Forever & Always

Chapter 7: Mångata ✔️

(n) - the reflection of the moon in water

Pronounced:

Swedish- moon-got-tuh

American- man-got-tuh

(whichever one you guys are more comfortable with)

A few days later...

•Winter's pov•

I twist and turn in my bed many times before I finally decide to get up. I dig through my bag, which I have yet to unpack, find a sweater and put it on. I walk out my bedroom and downstairs to the back door. Walking outside, I shiver slightly as a soft breeze flows invisibly. I continue my walk until I reach the large fountain in the middle of the small garden.

I sit down on the cold, white stone and let my hand course its way into the chilling water. As I watch the water descend forming endless ripples, I notice something in the water, a blurry reflection. I look up at the sky to see the moon in its crescent form. I admire the celestial body that is so close, yet so far before deciding to head back inside. Instead of going straight to my room, I head for the kitchen to make myself a drink. Unexpectedly, I hear a voice in this very room

"What are you doing awake at this hour?" I recognize the voice as Chris. I turn towards him to see him sitting at the island with a computer and a small book light on.

"I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd make one of my recipes." I tell him honestly. He nods and continues working. "How about you? What are you doing awake at this hour?"

"Working, it's not easy being a doctor. There's a lot of work that needs to be done. Plus, I also couldn't sleep." He says.

"You know, work may be important, but so is getting a good night's rest. You won't be able to work if you collapse from exhaustion and lack of sleep." I say factually while making my drink.

"I know. But what can I do? It's kind of hard to get a good rest when you're really stressed." I finish making my drink and split the liquid into two mugs, handing one to him before I speak again.

"Well, you can start by shutting off your computer and drinking this."

He looks at me with a skeptical look. "What is it?"

"It's warm milk mixed with honey. And I added a little whipped cream and cinnamon on top... Come on, just try it. It'll help you sleep." I say, seeing his hesitation. Finally, he puts the mug to his lips and takes a sip. I wait to see his reaction, taking a sip of my own. His eyes light up and he takes another.

"This reminds me of what Mamá used to make us when we were kids." He smiles warmly. I smile at the memory and lean my elbows on the kitchen island, taking a sip of my own drink. We sit in silence, letting the warm milk calm ourselves until there's no more of it. I put our mugs in the sink and walk over to my older brother. I give him a hug, a kiss on the cheek, and say a quiet goodnight before going back up to my room, finally feeling tired.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thankfully I was able to get a good amount of sleep last night because everything Emiliano and I ordered online a couple days ago came in today. I'll be honest, I may have underestimated how much we actually bought. Along with the clothes we got from the mall and the clothes I already have, I'm going to make this as easy for myself as possible. I go through each and every box, bag, and my suitcase, take out every piece of clothing, and separate them based on style first, then color. Once that's done, I move all the boxes to a corner in my room and start organizing my closet by style and color as best I can.

It takes me about an hour to put all of my clothes and underwear away before I move onto shoes and accessories. While we were shopping online, Lio and I also looked at jewelry organizers which came with everything. After organizing my closet, I move onto my bathroom and vanity. I revealed to my brother that I do enjoy putting makeup on, but I don't do any extravagant makeup looks. We ordered all of my favorite products, brushes, and a few new products too.