Love's one hell of an addiction

Chapter 4: Motivation never felt so sweet

The sun had begun to rise over the horizon, with the delightful songs of the birds accompanying its arrival  with a beautiful symphony. And already, Hunter was up on his feet. It was only 6:30am, but he already felt so alive! Last night really helped to change him for the better. He decided to start the day with a cold shower to help wake himself up, the cold water splashing against his fur and sending a jolt up his back. He exited the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist with a hand towel around his neck. The kettle was switched on, letting the water begin to warm up as he sat down in the living room. And here he began to plan for the day. He wanted to do so much that he had put off thanks to his recent emotional state. Cleaning his home, doing the laundry, prepping food, get back into his fitness schedule. Everything was being done today

Everything was planned, a smile growing on his face as the kettle clicked in the kitchen. He prepared himself a cup of coffee, exactly how he liked it. He took a sip of the delicious beverage, letting out a satisfied sigh. For now, he'll just relax. And once he had finished his coffee and dried himself off, it was clothes on and getting started

Over the next couple of hours, the floors would be vacuumed and cleaned, with the cleaning products used having a pleasant citrus that would fill the air. Hunter breathed in, happily smelling the beautiful aroma that filled his nostrils. After that would be a deep clean of the kitchen, including his countertop, the sink and even a deep clean of the oven! He was determined to make sure everywhere was spotless until he was truly satisfied.

He looked at the watch on his wrist to check the time. 11:30? Perfect! He began the laundry, making sure to separate the clothes so no colour bleeding would happen and ruin his favourite clothes. The powders were placed in, and the machine was turned on. As it span, he looked towards the freshly-cleaned oven. What was he going to make for tonight? Minni didn't seem like a fussy eater. And luckily his assumption was correct! Minni would eat just about anything!

An idea crossed his mind, causing him to pull out his phone and begin to scroll through his contacts. Until he saw the one he was looking for: Grandma! He pressed on the contact, beginning to ring as he put the speaker on. It rang a few times before her voice began to speak through the other end. "Hello?" A sweet voice spoke, making Hunter smile before responding. "Hi Gran Gran! It's Hunter!". "He heard a soft laugh from his Grandma "Oh Hunter, my little Angel! How are you!". Hunter felt a soft blush of his face as he heard that. Grandma always knows how to utterly fluster him. "I-I'm doing okay. I'm actually meeting someone tonight! She's coming over to my place! And I wanted to ask if you have a couple meal recipes I could possibly borrow?". There was a moment of silence, followed by joyous laughter from the elderly wolf. "Of course you can, sweetheart! I'll lend you a couple of my best!". "Thanks Gran Gran, you're the best! I'll drive over to pick 'em up. Love you!". "I love you too, pup. See you soon!". She then hung up, leaving Hunter with such a silly smile on his face. God, he loved his family so much

A quick drive there, and a loving reunion (which did include a moment of emotional comfort over recent events), Hunter had the recipes his Grandma had picked out. As far as he was concerned, she was the single best chef on the planet. He drove back home, stepped inside, and locked the door behind him. He began to look at the recipes she had given him, and the memories came flooding back by what he saw. It was his two favourite meals when he stayed at Grandma's house as a kid! Chicken Korma and Honey Garlic Shrimp!

He began to read through the recipes, making a mental note of the checklist of ingredients needed. He rummaged through the various cupboards as well as the fridge and freezer to collect all required ingredients. He checked over everything, referring to the two recipes to make sure he got everything. And he did!.... Well, almost everything. "Damn it.... I don't have any shrimp!...." He groaned softly to himself

But Hunter's mind already began to plan. He read through the recipe of Gram Gram's Chicken Korma, noting how long the dish needs to cook once everything is together.... Around 30 minutes! "I can make that in time. Once it starts cookin', I can make it to the store and back with 5 minutes to spare!" He smirked to himself, checking the time. It was already 1pm? Looks like he stayed over at Gram Gram's longer than he thought. But he's still got plenty of time!

He followed the recipe as accurately as he could, with the end result hopefully being just like how he remembered as a kid. It took around 30 or so minutes to fully prepare it, leaving Hunter at 2pm. He grabbed his phone and set a timer for 30 minutes, his hand hovering over the start button as, making sure to cover his hand with a dish cloth so he doesn't burn his hand, placed the dish inside the oven. The moment the door was shut, he pressed the start button, grabbed his keys and phone and left his house. The door was locked and he rushed to his car, driving away as soon as possible

Admittedly, during the journey, Hunter was stuck in road work traffic for a good few minutes, every second ticking away making him more and more anxious. But apart from that, everything was smooth sailing. Once he arrived to the store, we went immediately to the freezers that held fish and other seafood options, grabbing a platter of frozen shrimp and heading to checkout. A simple scan and transaction and a rather hectic drive back home, Hunter had unlocked his door and entered the house with only 2 minutes to spare! Hunter let out a sigh of relief. Now, everything was needed to prepare for the evening. Another hour would pass and both meals were prepared! He used a neat little trick Gram Gram taught him to keep the food nice and warm for tonight before going back to the living room

He looked around, admiring the work he had done and just how much better everything looked as well as how much better he felt. Hunter looked into the mirror, only now realising just how much happier he looked. A couple days ago, he was a grieving mess. And now? He could barely recognise himself. "And it's all because of her" he told himself with a soft smile. He looked down to his phone and opened his contacts. Mama'd wanna hear about this

He spent the next hour or so talking to his Mama, who was thrilled over her baby boy's improvements. She was also excited about meeting Minni at one point, thinking she sounds like a truly wonderful lady. And oh, she was. Hunter would hang up after one more loving goodbye and looked at the time.

"Not long now. I just hope I don't screw it up" he told himself. This night was going to be truly special

A/N: Chapter 4 is now complete! Sorry it took so long again. I just had to find my motivation again. Hope you enjoyed it and look forward to the future of the story! Catch ya later!