This Girl

Chapter 40: What a Nutritional and Healthy Breakfast!

"I haven't really been up here that much, though," I say. "It can be our spot."

"Our spot," he looks around. "I like it."

"Yup," I pop the 'p.' "We can run around and sing 'right here, right now,' if you like," I laugh. He chuckles. 

"Let's do it," he says and starts to get up. I pull him back down. 

"You stupid idiot, I wasn't being serious," I say, laughing. He pouts and I giggle. He touches my braids. 

"I need to learn how to braid," he says. I laugh and run a hand through his hair. 

"Yours isn't long enough," I say, pulling my hand out of his hair reluctantly. He pouts. "You can try on mine."

"Ok!" he says. I widen my eyes. I didn't know he was being serious. He moves to sit behind me and Wombat trots over to the mat and glares at us from there. I unravel my braids and comb my hands through my hair. 

"Ok, so you take three strands of hair from one side," I say. He does it, and I get that good relaxing feeling I get when people do my hair for me. "And you plait it three times."

He does it. "Then you take a strand separate from the three and add it to the one you're just about to plait. Then you plait that into it and take another strand for the next part."

He lets go of my hair and surrenders. "I can't do that. I need YouTube," he says, I laugh and tie my hair into a messy, curly ponytail. Wombat trots over and sits in between us again. Alex takes out his phone and scrolls through his Snapchat messages, whatever they're called, I don't have Snapchat. 

I eventually drift off and don't wake until my phone is vibrating at seven o'clock. I get up and see my head was lying in Alex's lap, Wombat's body on my stomach. Alex's hand is in the puppy's fur and he's sleeping. I quickly move the sleeping dog and step onto the balcony where it is only drizzling. 

"Hi, Mum," I say. 

"Natalie Bennett! Where are you and Alex, you haven't been answering any of my text messages, Michelle and I have been worried sick!" Mum yells.

"Calm down, we're just in the treehouse," I say. 

"Are you staying there, its comfortable," she says, having a big mood change. 

"You've been in here?" I ask. 

"Yeah, I have my teas there. I use the little thing you use to pull things up in. You know, the carton thing?" she says. I raise my eyebrows. She's been up here. And we could've pulled Wombat up in that thing. 

"I think, yeah, we'll just stay in here. I'll set an alarm. Tell Michelle. Night," I say. 

"Night," she hangs up and I sit back down in the bean bag, wrapping my arms around Alex's waist and leaning my head on his shoulder. I drift off into sleep quickly.

***

Beep. Beep. Beep. 

I sit up, yawning. Alex stirs beside me, pulling me tighter into his chest and groaning. "Alex," I complain, shoving on his chest. 

"Why," he complains, I roll my eyes and get up. I hold out my hand, Wombat running around my legs happily. 

"You'll be late! We have half an hour to get dressed, then we'll go pick up Amanda," I say. Alex grabs my hand and I try and pull him up, but he pulls me down on top of him. I fall onto his chest and stare grumpily at his flawless face. 

"Lemme go!" I say. He rolls his eyes. 

"We've still got time," he says. I blush, last time he said that we were in the Ferris wheel. He must notice because he unwraps his hands from around me and I hop up, dusting myself off.