A Break Apart

EPILOGUE

Nadine was making breakfast when William appeared in his pyjamas and stood by the kitchen door, unknowingly to her. He hated that he had woken up without setting his eyes on her pretty face, a sight he loved to see first thing in the morning, right beside him.

He watched her cook, amused at the fact that she was unaware of his presence, as always, and almost laughing out loud at the reaction he knew too well to expect, which was about to unfold as she began to turn around.

"Ahh!" Nadine yelped in fright as she veered back, her eyes wide open, while William had a fill of laughter.

She then sighed, proceeding to the island with a little frown. "You know how much I hate it when you sneak up on me like that." She dropped a plate of scrambled eggs on the island.

Still in humour, William walked into the kitchen. "I thought by now you'd have gotten used to it, or at least be more sensitive."

"You're too skilled for my sensitivity," she replied, and he chuckled as they held each other closely.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he said.

"Good morning, babe," she said, and then they shared a kiss.

"You left me alone," he said afterwards.

"I wanted to surprise you with a breakfast in bed, but your stubborn head just had to ruin it by waking up too early."

He laughed. "You can't blame me. Got a signal in my sleep that my soulmate was missing. Had to come searching."

She laughed this time. "Well, breakfast is ready," she said as they pulled away.

He looked at the island then, noticing only now the colourful bounty it carried. There were slices of avocado, diced mangoes and strawberries, buttered toasts, fresh mango juice, baked beans and scrambled eggs.

"Wow, you've really outdone yourself," he said.

She giggled as they both sat down to feast.

"Oops, let me get the plates." She made to get up, but he held her down.

"You've done enough, I'll get it."

With a smile, she relaxed in her chair while he went for the utensils.

"Did they later email the layouts?" she asked.

"Nope. I called it a night after waiting for nearly an hour." He returned with the plates and cutleries, which he dropped on the island.

"I'll do the serving," she said.

He chuckled while he sat down. "If you insist."

"But why are they taking so much time?" She picked a plate and started serving.

"They probably feel they're the best in the market, coupled with the fact that they have us right where they want us to be-Thanks," he inserted the last word after she dropped a filled plate before him, "-and Dad isn't up for another back and forth with a new company," he continued. "And I can't even fault him 'cause we've already invested a lot in these guys." He loved that she cared enough to ask about his work, even though she didn't fully understand what it entailed, and he was always happy to share, leaving no stone unturned. Her little contributions somehow puts him at ease, and sometimes she gave him ideas without even knowing it.

Nadine sighed as she fixed her meal. "I can imagine, but that would be the better option if these guys keep failing, considering the deadline."

"Yeah..." It hurt his head to think about a change with all that they had had to do in the past few weeks to arrive at this current stage of the contract. "Hopefully they've sent it. Haven't opened my laptop yet."