"Can you sayyyyy... HELLO?" Freddie asked his daughter eagerly. She was so small seating on his chest, she weighed like a feather to him.
"Yello..." Elle cried back. Alice leaned to the side of the door, a grin formed on her face. Freddie could comm...
Alice woke up to the sound of the bedsheets rustling together. She opened her eyes and the sun was up. Another figure at the other side of the bed was Freddie who was asleep with his head on their daughter's lap. Elle must have cried that night and Freddie must have went to her crib and brought Elle to their bed. Alice opened her eyes wider to see the ongoing commotion.
Elle woke up and sat herself up, then vigorously pulled Freddie's hair as if to wake him and move his head from her legs. Freddie eventually woke up, realizing what Elle was doing and lifted his head. Elle instinctively grabbed a nearby pillow for her father. Freddie helped her by dragging the pillow underneath his head. He then gently pulled on his daughter's legs so her tiny body would hug his head and they eventually laid down together side to side.
Alice bit on her lower lip, the guilt taking over. Sure, he was an idiot for doing what he did, but he had always been a great father. Alice slipped out of the bed, slowly, not to wake them up. Then she donned her satin bathrobe and beamed at the two figures on the bed. Alice walked towards Freddie and placed her palm on his forehead, he was still warm.
"I'm fine love, I'm fine." He muttered reaching for her hand, then placing it to his lips to kiss it. Alice exhaled at Freddie's stubbornness and left the room. Downstairs she could hear a culinary of orchestra rising up and she could smell fried eggs and sausages being cooked. Allice assumed news that Freddie was back in the house is officially out amongst the help in the house.
"Good morning madam," Emily, the maid greeted.
"Good morning," Alice replied looking around the kitchen. "Everybody, I got it from here, everyone else is excused." Everyone in the kitchen stopped on their tracks, stunned, but obeyed her anyway. Alice went to the stove and took over from the chef, shaking the pan, ensuring the scrambled eggs are nicely done.
She then went to counter top and took out the fresh fruits from the paper bag, Alice cut the kiwis and strawberries for the waffles. Cutting the fruits, she could not shake what had happened the night before. Freddie was back, but it was up to her to decide if he was back for good. It was not long until she heard footsteps by the stairs and Elle's laughter travelling from the stairs.
"Che-to-ri (How are you in Persian) Elle? Chetori..." Freddie repeated to an attentive Elle.
"Man... Kuuuu-ban!" Elle shrieked confidently with her fist up. Freddie's laughter followed as he appeared at the kitchen entrance, with Elle perched up to his hip.
"Na Elle, na. Its Man Khoo-BAM!" he corrected her.
"Man... Ku-BAM!" she repeated with exaggerated expressions. A smiled plastered on Alice's face, Elle still remembered her Farsi lessons with her DADA. It amazed her because Elle was learning multiple languages at the same time.
Freddie placed Elle at the table top, "Yes that's correct! Good girl!" He looked at his wife diligently cutting the fruits, he missed these kind of mornings, he missed her, he missed Elle, he missed being a family.
"Say good morning to omma," Freddie nudged her nose to Elle's cheek, persuading her.
"Omma anyunghaseyonggg!!!!!!!" she yelled excitedly. Alice burst out laughing, amused.
Alice leaned in to Elle, "Nei, chal chasseoyo (Did you sleep well)?"
She landed a Good Morning peck to her daughter's lips and Freddie tried to sneak in a kiss but Alice swiftly blocked him with her palm. Elle chuckled at her father's rejected act.
"Oh you think its funny huh," he said to Elle who was still laughing at him. "Let's see if you think THIS is funny!" he swiftly lifted Elle up and blow raspberries to her bulging tummy. Elle laughed harder as she held on to her father's hair, beating his head asking him to stop. Alice snickered finding herself distracted from cutting the fruits.
"Enough now you two, go seat at the table." Alice insisted putting away the cutting board into the sink. Freddie pouted to Alice but obliged anyway. With another hand he helped to carry the bowl of freshly cut fruits to the dining table.
Carefully he placed Elle at the high chair and pushed her in. Once seated Elle tried to reach for her bowl, full of effort, but then gave a quick glance to her father hinting him to help her.
"Dada, mannn komak, niaj daram." Freddie laughed listening to Elle's cute persian accent, she had just said I need help in Farsi.
Alice walked to him and laid his plate of English breakfast, a plate of waffles and some wedges. As she sat down, she caught Freddie staring lovingly at their daughter, she sighed. Regardless of what he did, she knew she had to give him a second chance because of Elle and the little one in her stomach.
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Alice hovered at her seat, observing Freddie feeding little Elle. His ruffled hair from playing with Elle was messy, and he was sucking distractedly on each of his fingertips, not wasting any food that had left Elle's lips, spouting random Persian sentences only he and Elle could understand. Just as she was about to seat, Freddie peered at Alice and licked his thumb. He looked triumphant, husbandly. Alice knew if she climbed atop him, he would smell of kiwis and powdered sugar.
When he spied her observing him, Freddie leaned against the dining table and said, "You know you want me." He joked with a wink.
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A grumbled left her throat. She rolled her eyes and grinned, "You're a smooth cat."
Freddie smirked victoriously, he could tell Alice was finally warming up to her. All it took was a drunken night with the Queen boys in the studio, a few beers and a drunken row to give him the courage to bang on the bedroom door and demand to sleep on their bed, together.
Halfway through breakfast Freddie blurted, "I understand if you want me to leave. I'll visit Elle when you're not around---"
"You can stay," Alice muttered wiping Elle's cheeks with a napkin. "But you will sleep in the guest room."
She looked Freddie dead set in the eye, to show her seriousness. Freddie nodded with pursed lips, he realised redemption would be a long road, but at least he is back in the house. The past few weeks, Freddie had a nib of admiration, even more fondness for Alice. She was thirteen years her junior but she had matured a lot.
"We can't just pick up where we were Fred," Alice continued, cutting her waffles into smaller pieces for Elle to chew.
Looking back up to meet Freddie's gaze, she noticed Freddie tilted his head to one side with a determined look. "I'll win you back Alice, and I will spend my whole life making it up to you. I promise," he uttered full of confidence.
