The rays from the morning sun penetrated through the glass windows, chasing away the morning cold with its subtle heat. A slither of light that slipped through the gap of my lids caused me to wince, prompting them to close immediately as it triggered me to arouse from my slumber. Blinking a few more times, my vision soon adjusted to the surrounding brightness.
"Good morning." I greeted, seeing Nathan too, struggle to open his tired eyes. With my back against the couch, I soon came to realize that our positions were switched, with me on the inside and Nathan on the outside.
"Morning, princess." Nathan hummed, nestling me closer to him as I rubbed my head into his chest, causing him to burst out in laughter. "You're tickling me with your hair, darling."
"I see you two are having a good morning!" A cheery voice pulled our sweet morning to a halt as our heads shot up to where the noise came from; only to be startled with both my parents staring down at Nathan and I as we exchanged our intimate moments.
Apparently, the peculiarity in their gaze was enough to send Nathan rolling off the sofa and onto the floor, taking the blanket with him to cover himself as if he wasn't wearing any pants.
"M-morning John, morning Helen." He stuttered, cheeks flushing in a bright vermillion shade. His ruffled and messy hair together with his half-unbuttoned shirt sent me into a snickering mess.
"You two didn't..." Dad asked with a slight frown as he pointed between Nathan and I. Soon coming to the realization about what he meant, it was finally my turn to have the same shade of red appear on my face.
"NO!"
"NO!"
We both shouted in unison, furiously shaking our heads.
"Alright, a simple 'no' would suffice. There is no need to shout in the early morning." My dad said, wincing at the noise as he rubbed a finger against his ear. "I'm getting a cup of coffee." He continued, before guiding my mom by the waist as they entered the kitchen for breakfast.
"I better get going." Nathan said, clambering for his coat before pulling it over his shoulders.
"Good idea." I hastily replied, still feeling embarrassed.
"Hold on a minute, Nathan!" Mom called out, rushing to him as he was now halfway out the door. "Please eat this on the way home. It's not good to start off the day with an empty stomach."
"Thank you, Helen." Nathan received the package of sandwich, neatly stuffed with a mix of tomatoes, ham, and egg mayonnaise before showing a grateful smile. "And thank you for letting me stay the night."
"It's no problem," dad spoke, sauntering over to the three of us as he brought the cup of coffee to his lips before sipping on it. "We hope to see you soon."
"Will do."
As soon as the door closed behind us, Nathan and I strolled out on the porch, saturating our lungs with the freshness of the morning breeze. At the back of my head, I knew for a fact that there was without a doubt that my parents were scrutinizing our every movement from behind the curtain covers.
"Seems like you've won over my parents." I teased, not caring if we were under watch.
"Like I said, I don't need luck. I only need you by my side." I giggled, pushing myself into him while leaning my head towards his touch as he brushed his thumb over my cheek. I could never go a day without his touch nor his kisses. I was drunk for him.
"You know that your parents are still looking, right?" He questioned, lifting his eyebrows. But this only encouraged me to crush myself deeper into him, to the point where there were no gaps between us both.
"I don't care." I muttered, pulling him down for a quick kiss.
Geez, talk about morning breath...
"Your breath stinks." I complained, swiftly pulling away.
"Mine? You should smell yours. It definitely doesn't smell like a bed of roses." He retorted while pinching his nose, earning a scoff from me.
"Shut up!" I retaliated.
"By the way, close your eyes."
"Why?" I asked, eyeing suspiciously at him with my now furrowed brows.
"Just do it." He ordered.
"Fine." I did as he suggested, only to feel something cool latch around my neck within the next few seconds.
"Okay, you can open them now."
Reaching towards my chest, I traced over the pendant that felt like a shape of a teardrop, but when I looked down, all I could catch sight of, were the patterns on my pajamas.
I need to go on a diet.
"You can look at them later in the mirror. I mean, with the layers of fat under your chin, who would?" The smugness in his comment prompted me to smack hard against his chest.
"I'm joking!" He uttered between laughs as he proceeded to catch my wrist, returning to utter seriousness.
"May this stone seal my devotion and faithfulness to you. Not just in this life, but in the life to come." The intensity of his gaze swallowed me whole as I felt a touch of warmth upon my temple. Softly, his lips soon descended on my nose, then to my lips. "I'll see you later."
"See you."
