(A/N: The baby one shot was the winner today! Enjoy!)
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"Jesy, table 4 needs their eggs!" Bert yells, giving me a smile as I rush out of the kitchen, baby in one hand and eggs in the other.
"Egg!" Elle chants, pumping her tiny fists up and down, laughing as I rush to table 4.
I smile, laying the eggs on the table.
"Egg!" she chants again, pointing at the eggs this time.
"Yes, eggs," I say with a laugh. "Won't say mum, but you'll say egg, eh?"
"Egg! Egg egg egg!" she chants, looking first at me and then the patrons at the table.
Or, patron, I should say.
"Egg." She says to the blonde woman who is sipping her tea, before she makes a grab for a fistful of platinum hair.
"No you don't," I say sweetly, transferring her to my other arm and out of reach of the blonde woman, who looks a little startled.
"Sorry, she's very... friendly?" I say, not sure if that's the right word. "Also, she's partial to blondes, just like her mum," I say, shooting the woman a wink.
"Mum!" She yells at me.
"Ah, there we go!" I cheer with a smile. "Mum," I say, trying to prompt her to say it again.
"Egg!" she chants, laughing at me.
"You little bugger, getting my hopes up like that," I say, scrunching my nose at her. She scrunches right back, laughing at me some more and flashing her four baby teeth.
"Sorry," I offer, glancing up again at the pretty blonde at the table. Luckily, she seems amused, not upset.
"No, it's alright," she says, giving me a big smile. "My mornings are not usually this... cute."
"Ah, well, you've gotta love babies," I say.
"I wasn't talking about her, but yeah, she's cute too," she says, winking at me. "Perrie."
"Jesy," I say in return, shaking her outstretched hand. "And this is Elle. Or Ellie, Ella. Egg." I say, scrunching my nose at the baby, who laughs and scrunches right back again. It's her favorite facial expression right now. "She'll respond to anything starting with E."
"Good to know," Perrie says. "Good morning, Elle."
"Egg." Elle says in reply. "Egg, egg."
"This child is going to be the death of me," I groan.
Elle sticks her tongue out.
Perrie laughs. "What a way to go, eh?"
"Indeed," I say with a smile. "Can I get you anything else?"
Perrie shakes her head with a smile, which I return, before going to check on my other three tables.
I'd never noticed Perrie before, but I notice her now, as she comes in every morning this week.
We chat amicably each time she's here, talking about few things of substance and flirting a lot.
I'd be lying if I said I wasn't disappointed when she doesn't come in the following Monday. I think Elle's a little sad too, as she grumbles something that sort of sounds like Perrie's name several times throughout the breakfast rush.
Elle's in a right foul mood Tuesday, grumbling and whining all morning, and I'm getting a little miffed myself. Not at the baby, but just at the general atmosphere. There's a grumpy old man that's been sitting in my section 2 hours, and I could tell the moment he walked in that he wasn't going to tip. Couple that with the grill breaking down twice and the distinct lack of Perrie, and I'm ready to go home before my shift is even half over.
"Peeeeee!" Elle shouts. "Peee, Peee."
"What are you on about?" I ask.
"Egg," she says dryly. This child got all of my sass, I swear. "Peeeeeee." She points toward the door, as if she can't comprehend how massively stupid I am.
"Oh, Perrie," I say, suddenly understanding.
I watch her seat herself at her little corner booth before she ever looks up. When she does look up, I want to believe she's looking for me, but I try to keep a lid on those thoughts for now.
No need to torture myself.
Elle squeals as I drop drinks off at table 7 and then head to table 4, where Perrie sits. Where she always sits. The table that I, in my head, call "Perrie's table" even when she's not here.
"Well hey there, stranger," I say with a smile once I reach her table.
"Hiya," she says softly.
"Pppppppppp," Elle gurgles, effectively ruining mine and Perrie's little moment in which we stare into each other's eyes and I fall hopelessly in love with a woman I barely know.
"Hello, Elle Belle," Perrie coos, smiling softly at Elle. Elle makes a jump towards Perrie, and I barely manage to keep her in my arms.
"Careful there, cowgirl," I say, making a popping noise with my mouth that at one point was meant to sound like a gun but now just sounds more like a true "pop" because that's what Elle prefers.
She pops her mouth back at me before pointing at Perrie and whining.
"Egg," I say in reply, and she scowls at me.
