The Fallen and the Angel
Chapter 8
"Lydia, wake up! WAKE. UP!!!" Toby voiced as he hit me in the face with a pillow. "Santa came! And everyone is eating! Get your lazy butt up!"
"I'm up, I'm up!" I laughed groggily. The time read 9:30. My mind was drifting off to sleep again as he padded off into the kitchen for special Christmas breakfast, when the realization that I was laying here alone hit me. The memory of last night came flooding back as I sat up.
"Did you get your sleepy sister up? Did ya push her off the couch?" I heard Andy laugh from the kitchen. Warmth spread within me.
"No, but I hit her with a pillow." I heard Toby reply with a shrill of pride in his voice.
"Ah, Toby, my man!" Andy replied and I heard the 'clap' of a high five.
"Jerks." I laughed to myself as I stood up from the couch. My eyes traveled to the tree with piles of presents spilling from beneath it. I smiled when I saw a small pile set up for Andy.
I quickly ran upstairs to get his gift from my closet before I joined everyone in the kitchen.
After slipping my small black box on into the pocket of my hoodie, I padded into the kitchen. The smell of cookies, coffee, Christmas tree candles and breakfast hit me at once.
"And she lives!" My dad joked upon me taking the free seat between him and Toby.
"Yes. Toby did a good job of making sure I was still breathing." I responded.
"Just in time," Mom said from the stove, "breakfast is done."
Andy looked up and sneaked a wink at me. I felt my face flush slightly as I grinned in response. My eyes flitted down as I pulled a mug of coffee towards me.
"Pass your dishes up." Mom said as she approached the table with the casserole dish of egg scrambler. She placed a scoop on everyone's dish before passing them back around the table. The smell of eggs, cheese, and ham was mouthwatering. So much so that my stomach growled when I settled my plate back in front of me.
I quickly looked up and around the table, hoping no one heard.
"Heard that." Andy said without looking up at me.
"I haven't the slightest idea of what your talking about." I replied before shoveling a forkful into my mouth. I saw him smile before he reached his mug up to his lips. Oh how I longed to be in place of that mug...
"Yeah yeah yeah now everyone hurry up, because there's a BIG box in there for me, and I wana open it before it ain't Christmas anymore!" Toby said in between shoving food into his mouth feverishly.
"Don't make me make you wait til everyone else opens their gifts." Dad threatened as he flicked a piece of ham at Toby. The poor kid wasn't sure if he should cry or laugh. He went back to his eggs silently. Mom couldn't help but laugh.
"Today should be interesting. You'll have to excuse our family later Andy, we can get quite loud on holidays." She said before biting a candy cane shaped cookie.
"That's alright. I'm sure I'll be kept entertained." He said with a smile, but finished the sentence looking at me. I wasn't sure if he meant by my family, or if he had plans for him and I. My stomach flipped with the idea of the latter.
"We're far from bori- Crescendo no!" My dad cut himself short when my old tuxedo cat leaped onto the table, nearly knocking the gallon of milk to the floor. She scurried off after being startled from my dad's command.
"Yeah. What he said." I added, slightly embarrassed. "Far from boring."
We finished eating, and Mom and Dad went to set up the video camera like they do every year, while Toby and Andy cleaned the table and I did the dishes.
"Why don't you go wait in the living room, bud? I can finish here." I heard Andy tell Toby. I didn't respond, even though my interest was caught.
"OKAY!" Toby replied. I heard Andy gather the mugs from the table, and I heard his footsteps as he came behind me to put the mugs in the sink. My heart was fluttering.
"Morning." He whispered into my ear as he stood behind me, barely touching me, as he reached in front to put the mugs in the sink. I tried to not tremble as I continued to wash the casserole dish.
"Little late for that." I replied quietly with a smile. His breath was tickling my neck. I was longing for his touch, and when he finally leaned into me, placing his hands on my hips, I abandoned the glass pan in the sink, the faucet still running. I stared out the window above the sink at the lightly falling snow.
"I didn't get to say it before." He said into my ear again with what I detected to be a small laugh. I leaned back slightly to get closer to him.
"It's snowing out," I said, slightly turning my head towards him.
"I can see that." He breathed against my neck, then dipped his head and gingerly placed his lips where the feeling of his breath lingered, right where my neck met my shoulder. I couldn't help but smile.
"Lydia," I heard my mom call from the living room, her footsteps growing louder. Andy left me at the sink, returning to the table to collect the silverware. "Are you almost done yet? Toby's ready to pop a vein waiting." I heard her say, now standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
"Yeah mom. Almost done." I said, picking up the casserole dish again.
