Love Next Door

Chapter Seventeen- Breakfast Arguments

He awoke to the sound of birds, something he hadn't woken up to in at least four years. It immediately grounded him and reminded him that he was not, in fact, lying in his own bed back home. Usually, it was the intrusive and jolting sounds of car horns and muffled yelling which he woke up to. This is strange. He would never have thought he would find himself outside a city environment so soon after leaving it.

Ash was not in bed with him, shown mostly by the immaculate way the bed was made beside him. He laid there for another five minutes, listening to the birds chirping outside the window as well as the faint sounds of voices. He finally got out of the bed and dressed in the same jeans as yesterday with a fresh shirt. Then he realised that once he walked out the bedroom door he would be in unfamiliar territory. His mission: Get Ash back. The first objective: meet the family.

He was generally okay with strangers considering he dealt with them as customers most days. But, strangers who were related to the man he loved? Terrifying. Besides a brother, Jay didn't have a clue who else consisted of Ash's family. Did they know who he was? Did they know who he was to Ash?

Instead of standing by the door continuing to panic, he took a deep breath, combed through his hair quickly with his fingers and exited the room. He had no idea where he was supposed to go to find breakfast and people, so he just followed the sounds of voices which were coming from what seemed to be the centre of the house. The wooden floors gradually faded into stone as he reached an arch way into what must have been the main room.

As he walked in he was greeted by décor that he could only define as 'rustic'. The walls were covered in an off-white stucco, with visible age in the cracks and patches that spread over it. The furniture was all wooden and upholstered, dark against the white walls. To the left was a living room of sorts, with no television or speaker system amongst the threadbare patterned sofas which were neatly arranged to face each other. There was a fireplace. To the right was the kitchen, open plan to face the living room. There were many appliances which he didn't recognise, most glowing strange colours. There was a fridge, though.

There, sitting at the long curved counter which spanned most of the kitchen, sat Ash himself. He was grimacing into the bowl in front of him while a woman nattered on in the kitchen, cooking something.

The way the woman was 'cooking' reminded him of the few times he watched Ash cook. There were several floating utensils, rushing about over bowls and pots and frying pans. There were several processes going on at once and it was almost dizzying to behold. The older looking woman was kneading what must have been dough in one corner while frequent sprinkles of flour fell from above her, falling onto the dough. It was both marvellous and frightening.

He walked gingerly into the room, not knowing where to go or what to do. Ash looked up at him and he could have sworn his eyes lit up, but his expression stayed the same, almost bored. Without taking his eyes off Jay, he called to the woman,

"Ma, this is Jay."

The woman quickly turned around. She was Ash, or he was her. It was present in the way her slightly grey, wavy hair seemed to fall in a wave down her face. Her blue, water eyes had the same deep set as her son. The only difference was her skin, a pale, creamy white which made her almost black hair stand out against her face and mildly wrinkled neck. He smiled awkwardly and the woman grinned broadly.

"Hello! It's so nice to meet you!" She cried, her face lighting up joyfully. "Call me Beatrice, dear. It's a shame I wasn't expecting you or I would have organised a feast!" Her joy was contagious, reminding him so painfully of how Ash had once treated him.
His eyes flickered sideways to the man, who was looking on with the same blank expression, albeit with slightly furrowed brows.