As the car whirred off into the distance, I traced back into the house and downed myself a warm shower. My attention drew to the dainty red gem that hung from a fine gold chain, with three gold prongs supporting the top and two at the bottom sides of the crimson jewel. And there, glimmering brightly above the ruby was a small and exquisite round-cut diamond. It was a simple yet gorgeous; a timeless piece.
He made my morning routine so much better. It felt as if he was right by my side.
Those pleasant thoughts were interrupted by the boisterous chime from the phone. Like a mole, I dug for the device among the sea of possessions I had messily tucked away in my working bag.
Hugo?
Was the name that was displayed.
"Hey Hugo!" I chimed, hoping that he hasn't sacrificed his sleep just so that he could complete the items for the exhibition.
"Good morning, Ava!" He greeted, sounding in good spirits for particularly a cold morning like this. "Hey listen. I've finished assembling jewelry and-"
"Already?!" The loud shriek must have hurt his ears from the other side of the line. "But it hasn't even been a week since I've handed you the diamonds."
"Yeah, I know. I can get pretty engross when it comes to my profession." I could feel Hugo chuckle sheepishly over the line. "Anyway, I was about to make a trip to Estelle today to deliver the products. But it turns out that that silly little nephew of mine just decided to unexpectantly pop into town and he is here to stay with me for a few days. So, I've got my hands tied-"
"Don't worry!" I assured him, "I'll swing by later."
"Thank you, Ava!" He cheered. "I apologize for any inconvenience."
"There's no need to be sorry. It's really no trouble at all."
"Well then, I'll see you later."
"Sure thing!"
As soon as the line went dead, I dropped the phone in my bag, making sure that I had informed my supervisor of my late arrival before heading down for breakfast; the same ones that mom had prepared for Nathan.
Gobbling the sandwich took less than two minutes before I was fully energized and packed with enough nutrients. But of course, my mornings were never complete without a cup of coffee, a daily dose of strong and aromatic caffeine to help kickstart the day.
***
"That was quick!" Hugo, who had casually donned a simple shirt and shorts, greeted me at the door, pushing it wider for me to enter.
It was a lucky day. The traffic was low, and the bus had arrived sooner than I had expected. Furthermore, there were lesser passengers from the usual day as well. What would have taken an hour to reach was shortened by half.
"Well, I am pretty fortunate with the traffic today." I answered, removing my coat as Hugo led me to the living area before I took my seat.
"Ava dear. Have you taken your breakfast? Would you like some cookies?" Martha lovingly called out while standing at the entrance of the kitchen.
"Sure! I'd love to." A huge smile played as she skipped back into the kitchen.
"I'd like some cookies too!" Hugo shouted in the direction of the kitchen, looking excited at the thought of a morning treat. "Give me a minute, Ava. I'll get the stuff."
Soon after he was gone, I could feel my mouth water as the smell of freshly baked biscuits drifted from the kitchen to where I was sitting. It was not a minute later when Martha was seen approaching the living room with a tray in her hand, placing two cups of tea and a plate filled with an assortment of cookies.
One of the many things that I have learned while visiting Hugo, was the marvelous cookies Martha baked. Like me, Hugo too, was a huge fan of her many pastries; and the one that topped it all, was her strawberry peppercorn and classic chocolate chip cookies.
Though it was not the festive season, her strawberry peppercorn flavor would never fail to have a star, Christmas tree, or even a candy cane cleanly cut out from the dough. The sweetness and freshness of the strawberry preserves mixed in rich and creamy butter offered a wonderful sensation that melts in your mouth.
And as for chocolate chip, it was another league on its own, with the taste of rich cocoa that becomes been partially liquefied as soon as you take a bite into it; a tinge of sweetness and nutty tang that leaves your taste buds wanting for more.
Eagerly, I placed the glorious dessert in my mouth and took a sip of the tea, feeling its contents melt in my tongue as the sweet taste was neutralized by the beverage.
"HUGO!" A loud voice boomed through the air, causing the bits of cookies to get lodged in my throat; sending me into a coughing mess as I forced the pieces out from my windpipe. I could feel the water accumulating in my eyes, as well as the sweat that resulted from the thunderous noise.
"And who might this be?" That same voice that sent me into a close shave with death, questioned. In truth, I was a little pissed, but unlike before when I was still a hot-headed teenager, I have come to a point where I was able to suppress my anger.
"Ava Winters," I responded while standing up, turning round to take a look at the maniac. "It's nice to mee-"
My eyes widened as his face came into view. My heart raced and palpitated rapidly as I struggled for an increased oxygen intake to calm myself.
"F-F-Fredricks..."