"Chop chop." She chimed as she trailed off back into the living room.
"I'm up, I'm up!" I laughed groggily. The time read 9:30. My mind was drifting off to sleep again as he padded off into the kitchen for special Christmas breakfast, when the realization that I was laying here alone hit me. The memory of last night came flooding back as I sat up.
"Did you get your sleepy sister up? Did ya push her off the couch?" I heard Andy laugh from the kitchen. Warmth spread within me.
"No, but I hit her with a pillow." I heard Toby reply with a shrill of pride in his voice.
"Ah, Toby, my man!" Andy replied and I heard the 'clap' of a high five.
"Jerks." I laughed to myself as I stood up from the couch. My eyes traveled to the tree with piles of presents spilling from beneath it. I smiled when I saw a small pile set up for Andy.
I quickly ran upstairs to get his gift from my closet before I joined everyone in the kitchen.
After slipping my small black box on into the pocket of my hoodie, I padded into the kitchen. The smell of cookies, coffee, Christmas tree candles and breakfast hit me at once.
"And she lives!" My dad joked upon me taking the free seat between him and Toby.
"Yes. Toby did a good job of making sure I was still breathing." I responded.
"Just in time," Mom said from the stove, "breakfast is done."
Andy looked up and sneaked a wink at me. I felt my face flush slightly as I grinned in response. My eyes flitted down as I pulled a mug of coffee towards me.
"Pass your dishes up." Mom said as she approached the table with the casserole dish of egg scrambler. She placed a scoop on everyone's dish before passing them back around the table. The smell of eggs, cheese, and ham was mouthwatering. So much so that my stomach growled when I settled my plate back in front of me.
I quickly looked up and around the table, hoping no one heard.
"Heard that." Andy said without looking up at me.
"I haven't the slightest idea of what your talking about." I replied before shoveling a forkful into my mouth. I saw him smile before he reached his mug up to his lips. Oh how I longed to be in place of that mug...
"Yeah yeah yeah now everyone hurry up, because there's a BIG box in there for me, and I wana open it before it ain't Christmas anymore!" Toby said in between shoving food into his mouth feverishly.
"Don't make me make you wait til everyone else opens their gifts." Dad threatened as he flicked a piece of ham at Toby. The poor kid wasn't sure if he should cry or laugh. He went back to his eggs silently. Mom couldn't help but laugh.
"Today should be interesting. You'll have to excuse our family later Andy, we can get quite loud on holidays." She said before biting a candy cane shaped cookie.
"That's alright. I'm sure I'll be kept entertained." He said with a smile, but finished the sentence looking at me. I wasn't sure if he meant by my family, or if he had plans for him and I. My stomach flipped with the idea of the latter.
"We're far from bori- Crescendo no!" My dad cut himself short when my old tuxedo cat leaped onto the table, nearly knocking the gallon of milk to the floor. She scurried off after being startled from my dad's command.
"Yeah. What he said." I added, slightly embarrassed. "Far from boring."
We finished eating, and Mom and Dad went to set up the video camera like they do every year, while Toby and Andy cleaned the table and I did the dishes.
"Why don't you go wait in the living room, bud? I can finish here." I heard Andy tell Toby. I didn't respond, even though my interest was caught.
"OKAY!" Toby replied. I heard Andy gather the mugs from the table, and I heard his footsteps as he came behind me to put the mugs in the sink. My heart was fluttering.
"Morning." He whispered into my ear as he stood behind me, barely touching me, as he reached in front to put the mugs in the sink. I tried to not tremble as I continued to wash the casserole dish.
"Little late for that." I replied quietly with a smile. His breath was tickling my neck. I was longing for his touch, and when he finally leaned into me, placing his hands on my hips, I abandoned the glass pan in the sink, the faucet still running. I stared out the window above the sink at the lightly falling snow.
"I didn't get to say it before." He said into my ear again with what I detected to be a small laugh. I leaned back slightly to get closer to him.
"It's snowing out," I said, slightly turning my head towards him.
"I can see that." He breathed against my neck, then dipped his head and gingerly placed his lips where the feeling of his breath lingered, right where my neck met my shoulder. I couldn't help but smile.
"Lydia," I heard my mom call from the living room, her footsteps growing louder. Andy left me at the sink, returning to the table to collect the silverware. "Are you almost done yet? Toby's ready to pop a vein waiting." I heard her say, now standing in the doorway of the kitchen.
"Yeah mom. Almost done." I said, picking up the casserole dish again.
"Chop chop." She chimed as she trailed off back into the living room.
Awe so sweet :)
5/20/14