Quandary | Noah Sebastian |

three

Noah

I felt depleted upon waking up when I felt that the bed sheets were cool, absent of Olivia to warm them for the umpteenth time. She would be sound asleep when I crawled into bed each night, and I started to appreciate her warmth more and more by wrapping myself around her, knowing I'd wake up to an empty bed. It's become a pattern that I didn't enjoy by any means, missing the way she would give me a sheepish smile and kiss me good morning, her eyes glimmering under the morning sun.

Sighing, I pushed myself out of bed to start the day, stretching before I made my way to the kitchen. Just like I had expected, Liv was not home, most likely already down at the bakery for the day. I hated the foolish quarrels we've been having as of late, ending with one or both of us parting ways in frustration. I felt like no matter what I did, how hard I tried to put a smile on her face, it just wasn't enough.

I frowned when I reached the kitchen island, the lack of a good morning note dampening my mood even further. Before this distancing began, she would always leave me a message if she left before I had woken up. It was like she didn't want anything to do with me, and that was killing me.

Instead of making breakfast at home, I opted to head to the bakery, hoping the surprise visit would alleviate some of the tension. When I made my way through the door of the bakery, I immediately spotted her, working away at decorating her pastries for the day. I smiled as I admired her—the soft smile gracing her lips while surely humming to herself, the smudge of red icing on her cheek, vibrant against her porcelain skin, her curls neatly tucked into a bun, save for a few stray hairs that perfectly framed her face.

"Hey, love," I greet her gently, folding my arms on top of the glass case and resting my chin on them. She finishes with the cupcake she was currently decorating before bringing her attention to me. My heart swelled when the smile on her face actually grew, seeming happy to see me.
"Hey. What are you doing here?" she asks, placing the piping bag on the counter and wipes her hands clean on her apron.
I shrug playfully, "Just thought I'd start my day by seeing my beautiful wife do what she does best. Maybe eat a muffin or two, grab an iced chai."

She chuckles before grabbing a sheet of wax paper and bends down to observe the muffins, surely picking the one with the most streusel on top. She picks up the coffee cake, handing it to me over the glass. "Go sit, I'll join you," she says and turns to prepare me the latte.

Moments later, she joins me at the table that I picked, two drinks sitting a tray and her own muffin in hand. I thanked her after taking a sip and she smiled at me before tasting her own beverage. We sat in silence while we both picked at our muffin tops, and I took the time to admire her—especially her eyes, my favorite shade of blue glimmering in front of me.

I licked my thumb and swiped it over the icing she had on her cheek, and she giggles, putting her hand up while turning her face away from me. "What are you doing, ya goof?"
I snickered, retracting my hand, "You had frosting on your face."
"Oh, my God," she gasps, eyes growing wide with realization, "did I really?" I laughed and nodded my head. "How embarrassing," she mumbles.
"It looked good on you," I winked, causing her to roll her eyes with a smirk.

I reached out and took her hand in mine, running my thumb over her knuckles. I relished how smooth her skin felt as she gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "How's your morning been?" I ask, still smoothing my thumb over her hand.
"Good. It's been slow so far today; gave me some time to do some extra decorating," she lets out a breathy laugh. "How about yours?"
I grin, "Better now that I got to see you."
Her smile falters slightly as she averts her eyes to our adjoined hands. Her grasp loosens, and I feel my heart sink because of it. "What's wrong, love?" I whispered.