The Definition of Me

Chapter 2: Morning at Gemma's

"Gemma!" I said with a fabricated smile and a high-pitched voice as I stood on the front porch of her apartment, located on the 11th floor. Even higher then where I lived, but at least the ladders I climbed this time were inside. 

I haven't seen her for more than five years, but when I was little, I remember thinking aunt Gemma was a bit alienated. Of course she does not have green skin, large black eyes and she does not speak a completely unknown to human kind language, although her south-american accent makes english language sound foreign at least to me. She had a very weird, yet oddly charming sense of style. I would describe it as a 70's hippie mixed with granny chic. Her clothes and her apartment were the perfect examples of that. Inside, her house always had the scent of vanilla, but that's because she is a candle addict like me. And whenever I would smell the scent of cookie dough, I knew she was making my favourite chocolate chip cookies. She was different, highlighted from the rest. Not a typical New Yorker and I loved her for that; she was an outsider like me. 
Aunt Gemma is more of a grandma to me, considering the fact that I never even met my actual grandma. Ironically, she died one week before I was born. And to this day, I cannot depict if it's a good or a bad thing. I never felt the heartbreak of losing her, but sometimes I feel empty inside from the thought of never knowing her. It may sound cynical, but I always found aunt Gemma a good replacement. I always felt how her love for me was unconditional, so I knew she wouldn't mind me staying over her house for one night.

"Rosie, my baby!" she said as she squeezed my cheeks and smiled back at me. 
"You've grown so much. It's a little bit weird for you to come at this time, not that you are not welcome here." She continued, as she opened the door for me, giving me a 'you can come in' gesture.

"I know, I am very sorry Gem. I hope you don't mind, I will explain everything tomorrow." I responded, coming inside the house and smelling a familiar-never-changing scent of vanilla.

"I never mind seeing you."  she guided me to her guest bedroom. 

I started getting ready for bed and changed into my pyjamas, which I brought with me, along with a few other essentials I had packed in my small backpack before leaving; skincare, phone charger, wallet, keys to the penthouse and my headphones.  But before I almost fell asleep, I could hear Gemma say in a warming, kind voice "Goodnight, Rosie baby."

"Goodnight, Gem." I whispered back with my eyes already closed and my body wrapped up in a blanket. 

***

I look at the clock on the bedside table. 6.31am. There were only two reasons I could possibly be up at this hour:
1. My 8pm routine extended towards the morning.
2. I had to pee

But this time I woke up because I heard a banging noise from the living room. My level of annoying very quickly escalated to it's limit and I got out of bed, marching to the living room to see what was going on.

"I know you are an early riser but having a night-owl-teenager might be able to change that for you, Gem." I said, trying to hide my irritation, yet letting her know that whatever the noise she was making was getting on my nerves.

"Oh sorry, Rosie. Liam was just leaving." She apologised. 

"Oka-wait, who is Liam?" I asked, raising my right eyebrow at her.

"That's me" a hazel-eyed boy walked out of the kitchen, which was partly connected to the living room. He looked about 6'3 and had short, light brown hair.

"Liam was just helping me fix the sink before he had to go to school."  Gemma explained, smiling at him appreciatively, 

I was standing in my light-pink, oversized pyjamas with my hair up in a messy bun with no makeup on, which meant that my freckles were showing. And only Evangeline and my family could see me like this, since they were the closest people to me, so the situation was half awkward/half embarrassing. But to avoid any further conversation, I smiled and left. As I practically raced to the other room, I heard Gemma say:

"That's my niece, Rosemary. And as you have guessed, she is a little shy."

"It's alright." he said blissfully and I heard the noise of the backpack being picked up. "I have to go, otherwise I will be late for class but I'm glad I could help, Ms. Marsh" 

"Of course, of course. Thank you Liam." Gemma let him go and closed the door behind him. She then turned around and shouted "He left, Rosie" as if giving me a signal 'you can relax now'. I let out a big sigh of relief and shouted back "Okay".

"You can come back now, you know?" I hardly was able to hear her as she was frying up something. 

"It's fine. I am going back to sleep anyway." I mumbled with my head facing the pillow and my arms and legs spread across the bed.

"I am making pancakes." 

Okay, now I am intrigued.

I got up in less then a second and practically raced to the kitchen "I'll take a nap sometime later then."

"Aren't you supposed to be at school as well?" She asked, putting down a plate of pancakes with syrup in front of me on the table. 

"I'm actually taking one day off.."

Or maybe more than just one..
I thought to myself.

***