Eluding Facades

Chapter 4

For a long time waking up had always been more of a task for Abigail than she'd like to admit. The thrumming and blaring of the city (already awake and about) outside her window demands her to crawl out of the comforts of her sheets and throw herself into a world of stuffy office blazers, too long leather pumps, too tedious traffic, of working 10 hours for five days a week, too bitter coffee in disposable cups clutched in a cold grasp, and the vicious push and pull competition in work and in a city of have's and have not's. She doesn't even waste time to roll around in bed, making out the noise of the city already in full swing.

However, being in the countryside, Abigail could attest that waking up to the sound of the birds chirping doesn't merely happen in films or books. Shafts of sunlight filters through the gap of fabric of her curtains, rousing her from her slumber and prodding her eyelids to flicker open. After basking in the coolness of the morning air and stretching her limbs she eventually picks herself up from the comforts of her bed to go through her normal day to day routine.

When she finally descended the stairs she catches sight of Leigh lounging on the couch, kicking her legs back and forth, in front of the TV with an animax show playing through the screen.

"Where are the others?" Abigail casually inquired, entering the living room.

"Liv is at Sunday mass, Nate is in his room, Saphron is at her parents' house," Till then Leigh had been clicking away on the remote control then she paused and a smirk gradually worked its way on her lips. " But I know the reason for the question. Trent's in the kitchen, making breakfast."

Being the rational person that she was, Abigail ignored the not so subtle jab thrown her way and opted to take a seat at the leftmost side of the couch, pretending to be interested at whatever was playing through the screen of the television.

"So why aren't you with your sister?"

"They said I couldn't behave for the whole hour there," Leigh offhandedly replied.

It was then that Nate chose to pad groggily into the living room with his dark ash blond hair more tousled than usual and disheveled loose white wide neck sweater that hung on his lanky frame with collarbones jutting out from his clothes' neckline. He ungracefully collapses into the spot between Leigh and her.

"What happened to you?" Leigh was the first to voice out the question that nagged at the two  upon seeing the state the blond was in.

"I got called into the clinic at 1 in the morning for an emergency labor," The disheveled blond all but groaned out." The woman's husband was away on some business at the capital so she settled with breaking every bone in my hand instead as she screamed her head off until 3 in the morning. The baby was such an angel until he decided to take a dump on me."

Leigh wasn't even holding in or hiding the snicker that escaped her lips at her friend's misfortune. Nate, on the other hand, didn't even have to energy to glare at her.

"I had to dispose of my scrubs and coat. The shower there ran out of hot water."

"If you're that tired then you could've just gone back to sleep," Abigail pointed out, glancing at the guy sprawled on his spot on the couch with eyes shut.

"But I got hungry," The blond whined.

"Then go get breakfast," The ebony haired girl quipped, barely giving him attention as she regarded a show in HGTV channel.

"But I'm too tired."

"Nothing we can do about that anymore," Leigh retorted, pressing the remote to change channels yet again.