It's been a few months since that night. It was the fall, but now it's winter. Nora and I have been dating for around five months now, and things are going well.
Today is actually the start of our winter break. We both just finished our last little bits of schoolwork, and we are finally free for a couple of weeks.
Nora's bed is one of my favourite places. It is a lot more comfortable than mine, and my girlfriend sleeps in it, too.
Ever since the night of our first date, I've been sleeping in her bed with her every night. I haven't relapsed since. Feeling her there next to me makes my entire world melt, and I feel safe. I haven't told her this, but I'm sure she already knows.
She seems to know when I'm going to have a bad night, so she makes sure to make me feel safe and loved. I cherish her for that.
My time of reflection is interrupted by the loudest sound in the world. Nora's snoring. While sleeping beside her in bed has been fantastic, sometimes my precious princess sleep is interrupted by a grizzly bear.
I open my eyes, and Nora's face is right in front of mine. Her mouth is wide open, and drool is leaking out of the corner of her mouth. I can feel the air being pulled out of my mouth as she inhales, causing another loud, primal roar.
Her hand is sandwiched between her cheek and pillow at an angle that looks really uncomfortable. Her hair is a wild mess, like a bird has started nesting within it.
I smile at the sight. That right there is my pretty girl. Even like this no other girl compares to her. I consider taking a picture of her, but I decide other wise. I enjoy living.
I reach over her to her bedside table. I unplug my phone and flop back down next to Nora on the bed. I tap the screen, and the time reads 10:29 a.m. We usually are up early for school, but since we're on break we can finally get that deserved rest that we need.
I let the screen go dark, and I put it down beside me. I rub my eyes and look up at the white, bumpy ceiling. I should make Nora some breakfast. I know she likes waking up to the smell of breakfast.
I grab my phone and climb back over Nora, pushing myself off the bed and onto the floor. I turn around and look down at Nora's corpse. I lean down and kiss her forehead. She smiles through her sleep at the kiss.
I do my best to be quiet while leaving the room. I softly step across the floor towards the door. I slowly open it, careful not to let it creak, and I step out into the hallway. I exhale in relief when I hear her suck in another metric ton of oxygen.
I walk down the hallway towards the kitchen. I pass my room. It hasn't been touched in months. I don't usually go in there anymore. Once I started sleeping in Nora's room, I never had a reason to. I took my clothes, but other than that, it's the same as when I left it.
I walk into the kitchen and start preparing Nora her favourite breakfast. She's a simple girl. An over-easy egg on a toasted slice of bread is what she likes. I'm lucky I don't have to make a giant breakfast with a whole bunch of different things. Not that I wouldn't, I'd love to. But cleaning up this is a lot easier.
I start frying a couple of eggs, yawning here and there. I've gotten good at making eggs. I make Nora her special breakfast every Saturday morning when school is still running during the week.
I don't get far into making her breakfast when I hear the sound of her soft footsteps creep up behind me. Before I know it, I feel her arms wrap around my waist.
"Good morning, baby." She says in a sleepy voice. I feel her head drop on my back. She stands there and just holds my waist from behind.
"Morning, dear." My hand goes to her hand on my waist. "How'd you sleep?" I feel her dumb grin on the skin of my back.
"With my eyes closed!" She can barely finish her sentence before she starts giggling. I saw that one coming from miles away.
I turn to face her, resting my hands on her hips. I lean down and kiss her softly on her lips. We pull away and look at each other for a moment. She's my favourite thing to look at. She always looks so pretty.
"I made you breakfast, you goofball." I put her eggs on her toast. I hand her the plate. "Wanna eat on the balcony?"
"Yeah. I could go for a smoke, too." She takes my hand in hers, and we walk out onto the balcony.
I set my plate down on the little table we have, sit down in my chair, and light a cigarette. I take a long, deep drag, and I hand Nora the cigarette. I start picking away at my breakfast.
"Thanks, you know me so well, Nate." She inhales the smoke and closes her eyes. Her mouth cracks into a smile, and the smoke leaks from the corners of her smile.
We continue to pick at our food for a bit, enjoying the quiet of the early afternoon. Our little patio heater hums softly, keeping us warm.
"These are perfect baby. Thank you for waking me up to a delicious breakfast, you hopeless romantic." She flashes me a sultry smile.
"Only for you, boo." I smile back at her and we continue to eat our breakfast and smoke our cigarette.
We don't say much. We don't need to. Everything has been said. The fact we can be comfortable and happy around one another without having to speak is a true testament to our love.
Nora's hair flutters in the cold wind as she huddles closer to the heater. Most people don't like being outside during the winter, but to us, it's our place of peace.
Winter mornings are quiet. Both of us have learned to enjoy the quiet. I've always been an introvert, but as me and Nora began to date she started to choose me over going out. I think that's really nice of her to do.
I breathe in the crisp winter air and sigh. I look over at Nora. She seems lost in thought. Who knows what she's thinking of? It's probably something silly, or maybe she's not even thinking at all.
I take a final bite of my food, and I set my plate down. Nora seems to be in sync with me because she finishes at the same time. I stand up and grab our plates. We both walk back inside.
I set the plate down in the sink and I begin to wash them. Nora yawns and shuffles up to me, giving me a sweet kiss on the cheek. She leans against me as I wash the dishes. She seems very tired.
She looks up at me and flashes a sweet smile. "Wanna smoke a blunt?" Her voice is very sleepy. She holds onto my arms, waiting for my response.
"Does a bear shit in the woods? Of course, baby, go grab one." She smiles and slowly walks away to her bedroom to grab a joint.
After I finish washing the dishes, I head to our living room and flop down on the sofa. Nora walks over and sits next to me, lighting the blunt.
The bitter smell of marijuana begins to waft in the air, creeping into my sinus. I watch as Nora takes a fat rip before handing it to me.
I throw a blanket over us as we pass the joint back in forth. We've been smoking frequently now. I managed to help Nora get off alcohol, so as a reward, we smoke together. I make sure it doesn't get out of control though, hence the reason she asked first.
The joint doesn't last long. After just a few minutes, the remains of it sit in our ash tray. Nora crawls on top of me.
"Nap time." She says mid yawn. She pushes me down and lays on my chest.
Instinctively, my hands rub her back and play with her hair. I feel her exhale, letting her body relax on top of me as if we are melding together into one.
We take a sweet, well-deserved nap.
