I woke up before Zoe and went downstairs to go and make her some outmeal. Whenever I was sick I always liked a bowl of something hot, and all porridge really was was hot mush. Poppy was the only one up when I went downstairs. I guessed that my parents would be sleeping in.
"Morning," I said with a yawn to Poppy who was on her phone.
"You're up early," she said setting her phone down and smiling at me.
"Not really," I said walking into the kitchen, even though I was.
"Yes you are," Poppy said, she had followed me into the kitchen. As I went to the pantry to find the porridge she walked to the fridge and pulled out a yoghurt. "Why are you making porridge? You hate it," she said opening up her yoghurt and getting a spoon.
"Zoe doesn't," I said not looking at her. I walked over to the stove and placed a pot filled with water on one of the burners.
"You really love her don't you?" she asked taking a spoonful of yoghurt.
"Yes, yes I do," I said sitting down, waiting for my water to boil.
The remark that Poppy said reminded me of the night I first met Zoe. The minute I met her I knew I was in love. As cheesy as love at first sight sounds it happened to me with Zoe. I came home and Poppy was sitting on the couch on her phone, just like this morning.
I sat down next to her and told her all about how beautiful and kind and amazing Zoe was. She listened like she didn't believe it. I always had crushes on girls I had no chance with and to her this was probably the same thing. After a few days I didn't like them anymore. This was different though. Zoe was special.
That night before I went to bed Poppy came into my room and asked the same question she asked this morning, "You really love her don't you?" She asked it almost everyday now, to make sure I never fell out of love with her.
"Well good luck with your love. And with your porridge," she said with a smirk taking her yoghurt and walking out of the room. I was guessing she went back to the living room to sit on the couch on her phone texting her friends. That was what she did.
I sat in that chair for a couple minutes thinking about how I really had loved Zoe from the start and just daydreaming about her and her beauty. I was broken out of my reverie by the sound coming from the pot of water. It had started boiling.
I stood up and walked over to it, picking up the porridge and reading the back of it to figure out how much I needed to make and how I was actually going to make it.
I was just about to open it and pour in half a cup when I felt Zoe's arms around my back. She rested her head on my shoulder and I smiled as I turned around and said good morning. She mumbled back a response and I leaned down to kiss her.
She kissed me and pushed me back until my hand hit the burner.
"Owww," I said quickly tugging my hand away from the hot surface. Zoe jumped back as well at my quick movements and immediately ran to the freezer to get ice. She couldn't stop apologising and when I looked at her face it looked like she was about to cry.
"Zo, it's not your fault," I said softly as I ran my hand under cold water. I looked down at my arm to see a bright pink circle were the heat at burnt it.
"Yes it is," she said with a pout sitting down at the kitchen table.
Just as she said it the water in the pot begin to boil over and Zoe began to cry. I sighed as I turned the water off, then the burner. I then walked over to Zoe and wrapped my arms around her.
"Zoe, I love you no matter what happens to me. Don't ever forget that okay?"
"Okay," she said softly. I smiled, it really wasn't Zoe's fault, I shouldn't have kissed her near the stove anyway. "What were you cooking anyway?" she asked as I reached my hand up to wipe the tears off of her face.
"Well I was making porridge for you since I know you love it," I said with a grin.
"Porridge? Do you even have that at your house? I mean considering how much you hate it," she said with a laugh. She was back to her normal self and I smiled even more.
"My mum loves it as well," I said standing up and walking back over to the stove. I turned the burner back on and poured the dry oats into the water.
"Well it is delicious," she said with a smile. She then stood up her tiptoes to kiss me again. I pulled back. "What?" she asked looking at me.
"Not near the oven!" I said with a laugh. She laughed as well and pulled me towards the fridge. We were still kissing when my mother walked into the room.
"Morning," she said with a cough and we quickly broke apart.
"Good morning Mrs. Deyes," Zoe said with a curt nod towards her.
"You too better not be making out if you're sick Zoe," she said with a smile. Zoe just blushed and I groaned.
"Mum."
"It's true Alfred," she snapped as she walked over to the bowl of fruit and pulled out an apple. We both muttered sorry as I went to take the porridge off of the heat. "Oh porridge," she said looking in the pot.
"It's for Zoe," I said sternly pouring it in a bowl and handing it to her. She looked hesitant but after my persuading looks she look it from me.
"Well then, you two have a lovely day," she said with her dignity almost lost before leaving the kitchen with her apple.
Zoe made sure that my mother was out of earshot before speaking again. "I love your mother to death but she scares me a bit," she said slowly.
"Same," I said and we both erupted into laughter.
xxx
