the kissing gate | simanda ✓

32. eric

Amanda was in Eric’s bedroom, trying to get him to bed. Simon was working late tonight for X Factor as the live shows were going to be the next weekend and there was a large amount to prepare so the artists were ready for their live debut. It was usually Simon who put Eric to bed at night because he had an easier time getting the little boy to sleep for him.

Eric was stubborn about going to bed and he always demanded to be read to at night so he could fall asleep as Simon had been doing it for a long time to him. Eric put the three picture books onto Amanda’s lap as she sat on his bed.

“I want these,” Eric said, climbing onto his bed and under the covers. Amanda looked at the three picture books and she laughed when she saw that they were all about dinosaurs. Eric was obsessed with dinosaurs and it was to the point where his bedroom was dinosaur themed and almost all of his stuffed animals were dinosaur plushies that Simon got for him whenever he went to America for America’s got Talent. She opened the first book on her lap, settled in next to Eric, and he put his head onto Amanda’s chest so he could see the pictures.

Amanda began to read the book to him and his little finger followed along on the page with each word in the sentence that Amanda read. Eric was currently learning how to read short words and string the short words together into a sentence so he was always practicing whenever someone read a picture book to him. His head was already beginning to nod lower on Amanda’s chest as he was already getting sleepy with just one book read to him. Amanda finished the first picture book in her lap and opened up the second one that Eric had given her to read to him that night. She started to read that book to him and when she was halfway finished with it, she was starting to get tired herself.

“I have to put Hollie to bed, Eric, because she’s waiting on me to read her a story too,” Amanda told a sleepy Eric.

“You gonna come back to me?” Eric asked Amanda in reply.

“Yes, I will, and I’ll read the third story to you. You can play for a little bit while I put my daughter to bed,” Amanda responded. Amanda got up from her spot on Eric’s bed and she put the books onto Eric’s night stand. She had finished the first and second books that Eric had picked out for her to read to him so all she had to do was read the third one to him. She went into her daughter’s, Hollie’s, bedroom.

Hollie was sitting up in her bed and she was playing with her Barbie dolls. Hollie loved everything girly and she had wanted her bedroom to be completely girly when Amanda and her daughters moved into Simon’s house back in August. They had been living with Simon for two months now and it seemed to have completely transformed Simon because he had two girls and his girlfriend living with him and his son. Simon was beginning to have a bond with Amanda’s oldest daughter, Lexi, because he was always helping her with her homework.

Hollie put down the Barbie dolls that she had been playing with and picked up the storybook that she had picked out earlier that night. It was a book of fairy tales that Amanda was reading to Hollie and they had just gotten to one of Amanda’s favourite fairy tales, Cinderella.

“We’re on Cinderella, Mummy,” Hollie said, opening the book of fairy tales to the correct page. Amanda sat down on Hollie’s bed and she positioned herself so Hollie could see the pictures as she read the book to her. Hollie’s story was over quickly as they both knew the story so well from Amanda playing the fairy godmother in the West End production of the fairy tale. Hollie was fast asleep in her bed when Amanda put the storybook onto her night stand so Amanda went back into Eric’s bedroom.

He had gotten out a few of his dinosaur plushies and he grinned when he saw that Amanda had come back into his room. He set aside the stuffed animals and Amanda sat down on his bed with her back against the headboard and her legs extended on the mattress. Amanda took the third book from the pile of books that Eric had picked out and she opened the book. Eric put his head back onto Amanda’s chest so he could see the pictures in the picture book and Amanda began to read the story to him.

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When Simon got home, the house was silent. No one was awake, not even his girlfriend was sitting up waiting for him to get home and cuddle her in bed. He went upstairs and Amanda wasn’t even in their bedroom so he check Lexi’s room and it was only Lexi sleeping in her bed. Then he checked Hollie’s room, no sign of Amanda. Finally, he checked his son, Eric’s, bedroom. There was Amanda sitting on his bed with Eric’s head on her chest and they were both deep asleep. It was clear that Amanda and Eric had both fallen asleep during story time when she was putting him to bed.

It was a cute scene because it showed that Eric was starting to bond with Amanda. Amanda was snoring gently beside Eric and she had her hand underneath Eric's side, and her hand was draped over top of his pyjama shirt. Simon smiled when he saw them sleeping and he closed the door slightly.

It wasn't worth waking Amanda up to go to bed with him because Eric was on top of her arm so if she got up, he would wake up and wouldn't go back to sleep for around an hour so Simon went into his and Amanda's bedroom, still smiling as he got ready for bed.

[] hey guys! I wasn't able to update yesterday because it was a travel day for going home from Disney. What did you like about this chapter and what do you think is going to happen next? Bye until the next chapter!