Perrie can't help but laugh at the stand-off I'm having with my 11 month old, who is getting heavier by the day. It's not even 9am, and my arm is already tired.
"Peeeeeeee," Elle whines at me, putting her chubby baby hands on either side of my face and squeezing, before removing them and pointing at Perrie again.
I glare at her, 'cos we both know she's winning this little standoff, when Perrie speaks up.
"Y'know, Jesy, she can eat breakfast with me. If it's alright with you," she says, as if it would be anything other than alright.
In any other circumstance with any other person, it probably wouldn't be alright, but somehow everything's alright with Perrie. I'd take a bullet for Perrie.
And I've known her a week.
I need to cool my jets.
Oof.
I can tell Elle is fond of the idea of eating breakfast with Perrie by the way she's trying to launch herself out of my arms.
"Are you sure it's alright with you?" I ask.
"I wouldn't have offered if it wasn't," she says with a smile, and I know she's telling me the truth.
"Alright then," I say, handing Elle over.
Elle squeals, and then immediately cuddles into Perrie.
Little shit.
"Well, I'm gonna go take 7's order and pick up 6's check. I'll be back in a Jiffy," I say with a smile.
"We'll be here," Perrie says, gently stroking Elle's back.
I swear Elle smirks up at me.
By the time I come back, Perrie's tea in hand (2 sugars, a teaspoon of milk), Elle is talking her ear off with happy baby gurgles and little yells, throwing her hands out here and there to help drive her point home.
"She's quite the chatterbox," I say, sliding into the booth across from Perrie.
"Ah, I don't mind. I'm a good listener," she says with a grin.
"Yuh," Elle says in agreement.
"She's a very good communicator," Perrie says. "How old is she?"
"One next month," I say, feeling pride at Perrie's compliment. It's nice to know I'm doing something right.
"She's even more advanced than I thought, then. Most of the kids at the facility where I work aren't this communicative until they're about 18 months, some even closer to 2."
"Do you work with children, then?" I ask, wondering how she knows so much.
"Yeah. My friend Leigh runs a daycare. I'm one of the "teachers." That's why I didn't come in yesterday, I drew the early-early shift."
"I'm sorry! You probably don't want to be watching kids for free in your off time. I can take her ba-"
"Really Jes, I don't mind. She's quite a happy little thing. Plus, the more I see her, the more I see you," she says with a wink.
"Well, in that case, you can keep her," I say with a grin.
She laughs. "Hmm, I don't know how she'd feel about that, eh Elle?"
Elle shrugs, and I bark out a laugh.
"Maybe I can just get your number instead? See more of the both of you," she asks, suddenly shy.
"I'd like that," I say quickly. "I mean, we'd like that," I say, and Elle coos in response.
"Brilliant," Perrie says.
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We leave Elle with Leigh-Anne, Perrie's friend, who has excellent references. Upon entering, I can see that her home is perfectly set up for children, and Elle takes to her immediately, fascinated by her wiry black curls.
I make sure to thank Leigh Anne and pretend not to notice the wink she throws Perrie when she mentions that she's got no plans until midmorning tomorrow, so don't feel the need to hurry home.
Perrie glares at her initially but smiles as I hand Leigh Elle's bag, and then we're off.
---
I wake up to silence and a face full of blonde hair. I peck a kiss to Perrie's cheek quickly, hurrying the kitchen to put the kettle on.
I'm just grabbing the milk from the fridge when two pale arms wrap their way around my waist. A kiss lands on my cheek next, along with a good morning, Love.
"Mornin'," I say, unable to keep the grin off my face. Perrie's proper smiley as well, the little dimple on the left side of her face popping out as she beams at me.
Perrie hangs on me as I continue to prepare our tea, but I don't mind. I like having her close.
"So, is it a tea for breakfast kinda day?" she asks.
I laugh. "Well, I already know how you take your tea, so I figured that was a good place to start. And unless you take your eggs burned, which I know you don't, we better go out for a bit of breakfast. Maybe pick Elle up on the way?" I ask, hoping it's alright. I mean, Perrie knew what she was getting into when she met me, as she met Elle then too, but knowing and living are two very different things.
"Sounds perfect," she says, smacking a kiss to my cheek before backing off of me a bit. I whine involuntarily at the loss of contact, so Perrie gives me a grin that melts my heart.
I finish with the tea and hand her hers, to which she responds with a quiet "thank you, baby," which makes my heart do that flip-floppy thing that lets me know I'm falling hard.
