The Shadow Alpha

Chapter 22: Tip of the Tongue

Chapter 22: Tip of the Tongue

River

I wake to the sound of humming, floating up the stairs from the kitchen down below. I instinctively reach out to where Holly was laying beside me, now feeling nothing but the sheet. My nose twitches as the smell of bacon too wafts up to greet me.

I don't move immediately. Instead, I stay put, my eyes closed, and listen as Holly putters around downstairs. I can hear the bacon sizzling in the pan, the sound of an egg being cracked open, the gentle scraping of the spatula. Holly's soft melodic humming continues, never wavering as she moves about, opening drawers, the fridge...

"Fuck."

I feel a smile pull at my lips, wondering what kind of slip-up Holly just made. Had to be with the eggs—she's not the best at keeping the shell from falling in as she breaks it open.

Reluctantly, I pull myself from bed, pulling on my shirt and making my way downstairs to the kitchen. I'm greeted with the sight of Holly, her hair piled up on top of her head, a few stray curls loose and springing free of the scrunchie. Still clad in her pyjamas as she tends to the stove, her back to me.

"Well good morning, sleepy head." I can hear the smile in the voice as I cross the floor toward her. I loop my arms around her waist, placing my head on her shoulder, looking down to see bacon and eggs cooking away. I nuzzle her neck, breathing her in, relishing in her soft skin.

"You got up without me." I state, wishing we'd been able to have more time in bed together.

A laugh passes through her as I place a kiss below her ear. "I'm sorry, but I thought it only fair I make breakfast after falling asleep on you last night." She replies, shrugging slightly. "Sorry about that, by the way."

She turns in my hold, leaving the spatula propped up against the edge of the pan. Her eyes still look a little sleepy, but they're soft and as blue as ever as they scan over my face. Her hand comes up to rest against my cheek, and I can't help from leaning into it.

"No need to apologize." I say, shaking my head, feeling Holly's thumb circle over my skin tenderly.

"Mm, I will make up for it, don't worry." A smirk plays on her lips, her gaze now playful. She turns back around, picking up her spatula. "This breakfast will be delicious...I hope, anyway."

I chuckle, remembering her cursing earlier while I was still waking up. "Be honest, should I expect a little fragment of eggshell in one of these?" I ask her, not able to keep the teasing tone out of my voice.

I hear Holly's heart pick up by just a fraction, but my ears catch it, and a smirk is on my face before she even responds.

"No..." she trails off, trying to supress the rising giggle I know is about to follow. Sure enough, she can't help it, and she's laughing in my hold. "Okay, okay fine! There was one tiny bit, just one! And I got it out, so really, no harm done."

I chuckle, enjoying how predictable she is to me now, how familiar. Knowing all the little quirks, the pieces of a person that are so small in the grand scheme of the entire puzzle, yet so critical to being able to see the whole picture...That is something I didn't imagine I'd be doing in my lifetime. Mind you, I didn't think falling in love with anyone would be in the cards for me at all, yet here we are.

"Do you know the Heimlich? Just in case?" I can't help but tease her further, relishing in this moment.

"Oh stop!" she laughs, spinning quickly to face me, spatula still in hand. "I assure you it'll be me suffocating you rather than that piece of eggshell if you keep this up." She holds her spatula out to me in warning, creating space between us.