The girls left around ten this morning. We slept in after staying up till two watching funny rom coms and laughing our butts off while swapping stories from our glory days. They weren’t forever ago, but long enough for us to realize that those were the best, carefree days of our lives.
Ava was in better spirits about Mark this morning when she left. She knows they didn’t get a whole lot of time to get to know each other last night before the Mindy situation happened, so she said she’ll consider another try. She’s not going to slap the “man slut” title on him just yet.
I text Colin to say good morning, smiling when he sends me a pic of him drinking coffee with Amy curled up in his lap on the couch. Wish I had that view in my living room this very second. I can imagine our lives here in this house with Amy chasing Bitsy around to just get a lick in, Colin and I curled up by the fireplace on cold winter evenings, and mornings smiling overthe rim of our coffee mugs at each other while we play footsie…Sigh…
I take a quick shower, throw on some capri leggings and a loose tee, turn up some music, and spend an hour going around the place tidying up. I start a load of darks and take a basket of towels and other whites to the couch to fold. I wish I enjoyed doing laundry like Nana Mabel. That woman took joy in the task. I, on the other hand, have a bad habit of living out of a clothes basket or two. Sure, I’ll get it all folded and stuff, but the rest? Sometimes it just gets a big MEH from me. That’s going to have to change though because a certain furball thinks they make a fantastic little nest to burrow in. I reach down and scratch said furball’s chin, and Bitsy trills sweetly when my hand brushes across her fur. She then proceeds to walk across the freshly folded pile of clothes and jumps up into the pile of towels I still have to fold. Little booger.
“Is that your morning nap spot?” I ask as I pick up a stack of kitchen towels and washcloths, carrying them off to put them away in the kitchen. I decide to give her a few more minutes in the warmth while I deliver other whites to their spots to be put away.
“Alright, Little Bit, to the window you go.”
I pick up her tiny body, and she stretches in my arms, nuzzling my chin before I set her down on the cushion directly in the sunny patch of the bay window. She stretches her front paws languidly then turns in a circle and plops down. I stroke a long pet from head to tail before getting back on task.
Once I’ve gotten the place tidied to my liking, I open up a book from my TBR list on my Kindle.Lights Outby Navessa Allen. It sounds interesting. It’s a dark, stalker romance, supposedly. I haven’t read one of those in a while. The bay window is practically begging me to sit in it. Bitsy lets out a little, happy sound when I curl up near her, stretching my legs outin the sunshine by her butt. I situate a throw pillow behind my back, excited to start a new story. I’ve been in a bit of a reading slump lately. Hopefully, this will be just what I need to pull me out of it.
At around four o’clock, my phone chimes.
Colin: I just got an emergency call. I’m gonna have to head to the clinic. I’m not sure how long it’ll take.
Sydney: No worries. I’ll think of something for dinner for us. I hope whatever’s wrong is fixable.
Colin: You’re the best. And, me too… I’ll try to keep you in the loop about how long I think I’ll be. No promises though. Sometimes it can get hectic.
Sydney: Drive safe, get back to me when you can. I’ll go get Amy in a bit. XOXO
Colin: Sweet, thank you. Key’s under the “Unless” rock to the left side of the porch.
Sydney: “Unless”, as in The Lorax?
Colin: Yup…
I giggle a little at the cuteness of it all. I wonder if he’s blushing right now. That ‘yup’ kind of makes me lean toward yes. I can’t help myself, I have to rub it in a little.
Sydney: That’s super sexy…
Colin: Ha… I may or may not have a fuzzy orange Lorax costume in storage from a costume party years and years ago…
I cover my mouth, my shoulders shaking uncontrollably with laughter. I sooooo cannot picture that. INEEDto see pictures. I send him a ton of emojis indicating that I’m laughing my ass off so hard I’m crying. It’s not far from the truth.
“Hey, Bitsy. Amy’s gonna come hang with us in a little.”
Bitsy looks at me indifferently, so I just scratch her head. For another hour, I get lost in the story, wondering if a sexy, masked man would do it for me…Nah… Well? He does havea Lorax mask apparently.I begin laughing again, waking the kitty, who stares back at me like I’m the furthest thing from funny.
“Sourpuss.”
I sigh and set my Kindle down. I don’t want to stop reading, but I need to get Amy and figure out a game plan for dinner. What will warm well in case he’s there later than he anticipates? Something comforting sounds good. I choose to walk down the beach to go grab Amy. That way I can toss a ball around for her on my way back and stretch those legs. Bitsy seems to be getting better with her every time we put them in the vicinity of each other, but letting her burn a little bit of that energy off before she gets to my place is a good thing.
Amy is beyond thrilled to see me. She and I take a little moment to greet and get out all the rambunctious ‘lovies’ before I grab her ball, her favorite stuffy, and food so that she has enough for dinner and breakfast. I decide to be bold and grab a change of clothes for Colin and some of his toiletries. I’m not letting him run back tonight. Quite frankly, I think I’ll set them up in the bathroom as if he already has his own little space. Maybe it’ll be the start of a conversation about where I’d like this all to go. I don’t think it’ll freak him out by any means. I’m ready. I never cared to live with any of my past boyfriends. But Colin? I’m pretty sure he’s my forever.
I put everything in a grocery bag. Amy and I make our way back to my place. She got in a good amount of running and fetch time. When we get back inside, I pull down a bowl from my cupboard for her and fill it up with some fresh, cold, filtered water from my fridge. She laps it up with big, sloppy slurps that have Bitsy looking at her with her stink eye from where she is perched on my countertop. She’s perfectly content with being up high enough to look down on Amy as if she’s inferior to herhighness. I snort at the thought, but the look on her face speaks volumes.
Bending below the counter, I pull out a smaller stock pot. I grab some frozen chicken tenderloins from the freezer and chicken stock from my pantry. Comfort food that warms well coming right up. I’m making chicken and noodles. I retrieve the Amish egg noodles and cream of chicken for extra creaminess from my pantry as well. I boil the chicken in the stock, adding some seasonings to the broth.
Once that’s cooked through, I tear off a little bit for Bitsy and Amy before shredding the rest and putting it back in the broth. They are beyond excited for their treat. Then I add the noodles and let them cook and simmer. Once they’re almost done, I add the cream of chicken can. This thickens it and makes it so creamy. I turn it on the lowest setting to keep warm and double check the fridge to make sure I have shredded cheese for the topping ready in the fridge.
With my main tasks finished, I curl back up on the couch with my Kindle book. I attempt to get back into the storyline, but instead, ideas for my own story distract me. I reach behind me to the thin table to snatch up my notebook and favorite sparkly pen. I could type it, but where’s the fun in that? Some of my favorite ideas are already jotted down in this.
I haven’t decided yet on if I’m leaning more toward writing a gritty, drama-filled romance or more of a romantic comedy. All I do know for sure is that it definitely lands in the romance genre. I enjoy a good thriller, but I don’t think I’m ready to embark on that part of the writing journey yet. Maybe someday. For right now, I want yearning. I want passion. A few great laughs along the way would be fantastic if I can manage. Tears?Hmmm…not sure. I gently bite the tip of the pen and look around the room just thinking about the options. I need happyin my life. Nana would love a funny rom-com with a quirky pet and a hunky man.
