Love & Cigarettes

Chapter 14 - Stephen's Mad House

•• AMBER'S POV ••

I don't think I had enough hours of sleep at all - I woke up at quarter-to-four in the morning and when I closed my eyes, trying to go back to sleep- I couldn't, so I decided to just get up, go brush my teeth then take a shower.

This is not my usual waking up time and between the noise made by birds chirping outside and being excited as well as anxious because of this date with Dean - I really don't know which factor contributed to me waking up this early.

I do not mind though because I am going back to work tomorrow as schools are opening -so I will be waking up early, although it's at 6:30 not 3:45 in the morning. I am so happy schools are re-opening and I hope my students are too. I have so much that I want us to cover this term.

I am going through all the dresses in my closet and I don't know what to wear because Dean never specified where our date will be and I was too excited to remember to ask. I don't want to be over dressed or under dressed.

Or misdressed- if there is such a word.

I want to call him and ask him where we will be going but since the date is in the evening - I guess it will be formal wear. So I will need a dress.

I have so many formal dresses I can choose from but I want to go shopping for this specific occasion - it's different from the rest. I decide to just take a break and I sit on the bed, grab my cellphone then I log into Whatsapp and I can see that Dean was online 2 hours ago and now the time is 7:03 in the morning, so he has woken up already - like me. I hope he is still looking forward to this date as much as I am.

I am fighting the urge to text and ask him if we're still on because I don't want to seem to desperate so I just stare at my phone screen - thinking of how to construct this question.

As I begin to type, below his username - it changes from "last seen at" to "online". I become nervous and I quickly log off whatsapp -I will just have to trust my gut with this one. I place my phone on the bed covered with a pile of clothes.

I get up from the bed and stand in front of my closet- I need to change from this home outfit and find what I will wear when I go shopping today. I decide to wear a denim dress and some gladiators. I brush my very long and brown hair back then put a ribbon with a bow then I top it off with my signature perfume - nice and simple. I get my black tote from the other side of the closet and place it on the bed.

I decide to apply my makeup. I am not sure if this counts as makeup though, but with a bit of mascara, eyeliner and lipgloss- I do look nice in a way. My mom does her makeup or facebeat so well and I have always loved makeup but I stopped forcing things because I just can't seem to apply it on myself without looking like I am dead. So sticking to the basics is safe.

My mind drifts to Anna and I want to call her and maybe invite her to go shopping with me but after I cancelled on her last night, I don't think she will agree.

Anna will ask to many questions and I know she will judge me for going out with Dean knowing that my father would hate the idea so I need to keep her at bay too.

I walk out of my room to go to the dining room for breakfast and as I walk closer to the dinning room - I can hear my mom's laughter & giggles and my dad's big voice from here. I enter then go take a seat -my eyes already scanning the food on the table.

My mom is sitting in her normal seat but my dad is not, he is sitting next to my mom. I can see my mom's side of the face and hair but my dad has his back on me and they seem to be whispering something between them. It's good to know that they are back to their normal selves and I wonder if they notice that I am here but judging from the way my dad's hand suddenly travels to land on my mom's back and down to her waist and moves down further - I don't think so.