𝟏𝟑

ELSIE

The sound of the phone ringing echoed through the kitchen. I placed the fork on the island and went to quickly wash my hands. After I was done, I wiped them off and ran to the table.

I grabbed the phone. It was Fenix.

Why was he calling? It was not even 1pm.

After pressing on the button, I brought the device to my ear. "Hi!" I said and leaned my hip on the island.

"Are you home?"

"Yes I'm home. I'll be picking up Ian from school in about thirty minutes." I informed him. Fenix rarely called. Maybe something came up and he wanted to tell me.

"I'll be there in ten minutes. We'll pick up Ian together. I'll be going to my grandma's house. You'll go with me." Oh... "I'm sure you're bored at home." He added.

"Okay. I'm making lunch. Tacos, Ian's favourite. You can eat if you're hungry when you get here." I called Yavuz today and told him that he doesn't have to come over.

Fenix barely gave me his number but I persisted and finally got it.

Today I wanted to cook by myself and I was already finishing up.

"I will." I grinned and nodded my head like he was able to see me. I felt a stir of butterflies enter my stomach.

We hung up and I placed the phone down and chucked. I was getting ahead of myself. He just said that he will eat the food I made, nothing else.

I set the plates down on the table and did everything else while I waited for Fenix to get back home. It kind of became like our little routine. He was getting home early almost every day.

And I started to like it.

I didn't mind it. At all.

It was almost two weeks and I have become eager for this time of the day. When he gets back from work.

With a smile on my face, I went to quickly change my clothes. Instead of the pajamas, I put on a pink tennis skirt and a thin sweater on top. It was in pink as well only the shade was darker.

For my hair, I put it up with a clip. For shoes, I wore white sneakers with blue details.

I ran downstairs and just as I stepped on the first floor, I heard the door open.

It must be Fenix.

I bit my lip and waited for him to arrive at the stairs. My palms got sweaty and I took a hold of the railing.

Fenix appeared from the hallway with his phone in his hands. His gaze was on the screen and as soon as he noticed me standing by the stairs, his eyes flew to me.

Today he was dressed in a light grey suit. His jacket was off and the sleeves of the white shirt, were rolled up to his elbows. No matter how many times I see him in a similar outfit, I still got the same reaction. The wedding ring on his finger made my chest ache and feel warmth at the same time.

I nervously smiled at him and tilted my head when he stepped close to me.

He slid the phone into the pocket of his slacks. I was about to move and welcome him but he beat me to it when he circled his hand over my waist and tugged me flush to his body.

His lips found my forehead and I felt him let out a sigh.

I awkwardly let my hands fall next to me.

"There is no one home. You don't have to... you don't have to kiss me and stuff. There's no one to see." The words left my lips quietly.

Fenix's hands loosened and his lips pulled away from my skin. I closed my eyes at the loss of contact. I wish he were able to do this without any rule or act.

It felt good being in his hands. I felt safe somehow. Like nothing was able to harm me while he was holding me.

"Yeah." He breathed out. He completely pulled away and I turned around to avoid any eye contact because I know he will see and sense how much I liked his greeting.

He did it every time he arrived home because of Ian and also if Yavuz was here.

"The lunch is ready. We can eat and then pick Ian up. His class finished in about twenty to twenty-five minutes."

He nodded and we walked towards the kitchen. We washed our hands and after that, I placed the tacos on the plates.

We sat opposite of each other and I glanced toward him, trying to catch his reaction. I have cooked couple of time and he has tried my food only once and that was for dinner.

"Is it good?"

"Perfect." I lowered my eyes to the plate and tried to act cool.

I continued to eat and felt like a kid coming to the dinner table after a fight with his parents. I felt extremely embarrassed for no reason.

It was usually Ian here with us. Now it was just me and Fenix.

It's not like we were never alone in a same room before. We literally shared a bed. This though, it felt too intimate. It felt like what couples do. I made lunch and waited for him and now we were eating together and were about to pick up Ian from school.

It was starting to feel real and I had to gather my racing thoughts.

"Your mom called me this morning." I spoke and straightened my back.

Fenix fixed his gaze on me and listened. "She asked me if I could help her with the next project." Bridget was doing some changes to her campaign. She asked me if I can join her team for the next lunch of clothes she will have.

We talked about me having a degree in graphic design so she asked me for help.

"She told me about that. If you think that's a good idea and if you have the patience to work with her, do it." I chuckled when he mentioned the patience because her husband also warned me about Bridget being a perfectionist the last time I saw them.

"Your mom's great."

"She likes you so I doubt she will go hard on you." I can definitely see Bridget being a strict boss but she was such a sweetheart towards me. Also Fenix conforming that she likes me meant a lot.

"Why are you going to the house today?" He wiped his mouth with a napkin and leaned back on his chair.

"I had someone fix the chimney for the fireplace. I have to see how much work they have done."

"Oh, okay."

I wiped my hands with my napkin as well and we stood up. We cleaned the table and I went to pack some food for Ian as well. I placed the tacos in a plastic container and closed the lid.

