Sofia: Phoenix Rising - Fire and Water Book 2
Chapter 26

CHAPTER 26

The mouthwatering smell of bacon filters into my bedroom Tuesday morning, waking me up. My eyes flutter open, and I stay in bed for just a moment until my brain comprehends fully that bacon is being made downstairs. Quickly I dress and then make my way to the kitchen where Ash is in the middle of making breakfast. “What in the world? Why are you making breakfast? What time is it anyway?” Glancing to the clock on the stove, I see the green numbers. “Are you insane? It’s just 6 o’clock in the morning! Why in the world are you up so early and what has compelled you to make such a feast?”

Ash looks over his shoulder at me and grins. “This is me saying I’m sorry for being a knob. A total bogan.” He steps back from the stove and places a kiss upon my lips. “I thought we can be adults, have breakfast and a civil conversation about the Blake thing without me acting like a jealous fool.”

I say okay with a smile and then let him continue cooking as I can also smell a fresh pot of coffee. Deciding I will help him, I grab a couple of plates, and some forks. Placing them on the kitchen table, I then go back to the counter and pour a cup of coffee for both he and I. Picking up the mugs, I take them over to the table as well and sitting them down, claim a seat and sip my coffee as I patiently wait for Ash to finish cooking.

A couple of minutes later he walks over with a skillet in hand and places a couple of sunny side up eggs on my plate and then puts some on his plate. Ash takes the skillet back to the stove, grabs a large plate with a mound of bacon on it and some toast that I hadn’t even noticed and comes over placing the platter in between us and then sits down too.

“Oh my gosh. This is amazing!” I gush in between bites. Not that anyone can ruin bacon but still, phenomenal.

After Ash has taken a few bites of his food he puts his fork down and looks at me seriously. “I really am sorry for allowing my jealousy to overcome me. I just don’t trust Blake and I’m not sure that I ever will. Now, with that said, could you please explain to me why he is staying at your parents’ house? I am very confused as to how that came about.”

Raising my finger, I indicate for him to give me a second to finish chewing the food in my mouth. Swallowing, I explain everything that took place in the last twenty-four hours making sure not to leave any details out. As I speak, I see anger flicker in his eyes, but he maintains his composure and allows me to tell him everything before he responds. “Okay, please explain why I saw anger flicker in your eyes?”

“I’m not angry, not really. I just wish you would have given me a heads up that you were letting Blake stay at your parents’ house. Yes,” he says raising his hand to stop me from jumping down his throat. “I’m aware that I didn’t give you a chance to tell me either.” He averts his eyes so I can’t give him a ‘yeah I know’ look.

Stuffing the last bit of eggs into my mouth my phone chirps and glancing at the screen, I see that Lori has just sent me a message. I also see the time. “Ash, we need to leave, or we will be late for school!” Nodding his head, he snags the last strip of bacon and stands up. Gathering our dishes, he walks over to the sink and places them in it.

Coming back to the table, he scoops his bookbag up from off of the further side of the table and looks at me; “I’m ready whenever you are.” I say okay as I stand from my seat and grab my bookbag as well. Leaving the house, we hurry down the stairs and into his vehicle. “Who texted you?” Ash asks as he backs out of the driveway and heads towards the high school.

“Oh, uh, Lori,” I say as I pick my phone up from off of my lap. I swipe at the screen and type in my pin to unlock it. Tapping the message icon, I pull up her message.

Hey, why does it look like Blake’s truck is sitting in your driveway? I’m sorry I didn’t get to chat with Ash yesterday. You two didn’t break up, did you?

I burst out laughing at reading her message and Ash looks at me sideways. “What?” He asks curiously as his eyes drift back to the road in front of him. I snort as I try to stop myself from laughing more.

“Lori saw Blake’s truck sitting in the driveway this morning as she was leaving for school and wanted to know if you and I had broken up because she hadn’t had a chance to speak with you like I had asked her to do yesterday.”

“Why did you want her to talk to me?” He glances at me confused and I ask him telepathically, males really have no clue, do they?

“Because dork, you wouldn’t talk to me and I thought maybe she could knock some sense into you, reason with you as to what my thought process was with the text to Blake in the first place.”

“Oh, right. And yes, the male population will never have a clue when it comes to what you women are thinking!” Pulling into a parking spot, Ash puts his Jeep into park and then gives me an annoyingly adorable grin. My response of course it to punch him in the arm. It’s only fair, right? “Ouch,” he whines rubbing his arm. “What was that for?” Instead of answering him, I roll my eyes and then lean over and give him a quick kiss on the cheek before hopping out and then after he shuts his door, I take his hand swinging it as we walk into the building.

I spot Lori pacing back and forth in front of my locker as we walk up to it. “What the heck, Sofia. You couldn’t take a second and text me back? You had me worried!” She pulls me into her and gives me a tight hug. “Well at least I see you two haven’t broken up. I was ready to replace Ash and knock some sense into him if you two had!” Ash chuckles and I giggle. Lori glares at us both, “it’s not funny you butt.” She shoves me in the arm, but my smile is contagious and a second later I have her smiling too.

Ash slides into the seat next to me during lunch period and steals a carrot stick from off my tray. “Watch it Mr.! You don’t mess with a starving chick’s lunch!” He laughs and I hear him ask inside my head, how in the world can you be starving when you had a massive breakfast? I just smile and pluck my carrot from his hand, quickly stuffing it in my mouth.

Lori joins our table a few seconds later. “Hey,” she says as she cracks open a bottle of water. “Did you guys get a text from Charlie?” I shake my head no, as does Ash but we both pull our phones out to check just in case we had missed one from her.

“Oh, wait. I guess I did get one from her,” Ash says in shock. I though didn’t receive one and I look at them both questioningly.

“Well... what did she say to you guys?” I bounce my eyes between them waiting for one of them to respond.

“My message asks if we are going to attempt to rescue your parents on Saturday.” After Lori reads the text, she looks up from her phone and then to Ash before her gaze falls upon me. He says his is the same message and I begin to wonder why she would have asked them but not asked me.

“I guess write her back and say yes. Tell her we can meet up once school is out on Friday and make a plan for rescue. I’ll give Diana a call as well and let her know of our plan.”

We throw some thoughts and ideas about we could do for a few minutes and then the bell shrills overhead letting us know the lunch is over and we need to get our butts to our next class.