OUT OF THE PICTURE

Chapter Twenty-Three || Marlin

She could sense some light beaming at her as it passed through her closed eyes. She squinted her eyes more as she rolled over and suddenly there was a loud thump. Her eyes snapped open and found herself on the floor. She quickly sat up and realized she was in the living room. 

Right away, she spotted Sarah was dead asleep on the couch with an awkward position and an occasional snores. She rose from the ground and gritted her teeth when she felt a pain in her back. She was sure that it wasn't because she just fell off a couch while sleeping, but the fact that she slept on the couch, probably in an awkward position too because how else could they fit together in there.

One thing that Marlin had concluded while sleeping in the living room was that the sun was harsher here than in the bedroom as the morning dawned. 

While massaging the sore part of her back, she walked to the kitchen sluggishly and found a pan that was currently heating on the stove. Baffled, her eyes roamed around until she caught a sight of Ivan behind the island.

"Morning." He greeted with a smile.

"Morning." She smiled back obligingly as she walked towards him.

"Hope you don't mind I'm invading your kitchen."

She snorted. "Please, it's time for someone to actually use this kitchen."

"Hmm, then I guess I will take my time."

"What are you making?" She asked as she stood beside him.

"Guess."

"Okay uhm waffle?" Marlin probed.

"Pretty close but no."

"French toast?"

"Try again."

"Uhh pasta?"

Ivan shot her a look. "Do you see any pasta here? And for breakfast? C'mon."

"I don't know okay."

"Pancakes Marlin. Pancakes." He sighed as he gave up.

She dipped her finger into a bowl of flour and ran it down on his jaw. "Alright jeez."

The look on his face told her he did not see that coming. She was grinning.

"Hey you don't do that to the chef." He uttered those words as he did the same thing to her.

"What? You mean this?" This time she had her two fingers ran it across his face.

Ivan tried to keep a straight face. He then submerged his hands into the same bowl and cupped her cheeks, covering three fourths of her face.

Her jaw dropped in disbelief, she did not expect a harsher payback. She was determined to get him back so she took a handful of flour and tossed it at him. A smirk unexpectedly came out ofher mouth when she saw his smudged face.

"Ah so that's how you wanna play it, huh?" He uttered while an impish smile slowly forming on his mouth.

Marlin let out a shriek before attempting to scurry away but he was too fast chucking down the whole bowl at her. Luckily, the box of flour was one grab away so she still had a weapon against him.

They obviously wasted their time chasing each other around the kitchen island, flour fighting.

Marlin was positive that they managed to wake Sarah up with their hysterical yelling and laughing. The moment she walked in on on them, she still had her bed hair.

"What are you guys doing? You're very loud." She complained tiredly while rubbing her puffy eyes. After adjusting her blurry vision, she gaped at them in shocked.