❝𝒎𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒆𝒊𝒑𝒆𝒊𝒔.❞
(you're missing from me.)
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𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒆𝒔
Iva Laurent lost her parents when she was eight. Sold to the black market by her only relative left on this earth, she was l...
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LONDON February Location: Jaxen's House
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Using whatever ingredients I could find in the fridge, I whipped a simple dinner for the three of us. Serving bowls of pared noodle to Jax and Thea, I waited nervously for them to taste, in hopes that it would suit their taste. After all, I grew up in Shanghai and only spent time learning simple Chinese cuisines which I wasn't quite sure would fit their western palate.
"Yummy!" Thea beamed, unconcerned about the sauce all around her lips.
"It's really good," Jax nodded in agreement before turning towards Thea and wiped some of the sauce away from the side of her mouth with his thumb. He chuckled, "You're such a messy eater, ángelé."
"Let me cut the noodles into smaller pieces for her," I laughed, relieved that they were both enjoying my cooking. Standing up, I was going to head back into the kitchen to grab a pair of scissors but Jax held onto my arm and settled me back on my chair.
"Don't worry about it," Jax mentioned. "Thea is old enough to start learning how to portion her food."
Then, the front door system beeped and the door clicked open. A middle-aged lady rushed into the entryway and she panted to catch her breath. Thea noticed her first and waved excitedly towards her, "Marianne!"
The lady hastily removed her shoes and looked towards us before heaving an audible sigh of relief. Jax called out to her with a slightly surprised tone, "Marianne? I've thought you returned to Nottingham."
The lady walked towards us and mentioned through her breathlessness, "Good heavens, Jaxen! I was almost scared to death when Thea rang me up to say that you didn't return home after I left!"
"I'm terribly sorry, Marianne. How should I make it up to you?"
"Not to worry, son," she exhaled a laugh, moving towards Thea and cradled the child towards her. Thea stood from her seat immediately and returned her hug. Marianne smiled at me and directed her attention at Jax again, "You aren't going to introduce your girl to me?"
"W-We're not—" Gods above, why am I stuttering like a frightened daughter-in-law?
Marianne only laughed after I tripped over my words. Jax also chuckled silently as he introduced, "Marianne, this is Iva Laurent."
I stretched my hand out towards her and composed myself enough to not make a fool out of myself again. I let out an awkward cough, "I'm just a friend."
"Marianne Boulle." She took my hand and returned my introduction with a warm greeting, "It's very nice to meet you, darling."
I could understand why Jax and Thea would be so fond of this lady. She was absolutely warm and welcoming, motherly even. Though Marianne seemed to enjoy poking fun at me as she said, "You're definitely more than a friend, Iva. Don't mind me commenting, but this is the first time Jaxen ever brought anyone home."