I cut him some apple and placed all of the things in a bag together with a bottle of water.

The tote bag I had was in a beautiful purple colour and it perfectly matched my pink outfit.

Fenix waited for me at the entrance and we got outside and walked straight to his car.

The ride to the school was silent, just some soft melodies of an indie song playing in the background.

Today was cloudy but nevertheless, the weather was pretty warm.

When we picked up Ian, he happily sat on the back seat and told us about his day at school. He talked about his teacher and then about Macy.

He even mentioned how excited he was for his birthday which was coming up soon. When he said that, Fenix looked at me for a second and then refocused his eyes on the road.

I'll plan something for his birthday. He deserves to have a party and invite his classmates.

When we got near the house, I leaned my head closer to window and observed the beautiful estate. We entered through big tall gates and Fenix continued to drive through the path that lead to the house.

The house was beautiful. It was smaller than Fenix's and had a bit of a different structure.

This one radiated old style. So many beautiful details made the house look like something out of a fairy. Like the ones I use to look and admire on Pinterest.

Fenix parked the car close to the entrance.

We all got out and Ian went to take Fenix's hand. He was more fond of him now than me.

There was another van parked on the driveway and from the letters on it, I assumed it was the workers.

I held the beg in my hands as we entered the house. And oh my...

The inside was even more stunning. It had so many colours. It was opposite of what I was expecting. It was definitely not minimalistic at all. There were so many golden, vintage decorations that made my jaw drop.

This house was gorgeous.

"It's really beautiful." I spoke slowly, my eyes wandering around.

"My grandma hated simple things." Fenix said. She definitely did.

We continued to walk towards the living room. There were couple of tools by the fireplace but the workers were doing something outside.

"You can settle here. I'll just go and check." I nodded and Ian and I sat by the dinning table next to the sofa.

Fenix walked outside. I took out the lunch box I prepared for Ian and placed it on the table. We then went to the kitchen that was connected to the living room and Ian washed his hands.

He hurriedly went to the dinner table and started to eat. At the mean time, I observed the paintings and the decorations on the wall.

Everything must have cost fortunes in here. I can see why Fenix would want to inherit this house. It was like something I have never seen before. So unique and fascinating.

I noticed that the main colour theme was warm colours and a pop of turquoise and blue.

There were pictures on the cabinets as well. On a lot of them were Fenix and a girl that looked similar to him. It must be his sister.

So Fenix has been handsome since young. He wasn't older than twenty-five on them.

I must have lost track of time because I felt Ian approach me. He was still chewing on his food but had his hands up, showing me that he had to wash them.

"Let's got to the kitchen." I ushered him and he did. He washed his hands and then kissed my cheek because he said that the food was really good.

Every day I'm more and more grateful to have him in my life.

Fenix stepped inside again and his eyes found us.

"You want to go outside Ian? One of the workers brought his dog."

"Really? Yes I want to go." Ian immediately answered.

"Okay let's go then." I felt my cheeks blush when I noticed Fenix's eyes on me. When we got closer to him, his hand went behind me and he rested his palm on my back.

The workers greeted us but they immediately averted their eyes.

Ian ran to the dog as soon as he saw it. It was a small golden retriever, maybe a couple of months old. He ran around in joy when Ian approached him.

Oh God how much I loved animals.

"When is Ian's birthday?" Fenix asked me as we slowly walked around the garden. His hand was still on me and I intertwined my fingers.

"In less than a month. He's really excited. We only celebrate it between us. Since he moved with me I try to make him at least a cake."

"We'll make him a birthday party." I tilted my head and looked up at him.

"Thank you, Fenix."

"When do you have a birthday?"

"In about three months. My birthday's in summer." I smiled. That was my favourite part of my birthday.

"Good. Think about what you want till then and I'll give it to you." His palm circled my waist and he ran his thumb back and forth over the thin sweater I had on.

"You don't have to."

"Of course I have to. You're my wife." The word wife made my heart flutter with happiness. Then the reality checked in.

"Fake wife." I whispered. Even if Fenix heard, he didn't said anything about that.

"Does Ian sees his mom?" We stopped walking and I slowly turned to him.

"She hasn't reached out since then. It breaks my heart but I don't even know where she is right now. Ian doesn't really ask about her. I think he's not fully aware of anything yet." Ian was only four after all at that time. I don't think he knows that Sally left him and what that means.

I'll have to have a conversation with him in the future and I'm sure he'll be understanding as he is amazing.

"Sometimes I feel like I'm doing wrong by not looking for her. Ian deserves to see her but..."

"You have done an amazing job Elsie. Ian's behaviour shows how much of a good guardian you are to him."

"Really?" My eyes started to gloss. Fenix brought his hand to my face and ran his fingers over my cheeks in delicate motions, making me want to cry of how gentle he was.

His eyes softened and he nodded his head. "You are the most incredible person I have ever met."

A lone tear fell down my face and I grinned at him. To my surprise, the corner of his lips turned upwards and he smiled back at me.

🤍🤍🤍