Soon, Adrian returned to the Drew household, the vibrant garden and warm atmosphere bringing calm to the turbulence in his mind.
He walked through the front door, and the aroma of freshly prepared food greeted him. His troubled thoughts vanished almost instantly as he made his way to the dining table.
Shut up, brain. The stomach is thinking now.
The dining table was already occupied by a plate of fluffy pancakes topped with maple syrup, scrambled eggs, sausages, and freshly sliced fruit. A glass of orange juice sat beside it, almost glowing in the morning light.
One slight lapse in self-control and he would have been drooling on the floor. Honestly, he wasn't sure how much longer he could maintain his dignity.
"Adrian, come sit. The food's getting cold," Nicole called him over with a warm smile.
She didn't have to say it twice. Two seconds later, he was sitting at the table, taking his first bite of pancakes. The texture was absolutely perfect, with the maple syrup adding a sweet flavour to the otherwise savoury meal.
Nicole stood nearby, her smile growing as she watched him enjoy the meal. There was something satisfying about watching someone appreciate your cooking so openly.
Only after devouring half the plate did he finally slow down and look up at her, his mouth still partially stuffed with eggs.
"Where's Mr. Drew?" he asked, picking up his glass to wash down the food he was chewing.
"You should know. He always leaves early to prepare all the ingredients used at the restaurant," Nicole answered, leaning slightly against one of the dining chairs.
"So, no plans for today?" Adrian asked, his fork already moving again.
"Not exactly," she replied.
Just then, footsteps thundered down the stairs. Knowing there was only one person in the house who would use the stairs so aggressively, Adrian turned to look behind him, although the sight that greeted him left him a little surprised.
Of course, it was Natalie. She stormed down the stairs before practically bouncing into the living room, her usual upbeat energy already on full display.
Her outfit, however, was what caught Adrian's attention.
She wore an oversized pastel pink cardigan over a simple white top, paired with a pair of neatly fitted denim shorts. Cream-coloured socks, loosely gathered around her lower legs, disappeared into a pair of spotless white sneakers.
Her long, voluminous, chestnut hair flowed freely down her back, with the upper portion gathered neatly behind her head by a small pink ribbon. A few loose strands framed her face, adding to her already cheerful appearance.
A small white bag hung from her shoulder, its little accessories swaying with every step she took.
She looked... unusually prepared.
Adrian raised an eyebrow, briefly examining her from head to toe.
"What's the matter? Amazed by how beautiful I look?"
She raised her head proudly, practically glowing at this point.
Adrian idly stroked his chin. "No, just wondering which boy has you dressing up like this."
"Does it have to be because of a boy that I dress like this?" Natalie huffed.
"Well, I don't think you're trying to impress the neighbours now, are you?" Adrian said, taking a sip of his orange juice.
"For your information, I'm going out with a girl, thank you very much!" Natalie declared, seemingly unaware of what was wrong with that sentence.
"I didn't know you were into girls." Adrian replied with a grin.
"I like guys!" Natalie glared at him, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks as she realised where he was going with this.
"Have you ever dated one?"
"No, but..."
"There you have it. Don't worry, we'll support you all the way, although this is a pretty weird way to spring it on us."
Nicole sighed, pushing herself away from the dining chair.
"She's going to hang out with Amaya."
Adrian turned towards her, a look of betrayal crossing his face as his fun was abruptly cut short.
"Well, then I won't keep you waiting anymore. Go have fun, and tell Amaya I said hi."
He casually turned his attention back to his breakfast.
Natalie stormed over to him.
"No."
She crossed her arms, standing directly in front of him.
"You can tell her yourself because you're coming with us."
She pointed a finger at him as though issuing an official order.
"And why exactly is that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, at first, we were planning to take the bus. But now that you have your new gift, you can take us instead. It's faster, and we get to save money at the same time."
Her argument was flawless, and it seemed Adrian didn't have much of a choice.
"Besides, it's not like you have anything to do today, so be grateful I'm letting you tag along with us."
She was practically exuding arrogance now.
Adrian raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, when did I become your personal chauffeur?"
"When you got that motorcycle," Natalie replied without missing a beat.
"Pretty sure that's not how ownership works."
"Oh, come on! Don't be so selfish."
"You're asking me to drive you around and calling me selfish?"
"Exactly!"
Adrian stared at her for a moment, momentarily at a loss for words. He eventually turned towards Nicole, hoping to find some support, only to find her watching the exchange with an amused expression.
"Adrian, dear, why don't you just take them? You weren't planning on doing anything today anyway. Besides, now you'll get the chance to spend some more time with Amaya." Nicole winked at him.
He looked between the two women, slowly realising that he was outnumbered.
Adrian rubbed his temples with one hand before finally getting up from the table.
"Fine, fine. Just give me a couple of minutes to get ready."
With that, he made his way upstairs to take a shower.
Meanwhile, Amaya was also preparing for their outing albeit a bit late.
She had just walked out of the bathroom, a towel tied around her body and her hair wrapped with another.
She undid the first one to start getting dressed. She picked up her bra and turned her back towards the mirror on the wall to make it easier to put on.
The length of fair skin reflected softly in the mirror, from her small shoulders, to the curve of her back, to the clinch of her waist.
It would've been perfect.
If not for a gruesome scar above the base of her spine, marring her back like a smudge of dirt on fine white cloth.
After hooking the bra in her hands slipped down towards it hesitant almost as if scared, her fingers traced the surface as her mind reeled slightly, remembering something.
She quickly retracted her hands, took a deep breath and went back to preparing.
Soon she was standing in front of the mirror, now fully dressed looking at the clothes she had picked out.
She settled on a powder-blue knitted sweater, slightly oversized with loose sleeves that partially covered her hands, paired with a pair of cream-coloured wide-leg trousers.
She slipped into her white sneakers before accessorising with a delicate silver necklace and a small white shoulder bag.
Her hair fell naturally over her shoulders, with a small hair clip holding one side back.
Simple and comfortable. Just the way she liked it.
As she was making a few finishing touches the doorbell rang through the house. Amaya quickly rushed out of her room and went straight for the front door.
Displaying an unusual amount of excitement as she reached the door and swung it open.
Natalie stood in the doorway with a smile on her face which brightened hers even more but standing behind her was someone she didn't expect to see.
Adrian stood right behind her, wearing a fitted black T-shirt, dark blue jeans and a pair of matching black slippers. One hand was tucked casually into his pocket, his familiar grin stretched across his lips.
"Morning, sunshine." He greeted her, his grin widening.