Old Days Break Free [ON HOLD]

25

Strawberry Lipstick

Lorraine's POV

It was early in the morning, and there I stood, a quiet smile on my face as I prepared my coffee.

The soft clinking of the spoon against the cup was the only sound in the room, yet my thoughts were anything but quiet.

I licked my lips, almost absentmindedly, then bit my lower lip, feeling a small surge of something unexplainable before breaking into a wide grin.

What was it about this morning that felt different?

I could still taste the faint sweetness of strawberries lingering on my lips, like a whisper from the past day—the unmistakable flavor of Athena's lipstick.

She had kissed me twice.

Twice.

And every time, that lipstick would leave a light stain, a reminder, as if she wanted me to carry her with me.

And here I was, still tasting it.

Does Chanel even make strawberry-flavored lipstick?

The thought crossed my mind.

But then, why did her kiss have a flavor, even when it was just a fleeting peck?

A gentle brush of lips, and yet... the taste lingered.

And it wasn’t just the flavor—it was the softness of her lips that caught me off guard.

So soft that it almost didn’t feel like Athena at all.

She had always been strong-willed, fierce even, and yet that kiss—it was tender, unexpected.

Wait, what am I thinking?

Why am I grinning like an idiot?

What the hell?

I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts, and pouted to stop the grin from spreading any further.

Come on, Lorraine, get a grip.

With a sigh, I took a sip of the coffee I had just made.

It was perfect, not too strong, not too light—exactly how I liked it.

At least that was still normal.

But as I stood there savoring my coffee, my phone rang from the bedroom.

Startled out of my reverie, I placed my cup on the table and headed toward the sound.

There, on my bed, nestled against my massive Ice Bear plushie, was my phone, the screen lighting up with an incoming call from Papa.

I picked it up and, as always, he launched into the conversation with his usual exuberance.

"Congratulations!" he said, his voice filled with pride, talking about our latest success—the acquisition of a new plane for our airline.