CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
𐙚⊹₊⋆☆
A bucket of freezing cold water being poured on Emília woke her up. She screamed and jumped out of bed, "Happy Easter!" Juraj exclaimed, empty bucket in hand.
He could swear she had fire in her eyes as she began chasing him around the apartment. Finally, he turned around and grabbed the cold and wet girl by the waist and picked her up off the ground.
"Why did you do that?" She cry-laughed, rubbing her fist over her eyes to dry them.
"It's Easter!" He said as he let her feet touch the ground.
"I have an idea! Let's leave the slovak Easter traditions in Slovakia, and let's live our calm canadian lives." She joked, going to the bathroom.
"But it's so fun!" He grabbed an unopened perfume out of his bedside table and started covering her in it, "And so you'll be healthy and pretty."
"So I'm not pretty?"
"N-no, you're already gorgeous. It's so you'll be prettier!" He stuttered.
"So I'm not the prettiest girl you know. We're done." She pecked his lips and ran to the bathroom to have a steaming hot shower to warm up.
"I give up." He put away the bucket for next year and went to put the sheets in the dryer since they were soaking wet.
She came in wearing one Juraj's Montréal Canadiens hoodies and a pair of plain black shorts with her hands behind her back.
"You look so good in my clothes, love." He moved closer to her. She whipped out a water gun from behind her and started spraying the boy.
"Payback's a bitch!" She yelled, laughed as he tried to put his hands in front of him to shield himself, but his t-shirt was still slightly damp from the water.
"Oh man." She sighed as the water finally ran out, leaving the boy huffing and puffing in front of her.
"You are so gonna pay for that, Em." He said, grabbing her and sprinting to the bathroom with the girl over his shoulder. He turned the shower to the coldest temperature and put her under the stream of freezing water.
Emília yelped, running out, "Well, sucks for you because you're wet too now." She laughed, looking at his white t-shirt, which was now see-through.
He chuckled, "Huh, I didn't think about that. We better go and get changed together."
She shoved his chest, making a disgusted face, "Calm down, perv."
"What? We literally had sex. How am I a perv?"
She shrugged, "I don't know," She grabbed his hand, aiming for the bedroom, "Let's go, babe."
"Babe? I haven't heard that one before." He followed in her footsteps, "And by the way, today, we're taking team photos. Could you maybe help me get ready?"
"Of course." She walked to his closet, picking out another hoodie and shorts of his.
"So I was thinking like slicked back." Juraj ran his hands over the top of his hair, showing Emília what he wanted. She stood behind him in the bathroom mirror. He was sitting because he was simply too tall to be standing up. He towers over the girl.
"Are you sure?" She asked, thinking his hair looked better without gel.
"Yeah."
"Okay, whatever you say," She combed his hair, grabbing her tub of gel from the bathroom drawer. She scooped up some of it in her hands and smeared in over the top of his head, "I probably should've said this before I put the gel on your head, but I think you look really goofy with slicked back hair."
"I don't think so..."He said, his voice trailing off as if he was unsure.
-☆-
"You're done," Emília stepped back after a few minutes to view the masterpiece she made on Juraj's head, "I think it's pretty good."
"I look so good. Thank you." He got up, checked himself out in the mirror, and gave the girl a kiss on her forehead.
"You're welcome, handsome." She smiled, putting her head on his chest and wrapping her arms around his torso.
-☆-
"How was it?" Emília asked when Juraj came home.
Home? Is this home now? I don't really have anywhere else anymore. Maybe the boy in front of me is home. Maybe the couch I'm sitting on is home. Maybe I'm just convincing myself that I have something, someone, when I have nothing. But I really feel that I have Juraj's heart in the palm of my hand, afraid that one wrong move would break it, leaving just pieces of it on my fingertips.
"So fun! It was so good." He jumped next to her, putting his arm around her shoulder, rubbing it up and down in a comforting motion.
"Tell me more!" She said, laying her head on his shoulder and moving her legs into his lap.
"Oh man, I took 0.5s of like everybody on the team." He grabbed his phone out of his pocket, showing her the photos.
"God, they look so tiny." She laughed, scrolling through the album.
"Or I'm just really big."
"Stop flattering yourse- Oh my God! Look at Dvo!" Juraj admired the way she smiled and laughed. How a little dimple appeared on her left cheek when she grinned hard enough. How the right eye closed a tiny bit more than the left. He really loved it all. He loved her.
Soon enough, Emília's eyes slowly started closing. When Juraj noticed, he discreetly took the phone out of her hand and picked her up, carrying her from the living room couch to the bathroom.
"What are you doing?" She mumbled, rubbing her eyes with her hand and snuggling closet to the boy holding her.
"Getting ready for bed." He kept one hand under her butt, the other coming up to carress her cheek. She relaxed into his touch, falling asleep again.
He took her to the bathroom and placed her on the counter. He grabbed her toothbrush, which was now displayed next to the sink instead of being hidden under it.
He brushed her teeth, making sure to properly clean the ones in the back, tilting her head and making her laugh, her mouth full of toothpaste.
Then he gently put her back on the soft bed. He quickly changed the girl into her pajamas, joining her soon.
He laid down on his stomach with his phone in hand, scrolling on Instagram. Emília moved her body so her stomach was flush against his bare back. She put her cheek to his, placing soft kisses on it every once in a while.
"Take a picture. It will last longer." She giggled when she saw how hard he was smiling at her sweet gestures.
"Believe me. I will."
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CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE