Kiss Me

Chapter 27: Mine

Small feet glided across the wooden floor; hoping she isn’t too loud so her Mommy and Lili won’t wake up. Curious eyes looked around the foreign room, stopping at the rather big bookshelf situated beside a wooden desk. She had always fancied books, especially the colorful ones; she loves being lost with Hansel and Gretel, or flying about with Peter Pan and Tinker Bell. She loved books ever since she could remember and her Mommy Jen said that she got it from her other Mommy. She wondered if it was Mommy Yerim or Mommy Wannie or Mommy Nayeon? But none of them finished a story for her; they ended up sleeping or just giving up halfway to the story. It was only Mommy Jen who patiently read stories for her.

Tiny fingers grazed the spines of the books that were neatly stacked on the lower case of the shelf while teeth gnawed on her bottom lip; wondering if she was allowed to touch anything. Eyes lit up as a colorful thin spine stood out from all the black and white spines; she immediately positioned her fingers to pull the book, only to stop and look back at the figures tangled on the bed. Surely, Lili wouldn’t mind, right? But she was unsure. Her Mommy’s friend may smile and play with her all the time, but Mommy Jen had told her before to never touch anybody’s things unless she got their permission. Taking a deep breath, her fingers carefully pulled the attractive book. Maybe Lili wouldn’t mind.

She found a spot on the wooden floor and sat there crossed legs with the colorful book laid on her pajama-covered lap. Her brows furrowed as she tries to make the word in purple with a girl inside a flower below it.

“Ta—tum..” she stuck her tongue out, “Tom—tombolin..”

She huffed at the weird letters, “Thomb—thumbel.. lina.”

Nodding her head, she continued on opening the book. Her eyes lit up at the pictures as she scans each page with haste and pure awe; not bothering to read the words written above the pictures.

She was so engrossed in her new found book that she didn’t realize the presence beside her, only to gasp when she was lifted from the ground before being nestled in a comfortable lap. She looked over her shoulder and a smile instantly settled on her lips as she came face to face with a smiling Lili.

The book was pulled out of her tiny hands and she froze in Lili’s lap; thinking that her Mommy’s friend might have been angry at her for touching her book.

“Why aren’t you reading? You’re just looking through the pictures.” Lisa said with a chuckle, making Ella relax on her lap as the little girl leaned the back of her head in-between Lisa’s chest; the spot where her heart is.

Ella shook her head, eyes fixed on the opened page of the book.

Lisa pats her head before flipping the book back to the first page, “Once upon a time..”

***

Jennie stirred on her sleep when she felt the warm bodies beside her disappeared. She groggily cracked one eye open to scan the bed before fully opening both eyes. Her brows furrowed at the absence of the two important people in her life before giggles caught her attention. She whipped her head to where the sound came from and was instantly greeted by the sight of her girlfriend and their daughter on the floor with Ella settled comfortably in Lisa’s lap.

A smile found its way to her lips as she took in the endearing sight before her eyes. She moved out of the bed then, feet lightly walking on the floor before sitting beside Lisa.

“Morning, sweetie.” She said, leaning down to kiss the crown of Ella’s head.

Ella stretched her arms towards Jennie before hopping out of Lisa’s lap and into Jennie’s lap, arms clinging on her mother’s neck as she showered Jennie’s face with kisses.