Club Echo

love is so hard!

It's almost like someone is controlling my body, but I find myself carefully getting in bed with Lizzie. With the little space behind her, I gently pull the blanket off of her for a few seconds before inching my way closer to her. As soon as I made contact with her body, I placed the blanket back on top of us, making sure we're warm and cozy. Without a thought, I encase my arm around Lizzie's waist, letting myself get comfortable. I breathe softly as I stare a little too deeply at the back of her head, thinking of ways to make this woman in front of me happy.

The next morning, I woke up before them. I took it upon myself to make the two sleeping individuals breakfast. I decided to go with the generic breakfast; eggs, bacon, and waffles with strawberries and whipped cream on the side. For beverages, I place the orange juice on display just in case they want one. I also brewed some coffee for Lizzie and I. After making the last batch of waffles, I hear feet shuffling behind me. I turn around to see Maya approaching me with Lizzie following behind her. I find it cute how she's still trying to wake up and her adorable morning face gives me a fluttery feeling in my stomach.

"Good morning little one!" I pick her up from the ground, slinging her from my arm. "Are you hungry?"

Maya nodded ecstatically, "yes!"

"Good because I made waffles with strawberries." I sway my nose against hers, doing an eskimo kiss.

"With whipped cream?" Maya pouts, hopeful.

"Uh, yeah of course with whipped cream!" I cheer loudly, spinning her around before setting her back to the ground. Lizzie makes her way beside me as she's still rubbing her eyes in order to fully wake herself up, "good morning buttercup."

"Good morning stranger." Lizzie mumbles under her breath, her morning voice making me feel some type of way. "What time did you wake up?"

"Like a little over an hour ago." I told her. "There's coffee in the pot so you can pour yourself some."

Lizzie leans in, giving my cheek a kiss, "thank you, you're my hero."

What the fuck was that? I felt my soul leave my body. I don't think I can function anymore. I could feel my heart jumping around my form, begging to be let out. That was unnecessary. I bite my lip in confusion as I continue to make the remaining of the waffles.

Surprisingly enough, I was able to calm myself after I was done cooking. Maya patiently waited for me by the dining table excitedly. I glance back at Lizzie who is still busy checking her emails using my laptop and making a few calls that she missed from last night. I divert my attention back toward the little girl who is eyeing the plate filled with waffles in my hand.

"Here you go, sugarplum." I give her a quick kiss on top of her head. "I'll be back with your orange juice."

As soon as I returned with a half a cup of OJ in my hand, I decided to cut her waffles in half so she doesn't make a mess of herself. I stab the first piece with a good amount of strawberries and whipped cream before trailing it toward Maya's mouth. "Here comes the train, open wide." She follows my command, gladly taking the piece of pastry into her mouth. I watched as she chewed on it adorably, savoring the flavor it had to offer.

I continued to feed her more before she grabbed the cup of orange juice to drink. I glanced at Lizzie who quickly pulled her attention away from me. I wonder what that's about. I pushed my confusion away and continued to feed the little one in front of me.

After breakfast, Maya's mom had picked her up. My heart sank a little as I watched her leave with her unicorn. I close the door behind me, seeing Lizzie watching my every move. I could hear the gears in her head turning as I made my way back to the dining room to tidy up the plates. I chose to ignore her piercing green eyes but I could still feel it plastered on me with every move I made. I try to occupy myself with the plates in front of me. My thoughts are getting the best of me and I can't help it. I resume my task, carefully placing the plates into the sink, letting the water run so the leftover pieces of the food would wash off. Through my peripheral vision, I could see Lizzie still gawking at me. I swallow my saliva slowly, licking my lips a couple of times to gather my thoughts and feelings. I try to think of a melody of a song that could invade my head so that I wouldn't be thinking of her eyes staring so deeply at me. I would say something but I don't even know how to begin.