Phoenix ✔️

Bonus Chapter (#1)

It's been amazing, honestly. It's been more than amazing. Granted, it hasn't been perfect, but it's been so amazing. Almost one year of marriage to Ash seems like something I wouldn't have been able to imagine years ago. 

But, I'm here, working a great job, and now it's the weekend. I've gotten published, and I can't wait to see what people think of my book. Because I've worked so hard on it, and if people end up liking it, then that's going to be so awesome for me.

I feel like I'm in a better mood today. I don't know, my memories haven't been haunting me a lot, and I just feel very upbeat today. I may still be in the honeymoon phase, but I know something is making me happier. Although, it's kind of weird. I feel happy, but tired. I feel tired, even though I got a decent amount of sleep last night. It's one of those weird days in which my emotions and desires conflict in the weirdest ways ever.

"Morning, baby," Ash greets me, as I pour water in the coffee maker. He kisses me on the side of the cheek, as I turn around to greet him with a smile. 

"Morning, babe." 

He opens the pantry door to take out some bread, because carbs are something that can go with any meal of the day, and he pulls out a couple of slices. "You slept pretty well last night. I could tell. Feeling good?" 

I nod. "Yeah, I don't know. I'm in a good mood, but I'm tired. I feel really weird today." 

Ash raises an eyebrow, and then comes closer to me. "Do you want to lie down? Drink some water? I can cook for you today. You can take it easy." 

I shake my head, as I grab my mug from the dishwasher. "No no, it's fine. There's no need to. If I start to die, then I'll take it easy. Just watch me, lying on the floor, unresponsive, and you're dialing 911 and yelling, 'DAMMIT, NICOLE, I TOLD YOU TO TAKE IT EASY!'" 

 Ash lets out a huge chuckle, as I go to grab the pot to pour myself a big cup of coffee. When I went to take the pot out of the maker, something weird happened. I usually find the smell of coffee really relaxing and aromatic, but today, it smelled gross. 

I take a whiff of the smell, and immediately, it doesn't smell good to me. It smells like a weird mixture of sweat and wet dog, and it's making me nauseous at that moment. "Oh gosh, Ash, do you smell that? It smells awful." 

Ash gives me a slightly weirded out look, and then takes a whiff of what's apparently going around in the air. "I don't smell anything. It just smells like coffee and... furniture. I don't know, does that solve the problem?" 

I shove the pot back under the machine, and then my hand flies to my stomach. Nausea whirs in the depths of my body, like somebody is cranking a handle that amplifies the production of it in my stomach. "I don't know what I smell, but it's making me nauseous." I say, while taking deep breaths in an attempt to ease the nausea a little bit. 

Ash immediately runs to my side, and then places his hands on my shoulders. "Okay, I really think you should lie down. Come," he instructs, like a dad instructing his little daughter on what to do. He leads me to the bedroom, where I sit down on the bed and eventually lie on my back to help ease the nausea. 

"I'll get you some water, hold on," he assures, as he runs to the kitchen to get a glass of water. I roll on my left side, because that's how I usually sleep, but today, it's different. I feel a weird pain in the left side of my chest area when I lay on my side. 

Immediately feeling the pain go through like a needle, I flop on my back again and stare at the ceiling until Ash comes back with his water. "Here you go, baby," he cooed, and I smiled. I took the glass, and sipped at it as he grabbed his phone to check his texts.