3.0 The Chronicles of Us - Choas & Clarity

Chapter two

*♡  Ellie ♡*

Four months earlier

"Hurry up, Tex, or we'll be late."

Deliberately slow, he buckles his belt and slips a shirt over his head while I retrieve my earring from between the sheets. "You know you instigated the fucking, right?" He puts his shoes on and I grab my bag from the floor. "I was ready to go, keys in hand and everything."

I wink while putting in my earring. "You were definitely ready to go."

He smiles. "Nice one."

"I learned from the best." I smile back and take his hand, leading him to the door.

Once we're seated in my convertible, I take a moment to admire our house. I'm so happy we found it. We were searching for a new apartment but nothing seemed right. It was either in the wrong neighborhood, too small, too expensive or—according to Tex—a fucking dump.

However, when I showed him the advertisement for this three bedroom detached house, complete with an antique porch swing on the veranda, he got just as excited as me. It's simply amazing. Not too big and located in a lively neighborhood with nice restaurants and stores around the corner. The price was slightly more than we anticipated, but we are financially fairing well. Tex still has the inheritance, of course, but we both agreed to never rely on it.

It felt so good to pick out new furniture and make it our own. Tex decided to let me decorate it to my taste. That is, until I ordered a pink fluffy chair. He then decided that I had the worst taste and from then on out, we made decisions like a team. It turned out great; both our personalities represented throughout the house. Even though the house wasn't in the best state when we bought it—there are still some repairs that need to be done—it's ours and it's perfect.

"I thought we were in a hurry," Tex says, pulling me out of my train of thought.

I start the car and show him a smile. "Sometimes I can't believe how lucky I am to have all this." I gesture at the house and at him. "It's like a fairytale."

He laughs, close to a snort. "It's hardly a fairytale. Yesterday, you smacked me on the head with a wooden spoon."

I huff and back the car out of the driveway. "That's because you put my Pop-Tarts on the shelf that I can't reach. Again!" When he muffles a laugh by hiding his lips behind his fist, I narrow my eyes. "I know you do it on purpose to mess with me."

He shrugs innocently. "I do no such thing. Like I said before: I just keep forgetting how small you are."

He's lying, but I don't mind. I love this little game where he annoys me by placing my favorite snacks out of reach and I annoy him with cutesy pet names. The way he cringes when I call him Sugar Pie is too funny.

We both sing along to the radio while I drive us to our destination. Roy and Gabriela live only a short drive away. They, too, decided to settle down on this side of the city. Granted, their place is a lot bigger and flashier than ours, but it's still very homely. Gabriela—or Gaby as I call her—had her mind set on a big garden since they were expecting.

I park my car along the curb and turn to Tex. "Ready, Honey Bear?"

His face twists with discomfort. "You are the worst," he complains, leaning in for a kiss, "but I still love you."

Our lips connect for a short moment before I pull back to grab the gift from the backseat. "I love you too."

To the moon and back and then some.