Bound in Love

Chapter 22

Seattle

22nd, December 1991

Chris frowned and grunted low as he woke up to the sound of steady and soft drops of rain tapping on the window of their bedroom. Still, the sound was so soothing that he curled and pulled the covers over his head and closed his eyes to try and sleep a bit more. His head was still pounding a little due the night out with his friends, so he stayed still with his eyes closed, feeling Ellie's body right behind him warming him too. Her belly resting against his lower back. It was not long until Ellie found that position that he started feeling the baby moving. The soft kicks he was feeling against him made him smile though. It seemed like, of the three of them, Heaven was the only one with some energy. Chris extended his arm and took to his back, rubbing Ellie's belly gently.

"Can you calm down?" He whispered, but all he felt was another kick which caused him to giggle low. "Stop..." Chris whispered again and after a few gentle rubs, Heaven stopped.

He then turned around to find Ellie still sleeping quietly, so lost in dreamland that she didn't even move. She must have gotten used to Heaven moving around inside her that it did not disturbed her. That or she was too tired. When they came back from Philadelphia, they closed the deal of the house and Ellie became immediately stressed and started packing things that wouldn't be needed in the next month inside boxes. Together with her work, these days had been exhausting to her even if he helped. Chris dragged his body closer to hers and rested his hand over her belly once more, rubbing it softly while watching Ellie's face through the pour light piercing under their blinders. He didn't resist to kiss her lips softly and then decided to get out of the bed.

He got up just in a pair of shorts and pulled the covers over her, and tiptoed out of the bedroom, entering the bathroom right next door. He closed the door gently and went straight to the basin, watching his face on the mirror. He needed to shave. Taking a deep breath, he open the water to let it warm and opened the cabinet to grab his shaving gel. Chris poured some on his palm and with the other hand he splashed a bit of water over his face, applying the gel over the parts where he wanted to shave. Immediately, his face became filled with thick white foam and he grabbed his razor, beginning to run it over his face carefully not to cut his moustache or the beard on his chin. He would trim it after for he liked it to look nice all the time. When he was done with both, we went for a much-needed revival shower. He left his shorts of the floor and plunged under the water running from the shower head that he had previously opened and stayed there with his eyes closed just letting the water run down his body and soaking his long hair. After a few minutes, Chris looked at the shelves with their bath items and grabbed a Dolce and Gabbana shower gel that Ellie had bought him. Somehow, that Sunday morning, he wanted that smell. For his hair, he chose one of her shampoos, not one of her fruity ones though, and treated his curls with a bit of her mask as well. There was a time when he wasn't that careful with his hair, but Ellie had instigated him to take care of it and the truth was everyone complimented it and most of all, Ellie loved his hair while he hated it. He hated how it was always in front of his eyes or how when singing he'd breathe his hair and it was so uncomfortable.

After the shower, he rolled a towel around his hair and dried himself with one of the bath towels Ellie had put there the night before. Then, he stopped by the mirror to put on a bit of after shave on his face and he brushed his teeth. Naked, he got out of the bathroom and went to their laundry space to look for some clean clothes. He grabbed a pair of boxers, a white shirt and a black sweater and put it on. Then, he saw the basket of the clean jeans and looked for one of his, he grabbed the first pair he found. It was that pair of jeans ragged on the knees that he really liked though and he also put them on. Finally, he reached out for a pair of socks and put it on his feet and he left to the kitchen. He opened the fridge and looked inside, trying to decide what he wanted to have for breakfast. That moment, the croissants from the bakery at the end of their street came to his mind and Ellie was crazy about those. Chris closed the fridge and grabbed the keys to the apartment that he had left on the kitchen's counter when he arrived home and had been to the kitchen to have some water. Near the door, he grabbed his black coat from the hanger and put it on, closing it and rolled the scarf around his neck. His pair of black boots were still there too and he put them on and that's when the towel he had on his head fell down as he looked down to tie the laces.