We sip our tea leaning on the counter and on one another, Perrie's arm sneaking its way under my robe to wrap its way around my bare waist. She hums contentedly once skin meets skin, and I cuddle up to her happily.
"Can I tell you a secret?" she asks, looking mostly gleeful and a little guilty.
"Sure," I respond, hoping she'll spill the beans before my mind can run wild with ideas.
"I don't even really like eggs," she says.
"What? You get them every day!" I reply, shocked.
"I get 'em for elle bell. So you's will come over and talk to me. It's all one big ploy, really-"
"To get me to sleep with you?" I ask, pretending to be shocked and appalled. "You little- ep!"
Perrie grabs me suddenly, spinning me around and dipping me as if we'd just finished a tango, not our morning tea.
"You could've just done this," I say, staring straight into her big blue eyes.
"To get you to sleep with me?" she asks, smiling.
I nod.
"While I am a big fan of sleeping with you- in the sense that I like sleeping with you snuggled in my arms AND in the sense that your body is crazy and it's hard for me not to put my hands all over it at any given moment-" She says, righting me but pulling me even closer,"- I'm playing the long game here, babe."
"Oh yeah?" I ask, feeling proper gooey and lovey dovey both from Perrie's words and the way she's looking at me.
"Yeah," she says, shooting me an impossibly sunny smile before pulling me in for a soft, lingering kiss.
"Alright, let's go get the baby," she says, grabbing my hand and pulling me towards the door, either unaware or unbothered by the fact that we're still in our pajamas. "I want pancakes."
"Can we go after I put on some pants?" I ask, crinkling my nose at her.
"Dammit, I was hoping you'd forgotten about the pants thing," she says goofily, snapping her fingers.
"Nice try," I say, using the hand connected to mine to pull her closer to me. "I could wear tights?"
"Wow, I didn't know I was dating a genius," Perrie says, backing me up against the bar and grabbing at my bum with two firm hands.
I let loose a little yelp that is muffled by her lips on mine, things quickly getting hot and heavy between us.
Perrie's sucking what's sure to be a very purple hickey into my neck when a phone call breaks us apart.
"Hello?" I say breathily.
It's Leigh Anne on the other line, calling to ask when we'd like to come get Elle. I start to apologize but she begs me off, assuring me that they had a lovely night and that Elle was a little doll. She asks after Perrie, who is busy pecking soft kisses on my face and neck.
I can't help the wide grin that stretches across my face as I tell Leigh that I think she's well, thanks, unable to remember a time I've been so happy in a relationship.
She smiles right back at me before pulling away, mumbling something about getting her keys.
I tell Leigh we'll be over in about 45 minutes, if that's alright... cos we need to get ready, which leaves me to deal with a confused look from Perrie and a knowing tone from Leigh.
Leigh ends the call with a loud laugh followed by a see you then.
As soon as the call drops, I press a hard kiss to Perrie's face before grabbing her hand and quickly pulling her back to my bedroom.
She gets the idea.
---
We end up at Leigh's exactly 47 minutes later, Perrie dressed in my clothes and hair still all sorts of mussed.
Leigh shoots Perrie a look I pretend not to see as I greet Elle, who is much more excited to see Perrie than she is me.
"Peeeee!" She yells, quickly throwing her arms out in Perrie's direction. Perrie takes her from me happily, and I grab her things as we wish Leigh goodbye and she tells Perrie to call me later.
We arrive at our favorite breakfast place shortly after, all of us squeezed together on the left side of Perrie's table.
Perrie orders pancakes this time. With a side of scrambled eggs for Elle, of course, who sits on Perrie's lap and eats happily.
"Egg," Elle says conversationally, pointing at the plate and then at Perrie.
"Egg," I reply.
I couldn't agree more.
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A/N: Hello! I'm going to keep this brief because it's nearly midnight and I want to get this out while it's still today!
I am so so SO sick right now, and I had a BUSY day on top of that. but I said I'd post every day, so here's the oneshot, as promised!!
There isn't going to be a vote today, but you'll still be getting content tomorrow! I just haven't decided what yet🤔
Thank you all so much for your support this week and always!!
Even though there's no vote today, I hope you guys still comment/vote on the one shot itself!!
also, give me a follow, if you'd like! I'd like😉
See y'all tomorrow with the next one!
xx
sydd
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