His Words (bxb)

chapter twenty-five

Sunday, October 11, 2020

✧noah✧

A warm hand softly nudges my shoulder, pulling me out of my sleep. At first, I don't want to leave my peaceful state of rest, but as I remember where I am and what is happening I sit up suddenly and glance out the window. This earns me a chuckle from the two ladies in the front seats of the car. "We're home, Noah."

As I look out the window, I find us parked in front of a large white house with two storeys and lots of windows. A large front yard sits filled with colourful azaleas, chrysanthemums and calendulas with trays of cat food and bowls of water set out in front of a small cat shelter. I look back to my foster parents and find them staring back at me in anticipation. I flash them a huge smile to let them know I love the house and they smile back in relief. I peer back out the window, my eyes not being able to leave the vibrant flowers that fill the front yard of the house.

"You seem fond of the garden," Ava states and I turn back only to nod before looking back out the window again, mesmerised.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's go inside, we have a whole tour planned out for ya," Charlotte cheers enthusiastically, before hopping out of the car, her wife following. I slowly open the door, still not able to believe that this gorgeous house is the one I will be living in until I'm 18.

The cold, October air hits me as I step out the car and follow behind the two ladies to the front door. Charlotte notices me trailing behind and stops till I am walking beside her again to wrap her arms around my shoulder. Warmth.

"We should start planting some mahonia and maybe some winter honeysuckle so the garden stays in full bloom all winter," Ava comments from where she is walking in front of us. Charlotte nods excitedly before asking, "Are you into gardening much, Noah?"

"Never really got a chance to find out," I reply, still in awe of my surroundings as I walk up the white front steps of the house.

"Well then, that will definitely be something you will discover soon. Charlotte is the least competent gardening assistant I have ever had the absolute displeasure of working with," Ava complains while pulling out her keys and unlocking the large front door. Charlotte skips ahead to tackle her wife in a cheeky hug and I am left standing in front of the large house that I will call my home for the next couple of months. I take a deep breath as I follow the couple inside who are now sharing a quick kiss, Charlotte having to bend down significantly to do so. I smile at their obvious love for each other as I start to take off my shoes.

"We can't get distracted now, Charlotte. We have to give Noah a tour of the house," Ava says in a stern tone before turning towards me. "Shall we begin?" I only nod in response.

"Over here we have the living room. Pretty simple. The large windows at the back of the room slide open and closed so we can come in and out of the backyard," Ava starts as we all step into the big area. There is a large three-seater sofa along with two small love seats. A large TV hangs on the wall. I can tell the general theme of the house seems to be very minimalist design and tones with an occasional pop of colour.

"Oh, but we'll have to show you how to work the remote control to the smart TV. It took a while for us to get the hang of it, too," Charlotte adds.

"Over here is the kitchen," Ava continues and I follow her as we walk into a kitchen with marble countertops, white cabinets and a bar with mustard yellow stools. "Cabinets from left to right go pantry, snacks, pots and pans, then blenders and food processors and stuff. The drawers go from top to bottom cutlery, spices, Tupperware and more snacks. We mostly eat our meals at the kitchen bar, but we also have a dining room right this way." I follow her into another room where a large dining table sits in the centre. The many large windows in the room are covered with large, voile curtains.