Heaven is on earth (Loubbie)

40 . Forgiveness.

The early morning light filtered through the curtains, casting a soft glow on the faces of the two people Lou cared about the most in this world.

Debbie's head rested on Lou's shoulder, and Danny was nestled between them, her small hand still clutching onto Lou's.

As Debbie stirred awake, Lou kept her eyes closed, trying to steady her breathing to maintain the illusion of sleep. She could feel Debbie shifting slightly, her warm breath brushing against her skin as she adjusted her position.

Debbie's hand found its way to Lou's, and she gently intertwined their fingers. Lou's heart skipped a beat at the tender touch, but she forced herself to stay still, not wanting to break this moment of peace.

The brunette's lips pressed against her forehead in a soft, lingering kiss, and Lou's heart soared. She wanted to open her eyes, look into Debbie's eyes, and tell her how she felt, but she held back, unsure of what the right words would be.

The seconds stretched into minutes, and the silence in the room seemed to envelop them in a cocoon of intimacy. Lou allowed herself to simply be with Debbie and Danny. To revel in the warmth and comfort of their presence.

Finally, Debbie shifted again, pulled away slightly, and left the bed.

The room seemed to hold its breath as Lou watched Debbie stand by the window, her back turned to her. The morning light painted a soft glow around her silhouette, and Lou couldn't help but feel mesmerized.

Lou smiled softly as she turned her attention to Danny, who had woken up and was looking at her with sleepy eyes. "Morning..."

"Good morning, sweetie," Lou whispered back, reaching out to gently ruffle Danny's hair. "Did you sleep well?"

Danny nodded, rubbing her eyes. "Mm... Can we have pancakes for breakfast?"

Lou chuckled.

"Well, if there's pancakes at the buffet downstairs, then definitely." She then glanced at Debbie. "Deb, you're hungry ?"

The brunette nodded but didn't answer, and just like that, Lou knew she was crying and without a second thought, she got up from the bed and went over to her. She wrapped her arms around Debbie's waist.

"It's okay," Lou whispered.

The brunette nodded and when she faced Lou, her eyes were red, and her face wasn't pretty with the brushes from last night. "I don't want Danny to see me like that..." she said, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lou gently brushed a strand of hair away from Debbie's face. "It's okay..." she repeated, her voice soft. "You can stay in the room for a bit, and I'll take care of Danny while you freshen up. She won't see you like this."

Debbie nodded, her gratitude evident in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Hey Danny, do you want to do a breakfast secret mission ?" Lou asked with a smile.

Danny's eyes widened with excitement, and she nodded eagerly. "Yes, what's the mission?"

Lou leaned in and whispered conspiratorially, "Our mission is to go to the breakfast room and steal as many pancakes as we can without being noticed."

"Yeah! " The little girl exclaimed.

"Okay, but we have to be very sneaky !"

***

Hand in hand, they tiptoed out of the hotel room and made their way to the breakfast room. The buffet was filled with delicious treats, including stacks of fluffy pancakes. Lou and Danny tried their best to look inconspicuous as they carefully loaded up their plates with pancakes.