This is Our Story

Reminiscence

I wake up to the smell of something burning.

Immediately, I get up and take a look in the kitchen, where Grace is attempting to make breakfast while seeming completely overwhelmed.

She is wearing what seems like Jewels' apron, which is covered with flour, egg yolk, and what looks like ketchup. Her hair is pulled up in a messy bun, with strands of hair escaping from it, all over her face.

Damn. The sight of this in the morning strangely makes me want to smile.

Obviously, I don't as I instinctively push her out of the way to try and salvage what I'm guessing is an omelette that she was trying to make.

I turn the heat off and put the burnt omelette on a plate, then turn to Grace, who looks in shock. The view makes me want to laugh, but I know better than to do so. The last thing I want to do would be to upset her.

"What were you attempting here?" I ask, putting the strands of hair that are bothering her behind her ears.

For the three weeks that I have been here, Jewels seemed to be the only person allowed to cook in this house. This is certainly a surprise I did not expect to see.

"I was making breakfast." She lets out, her voice tired, a tiny frown appearing on her face. "For you." She adds, which makes me want to pull her to me and kiss the hell out of her. I would've if I didn't just wake up with what I'm guessing is a nasty morning breath.

"At 12 o'clock?" I ask her, no longer able to contain my laugh.

"Brunch." She corrects mechanically.

"Well..." I take a look at the catastrophe that is the kitchen. "Your effort is much appreciated... and adorable."

She leans in for a kiss that I dodge, making her frown deepens.

"What was that?" She asks me, not bothering to hide her annoyance, which is a new thing that I find yet again absolutely adorable.

"I just didn't brush my teeth Skye Grace." I answer with a tender smile on my lips, grabbing her by the waist.

"Since when do I care about any of that?" She asks me, her question genuine.

"Good question."

She takes the collar of my hoodie between her fingers and yanks me toward her, kissing me deeply. She tastes like chocolate and strawberry and I feel like it transfers on my tongue too.

I rest my forehead against hers, closing my eyes as I try to carve this moment into the memory wall in my mind.

"Just so you know, anything you make, I'll eat."

"Stop being so cheesy, I'll order something." She says, pushing me off while rolling her eyes at me in an attempt to make me feel ridiculous.

She has always been the best at breaking our moment but I didn't mind. That's what made her Skye Grace. Her repulsion toward my display of emotions does not bother me one bit. I can be cheesy for us both combined. After all, I was the poet between us two.

"Why order when I have this marvelous omelette?" I persist, knowing that it will make her cringe.

"Don't be silly." She says, scrunching her face up. "I tried, it did not work out, let's get over it."

I stop everything I'm doing for a minute and observe her with attention. Something seems off today and it amazes me that I'm just now realizing it.

"Grace." I say, stopping her as she reaches for her phone.

She turns to me, an exhausted look on her face.

Her change of attitude was getting irritating but I was trying my best to be patient with her.

One could not dream being with a girl like her without having the patience it took to understand her.

As I was debating whether this is an appropriate moment to ask her what was bothering her, she simply took a step toward me and wrapped her arms around my neck. Almost instinctively, I wrapped mine around her waist and rested my chin on top of her head.

"What's up?" I ask, because now, it feels appropriate.

She looks up at me. Our noses are almost touching. Her breath smells so good. I try to concentrate, even though the only thought crossing my mind at the moment is how wonderful it would be to kiss her right now.

"I just want this to work so bad." She murmurs, placing a kiss on my chin.

I open my mouth to answer, but then realize I don't know what to say. Actually, I do know what I want to say, but I also am aware that it will not help my case at the moment.

I want her to know that no one will ever fall in love as deeply as I did with her. That, even though we are living through tough times right now, it will be worth it. I wish she could realize all of that by herself.

I wish she didn't need any reassurance.

The longer I stay silent, the less secure her grip around my neck becomes, which brings me back to reality.

I find myself not meeting up to her expectations so many times these days, but I just don't know where we stand anymore. I don't know if she's okay with me acting as I always did with her and her desires seemed to be changing every day.

"Grace." I place a soft kiss on her forehead. "What do you want from me right now?"

She sighs and look down at my chest, playing with the strings of my hoodie.

I can almost see her brain in action, as she searches for the right words carefully.

"I..." She looks up to me. "I want you to remind me how good it was to love you." She finally lets out. "I want you to make me forget the pain you inflicted on me and make me reminisce about how good it is to be in love with you."

I look at her for a while without saying a word, knowing fully how it is making her nervous.

I pull her closer to me and place a kiss on the edge of her lips.

"How do you want me to do that?" I ask as I kiss the little bit of skin between her eyes. "Do you want me to remind you by touch?" I take her chin between my fingers, lifting it up. I kiss her collarbones. "Or by memory?" I ask looking into her eyes.