A very last minute chapter! Sorry if it's shite, but I thought I should upload a Mother's Day special 🤍
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Holly's POV
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The kettle dings and I pick it up, pouring the boiling water into a mug. I mix in two heaped teaspoons of ground coffee and give it a good stir before adding a splash of cream and place the mug on the wooden tray I've set up on the kitchen counter. Next, I plate up the pancakes I've made, stacking three on top of each other. I push the heart-shaped cookie cutters through the chopped strawberries I've washed and prepared on the chopping board and dot those around the pancakes and the plate. I finish the pancakes off with a generous drizzle of maple syrup and a handful of raspberries over the top - Ella's favourite berry.
After assembling the tray with food, cutlery, and napkins, I carefully pick it up off the counter and make my way upstairs. I know JJ and Ella are up by the sounds of their voices and their open bedroom door. I knock on the door anyway, balancing the tray on one hand as I wait for their okay to come in.
"Come in!"
I walk into the bedroom and see Ella sitting up in bed. She's in her sage green robe with her messy hair tumbling down over her shoulders while JJ's brushing his teeth over the sink in their ensuite bathroom. I suddenly feel shy as if I shouldn't be doing this. I know Ella and JJ have been together for what feels like years now, and she has become a mother to me, yet we've never really established or talked about it properly. I also feel like I'm betraying my biological mum by doing this for Ella, but I shrug off the feelings and place the tray on Ella's lap, smiling.
"Happy mothers day, Ella"
"Awh, Holly, you're such a sweetheart," Ella smiles, opening her arms. "C'mere"
I give Ella a hug and make eye contact with JJ over her shoulder. He holds his toothbrush over the sink as he studies my face. I quickly avert my eyes to the ground to avoid his questioning gaze. If something's wrong with me, JJ can sense it from a mile away.
"You and your dad are just the best," Ella smiles. "You made me this lovely breakfast and your dad popped out earlier to get me some roses. Aren't they beautiful?"
Ella gestures to the cellophane-wrapped roses on her bedside table. The petals are white like pearls and the stems are greener than...the grinches cock? I don't even know why I'm thinking about the grinches cock on mothers day. Anyway....I turn my attention back to Ella.
"Yeah, well, I just wanted to say thank you for...well...putting up with me and my dad. I know we're not the easiest"
"Speak for yourself," JJ gasps, putting a hand to his heart. "I'm perfect"
Ella rolls her eyes. "You're both bloody brilliant, and thank you for such a lovely morning"
***
After breakfast, JJ washes up Ella's tray and the contents downstairs in the kitchen. Ella excuses herself to take a shower and shuts the bathroom door behind her, leaving me alone in the bedroom. I look around, unsure of what to do, and frown when my eyes latch onto some papers that seem to have fallen onto the ground from JJ's bedside drawer. I pick them up to place them on the surface of the table, but my name at the top of one of the documents catches my eye. I flip it over and let my eyes scan the contents of the page. They're my files from the orphanage. I didn't know JJ had kept them at all, let alone next to his bed in his drawer. He knew me like the back of his hand at this point, although, I guess he had to keep them for some reason or another.
I sit on the bed and listen out for any footsteps on the landing or in the bathroom. The whole upstairs part of the house and the stairs are silent, only tainted by the noise of the water from the shower, so I spread the pages across my lap and start reading through them. My heartbeat is fast in my chest at the thought of JJ walking into his room at any moment. I know he wouldn't be angry at me for reading my own files, but I spent so long convincing him that I didn't care about the files and that I wanted to ignore that part of my life forever. As much as I would like to block out that part of my life, I know I'm also curious. I guess my pride holds me back from what I want sometimes.
