Tangled Hearts.

~Chapter 9~

~Raelyn~
 
~Wednesday, September 10th~

I woke up to the smell of absolutely nothing because, like a sleep-deprived caffeine junkie, I'd forgotten to set the waffle maker last night.

"Alright, Bean Sprout," I mumbled, nudging Blake's sleepy little body wrapped like a burrito in his dinosaur blanket. "Let's go make breakfast before your stomach eats itself."

He blinked up at me. "Are we having waffles?"

"Obviously. I wouldn't dare serve you anything less. Do I look like a monster to you?"

He grinned. "Sometimes."

"Wow. The betrayal. After I carried you for nine months, gave you life, and shared my last chocolate chip cookie with you."

He gasped. "You said you didn't want it!"

"And yet here we are. You still ate it."

By the time the waffle iron sizzled and filled the kitchen with the smell of buttery heaven, Blake was already perched at the table, kicking his legs and humming the "Paw Patrol" theme song like it was Grammy-worthy.

I slid a plate in front of him. "There. Your majesty's waffle."

He took a bite and nodded like he was Gordon Ramsay on a cooking show. "It's good," he mumbled with a full mouth.

"Wow. That enthusiasm. Don't all clap at once."

After breakfast and a brief war over sock choices (he won—obviously), I got him dressed and brushed his hair into something less "woke-up-on-a-rollercoaster" and more "responsible-kindergartener."

"Alright, bud. Time for school."

His face crumpled. "But I don't wanna goooo."

"Yeah, well, I didn't want to pay taxes or deal with student loans, but life's unfair, babycakes."

He folded his arms, glaring up at me like a mini mafia boss. "You'll pick me up after?"

"Of course. I'd never leave you hanging. Unless I'm abducted by aliens."

"Promise?"

"Pinky promise." I crouched down and he launched himself into my arms, burying his head into my neck.

"I don't wanna lose you. I love you," he whispered.

My heart nearly combusted. "I love you too, more than waffles."

"More than chocolate?"

"More than my sanity—which is saying a lot."

He beamed. "Okay! I'll go get dressed!"

Blake returned minutes later rocking black pants and a bright green T-Rex shirt that screamed "RAWR means I love you in dinosaur."

"Look at you!" I said dramatically. "Fashion icon of the year!"

He posed like he was on a Paris runway. "I picked it myself."

"Clearly. GQ should be calling you any minute now."

After dropping him off (and bribing him out of the car with promises of popcorn movie night), I headed to school, parked, and let my head fall back against the seat.

Note to self: Monday was a dumpster fire. Let's try for... lukewarm disaster today?

—

I walked into English and immediately short-circuited.

Colby. Already seated. Already brooding. Eyes on his notebook like he was plotting to overthrow the government.

His "Hi" was so low I thought I imagined it.