny brown specks under my husband’s pillow and couldn’t figure out what they were—until I looked closer.
Now he’s washing the sheets. And making me coffee.