.+. [ᴏʟᴅ] || ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ᴡᴇ ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴀɢᴀɪɴ .+.

.+. ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 10 .+.

.+. MADELEINE'S POV .+.

Me and Espresso said our goodbyes to Latte and Raspberry as we entered his house. I took off my armor, leaving me in my long sleeved shirt and black pants.

"Hey, Espresso? Where can I leave my armor?" I asked. "Just leave it by the door for now." He pointed to a spot next to the door. I nodded, setting my armor down neatly.

I followed Espresso, who was walking to his room. "So... what are we gonna do now?" I looked around his hallway. It was neat and there were a few pictures hung on the wall. One with him and Latte, another with.. the younger me?

"I'm probably just going to do a few experiments. You're free to do whatever you want, just as long as you don't damage anything." He replied. "But Espresso, you haven't had dinner yet, right? It's already 8pm! How about I cook you a meal?" Espresso sighed and turned around to look at me.

"Fine... Could you also make me some coffee? I had just recently got a new coffee maker." I thought about it for a moment as he stared at me, crossing his arms. "No. No coffee at night, you need sleep, Essie!" He groaned.

"But sleep is not on my schedule! I need to get my research done, Madeleine." He slightly whined in annoyance. "Does one really need to work until dawn? Come on, Espresso, you need a break! You overwork yourself. Even a knight should rest!" I gently smiled at him.

"Okay, okay... I get it. Let's just go eat dinner.. I'll work for a bit afterwards, okay, Mads?" I nodded and grabbed his wrist, bringing him to the dining table.

After letting him sit down, I brought out the utensils needed to eat and placed them neatly on the table with a napkin. "Wait here, Espresso! I'll make my special meal for you!" I dashed into the kitchen and pulled out the things I needed to make the dish.

...

.+. ESPRESSO'S POV .+.

...

I watched as he quickly went back into the kitchen. He's kind of like a dog when he's excited.. It's kind of adorable... I stood up from the table and went to the living room, pulling out a book to read.

I came back to the dining table and sat back down, opening the book. Not too long after, I had started to smell the food Madeleine was making, and I'm gonna be honest, it smelled great.

A few minutes later, Madeleine came back with two plates, one for each of us. He placed a plate in front of me. It looked amazing. "What's this, Madeleine?" I asked, curiously.

"Sweet Candy Pasta! I know it may not be the best or the most special dish, but I rarely ever get to eat it. So, I thought you'd enjoy it too!" He sat down in his seat and gave me a small smile.

"Actually, I've never had these. They look good." I said to him. "Try it, Espresso! I'm sure you'll love it! By the way, I still have dessert later if you'd like some." Dessert? Dessert? Eating too much makes me feel gross about myself.

"Hard pass. Apologies, Madeleine, but I don't eat dessert." I responded quickly. "Oh, it's alright! No need to apologize!" We began to eat our dinner. I must say... Madeleine makes really good food..

After eating dinner, I cleaned up the table and washed the dishes because I insisted that Madeleine should rest. He did a lot today, I think he deserves it.

Once I had finished washing the dishes, I went back into my lab to continue my research. Madeleine watched me do my work and looked around the lab, admiring everything about it.

...

.+. MADELEINE'S POV .+.

...

Wow... His house is so neat! I wonder how he keeps it so clean... But of course, he IS Espresso after all! I looked at the clock in the room. Almost 10pm already. I should go get ready for bed.

 "I'm gonna go take a shower, Essie! Ill be back!" He hummed in response. I left the room and went into his bathroom.

I looked at myself in the mirror. Why do I always have to be smiling? Why can't I just be myself? Sometimes I just hate myself...I took off my shirt, revealing all of my scars from my past. I remembered how he had hurt me so much.

I wanted to cry. But I couldn't. I couldn't let anyone, especially Espresso, see or hear me cry this time. I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm supposed to be the perfect model that everyone thinks I should be. I don't want to be perfect. I just wanted to be me.

After showering, I put on my white short sleeved shirt and shorts. When I stepped out od the bathroom, I saw Espresso sitting on his bed looking at me. He seemed to had already changed, since he was now in a shirt with a cup of coffee on it and sweatpants.

"Espresso? Are you okay? Why are you staring at me?" I tilted my head in confusion, walking towards him. He looked away. "Nothing, no reason. Yes, yes, I'm fine. Just thinking is all." I looked down to my legs, which he glanced at for a second.

Right.. My scars. "A-ah Espresso, I think it's time we go to bed! I'll go sleep on the couch, I don't want to bother you.." I began to walk towards the living room until I felt something pulling my arm back.

"Wait.." Espresso held onto my wrist and looked at me. Now that I looked closely at him, he looked extremely tired and incredibly exhausted. "Madeleine... I.. I want you to stay with me. I don't mind sharing a bed. J-Just don't get too close." His cheeks tinted red.

I felt butterflies swarming in my stomach as my heartbeat picked up. "Oh, why of course..." Anything for you, my dear Espresso.

Espresso pulled me down onto his bed and laid next to me. "Goodnight, Essie..." I whispered to him. "Night." He whispered back, blushing a little. I took off his glasses and placed them on the bedside table, them turned off the lamp, the room getting darker.

After 10 minutes or so, I felt Espresso already sleeping. He moved around and then he suddenly cuddled into my chest. Oh gosh... Is he even aware that he's doing this?

He kept mumbling something but I wasn't able to hear it very well. He clung onto my shirt and cuddled closer to me. "Madeleine..." He faintly whispered.

At this point, I wasn't sure if he was still awake or not. He kept repeating my name every few minutes and occasionally mumbling something. I assumed he was sleep talking and kissed his forehead.

"Goodnight, Essie. I love you.."

-------------------

I need to stop writing chapters at 12 or 1 am in the morning and actually sleep-

Anyway, have this fruity chapter😍😍

1142 Words.