She busied herself in the kitchen, preparing dishes for her family and the guest she was expecting. She was alone in the house, it felt desolate and the only sound that permeated it was the sizzle of oil and the gentle scrapes of the laddle in the pan. She regarded the empty home with despondence and wavering content.
A year ago a quiet house was a joy especially for someone of her age bracket. A period when personal space became a necessity. She never struggled with that topic, she had the house all to herself even on weekends. Slowly but surely she understood just how lonely it was.
It would be an ideal life for an introverted homebody, but not optimal for her kind. Luckily she didn't have that worry anymore, her companion was always eager to keep her company and cuddle with her at her ever beckon.
She was planning on making a tasty dessert once dinner was ready. Churros had always been her father's favorites. She was especially motivated because she hadn't seen him in 4 days. He deserved to enjoy a nice meal and tailored snacks after all the work he had to get done at the new site. Her mother in the other hand ran her own business, so weekends were not designated for rest, she ran around the most on Saturday afternoons.
*Knock* there a short knock on the door, it brought a smile to her lips. The pan was given one final stir before she bounced to the door. On the other side Tobias stood patiently and smiled at her. Brown hair the consistency of silk, pale skin, and most importantly a bright smile that lit up the room.
Her Angelic Light, her boyfriend stood with his arms open waiting for his hug.
Rebecca had to remind herself that this man was hers. The sky was overcast by dark clouds but even in the low luminosity he stood as an unwavering ball of light. 'I'm so lucky.' it was a thought that graced her mind every time she saw him.
He couldn't wait for her any longer, she was scooped up into a warm hug and pulled into the house. Like the respectable and shy gentleman he was, he made sure to close the door before stealing her breath. The kiss lasted longer than it usually did. Normally she would be the one to push for more lip action, but he always got too red and embarrassed to continue. She could not let her Angelic Light overheat, so breaks between kisses were necessary.
It was different today, this time she actually needed to break the warm contact first to catch her breath. "Sorry." He muttered the apology with a solemn voice. She wouldn't tell him that she preferred it this was, far too much pressure for him. "It's alright... Umm let me finish up in the kitchen first." He followed after her, keeping his hands on her hips. Rebecca had already finished cooking, now all she had to do was store it in for later.
"How was work today?" Tobias grumbled a string of words, his voice muffled by the skin of her neck. "It was fine. Nothing eventful... actually Rob threw a little celebration and bought us lunch, his wife is pregnant." She was glad, another good day at his job. Tobias worked with plumbing and tiling.
She knew how strainous the jod was physically. But Tobias always expressed how lucky he was to get the job and how patient all his colleagues were when teaching him the ropes. He always described it as an informative and character building experience. Rebecca also helped out at her mom's business but had to cut back on hours to focus on academics. They were in the final stretch of highschool, the window to make corrections and learn new things was closing.
Tobias mentioned that he already had lunch so there was nothing keeping them here anymore. Rebecca held his hands against her waist and led him to her couch. They plopped down and settled in, she took her rightful spot on his lap. She held his face and gently rubbed the skin under his eyes. They had a more healthy color today, nothing like the dark, sleep deprived circles he acquired on the excursion.
"Are you alright?" He knew what she was asking about. Tobias had been so out of it for the past week, so unsettled. "I'll be fine. It's just... I don't even know why I'm so bothered. I knew him but not that well." His head was buried in her warm bust and her fingers traced his scalp in winding patterns.
"I feel like it was my fault. Maybe that conversation we had in the woods was the final push he needed." Rebecca understood his concerns and she was certain that it wasn't his fault. "You did say you met him in the woods. How I see it, he was probably already headed for his hike. Nothing you said would have influenced him."
Tobias nodded slowly, 'She's right I'm overthinking it.' Mr Fixx was a grown man, one capable of making his own decisions. He chose to hike the woods going past the recommend area. He chose – it wasn't the best decision he could have made, but it was his nonetheless. What did a student he barely knew have to do with it.
Tobias was truly sad for him. Then again there was nothing he could do for the man. There was always a risk to camping and exploring uninhabited places. An experienced man like him knew the risks, he knew that there was a chance he might not make it back home – no matter how small that probability was. The best Tobias could do was try and learn from this experience. Heavens forbid he ever catches himself camping.
Rebecca continued to draw gentle strokes through his hair. His consciousness was drifting further from reality, a wave of drowsiness hit him. This was another thing he was grateful for. He never truly appreciated the beauty that was sleep till he went for that excursion. Rebecca saw the dark circles under his eyes and since then she coaxed him to sleep any time they were alone for the past week. Those fingers worked wonders on him.
"I've been postponing the question for a while now," Rebecca fingers froze, the loss of sensation pulled him out of his lull. "I heard that Lukehiem and Jonathan got into another scuffle during the excursion. I didn't ask since you were so tired, but it's about time we settled this. "Yes that problem still existed. He was hoping he could deal with it later, right now was cuddle time. "Did Luke say anything?"
"Honestly I am a bit fed up with it now. I don't know what they are doing. They both seem to be enjoying their little game, maybe we should leave it as it is." Rebecca's brows rose, she wasn't expecting that answer from him. It must be really bad if Tobias was willing to give up. She tapped him gently and pulled them apart, Tobias groaned at the loss of contact.
"Tell me everything." This seemed really unfair to Tobias, how was Luke robbing him of his peace of mind without being present. Rebecca watched Tobias pucker his lips demanding for a kiss before he started talking. She chuckled as she pressed her lips against his, she made it brief, any deeper and questioning would never start. "Now you have to tell me everything."
"Honestly it's very simple. Lukehiem is having a psychotic break and is letting his paranoia victimize Jonathan." He remembered the absolute rubbish Lukehiem told him in the bus and the maddening laughter that followed.
"Haha you should have been there when he said all of it. Something about Jonathan trying to invade his mind, trying to rope him into some game. What else... he also mentioned having psychic powers, apparently he's using them to keep Jonathan out of his mind and keep us safe." As he was saying it he couldn't help laughing again. Rebecca didn't laugh but the amusement and quivering smirk on her face said it all.
"Now that I'm saying it, it is very hilarious. I have to admit he is getting better at making jokes. Ohh and I forgot mention, according to Luke, Jonathan pushed him into the lake first and started the scuffle." Rebecca sighed, not at all what she was expecting. She always knew Lukehiem was a bit unique in his view of things. Not like this though, this was a shock.
"You don't seem surprised." Tobias had no reason to be surprised, not anymore. He had known Luke the longest, although his quirky traits had never been this prominent it was also within expectation. Everyone grew up and matured in different ways.
Some people lost their smile and wore permanent scowls, others... they became more unreserved. Up till that point he was certain Luke was the former, turns out he was a mix of both.
"That brother of yours sure is eccentric sometimes." Rebecca said it casually, but Tobias' reaction was instantaneous. His smile faded and a forlorn expression rested on his handsome face.