Flowers//Elavan

~23~

The past few weeks have been absolute bliss for the Gillies-Jogia family. It was like nothing bad has ever happened to the little family. They couldn't be any happier if they tried. The sun has finally risen to chase away the shadows of the night that seemed to last forever. It felt like they've been drowning in the deep for so long and now, they finally got a breath of air.

Liz shone with the same youthful glow that she had. Her routine was coming back to her and life felt right again. Everyday, she would wake up in her husband's embrace and stay there for a little while before going to her daughter's room to find her already awake and awaiting her mother's entrance. They would make her bed together and head downstairs to play their song on the piano.

She was also starting to write articles and book reviews again. The company she used to work for willingly took her back into position because she was the best senior journalist that they had. That way, when Avan was at work, Liz had her own thing to do other than care for Mia and keep their house tidy.

"Momma," Mia calls, tugging on her mother's shirt.

"Yes, lovie?" she smiles and looks away from her laptop and into her daughter's azure eyes.

The little one holds up a small children's book and points at a certain word with her stubby fingers.

"How do you read that?"

Liz chortles in amusement. She had only started teaching Mia to read somewhere around two weeks ago and here she was already trying to read her children's books all on her own. Pride filled her heart at her daughter's intellect. She just couldn't believe she was able to weave this perfect existence in her womb for nine months. It was so fascinating watching her own creation growing into her own self out of love.

"That says swiftly," she reads. "You know what swiftly means, Amelia?"

"It means fast," she proudly states.

Liz smiles and presses her lips on her little girl's forehead.

"Smart girl."

Mia proceeds to read aloud the entire sentence in front of her mother who listened intently.

"Ra-fa r-ra-ran swiftly," she grins a toothy smile at her mother, pride and raw intellect gleaming in her ocean eyes.

"Good job, my love," Liz coos while she clapped softly at her daughter's efforts.

As Mia continued to read the book word per word, Liz's mind focused on the main character's name. Rafa seemed like such a familiar name and it seemed to roll off her tongue in such an easy way. There was something about the name that just bugged her, almost like she was supposed to know it inside and out.

It wasn't a very common name so Liz didn't think she just heard it somewhere. Maybe Rafa used to be someone she knew pre-amnesia. He was probably someone from work or something but she had a feeling that drew her so much to the name.

"Mommy, it says Rafa has a baby brother. Look!" Mia points at the picture in her book. "Can I have one?"

Liz chokes on nothing but air at the child's casual question. Since coming back from the institute, she and Avan have never been quite so intimate to each other. The very thought of it made her slightly blush, which was slightly ridiculous since they were married and clearly already done it before since they had Amelia as living proof.

"We'll see, babe," she chortles. "Mom's gonna work now, okay? You can stay right here with me or you can go play in the living room. Just make sure I can still see you."

"Stay right here," the little girl nods and squats near her mother's feet.

Later that day, Avan strolls into their kitchen and saw Mia coloring on the island counter as Liz made dinner. He kisses his daughter's cheek and tells her to be quiet as he sneaks up on Liz and wraps his arms around her waist.