The Adventures of Autumn and Levi, Part 9. A new day [p r i v a t e--Rempy]

Sunlight streamed through the shear curtains in Autumn’s bedroom. She groaned at the sudden brightness in her tired eyes. Attempting to sleep longer, she covered her face with her pillow. When that proved ineffective the girl reluctantly pulled herself out of bed. With a graceful stumble, Autumn waddled out of her bedroom and down the stairs. The days since their arrival at Savannah were peaceful, if not a bit boring. With a shopping trip here and a walk to the park there, Autumn had become terribly settled down. While she enjoyed it at first, it was becoming horribly ordinary. Autumn had her usual morning frown on her face, but a mad barking and yipping made her mood lighten. Sadie, their lively Australian Shepherd, bounded into view. Her fur was reddish brown with a few spots of white and brown. She had a pink nose, which was pushed happily against Autumn’s skin. The girl smiled sleepily and placed a hand on Sadie’s head. ”Morning Sadie,” she said with a tired yawn. Without waiting for any sort of response or begging from the dog, Autumn opened the back door and let her outside.
A few moments later, the smell of freshly brewed coffee and warm pancakes filled the Georgia home. It seemed like a life that was too peaceful for them. Autumn quietly laughed to herself. ”It’s like I’m asking for trouble..” she mumbled.

Autumn tore off a piece of one of the finished pancakes and plopped it into her mouth. She was grateful for the warmth and the sweet taste on her tongue. She picked up her mug of coffee and took a sip, reveling in the feeling of the caffeine and hot beverage waking her from her groggy state. She heard a light whine from outside, indicating that Sadie wanted back in the house. Autumn just smiled and rolled her eyes, pulling the handle to let the cheerful animal bound around the house excitedly. "It is too early for you to be this energetic, pup..." she mumbled, shaking her head in fond exasperation. She barely heard Levi descending the steps, only realizing his presence at the sound of his greeting. She smiled in return, propping her hand against the kitchen counter. Autumn hummed contently and leaned into Levi's touch. She took another sip of her coffee, thankful that it was waking her. "Actually, pretty well. Didn't have a single nightmare after I went back to bed," she replied, her tone surprised. Autumn couldn't help the proud grin that flickered briefly across her face. "The smell of pancakes and freshly brewed coffee, Levi. One of the best things to wake up to." As she spoke, Autumn plopped a small stack of pancakes onto a free plate. She then stole one off of the top and offered the plate to Levi, the stolen pancake hanging limping between her lips. Autumn washed the bite of pancake down with a swig of coffee. When she was younger, she didn't use to rely on coffee to wake her up. SHe used to be a morning person, but then she went to school again, and suddenly the drink was a blessing. She remembered, during the long nights of studying, that coffee was like a gift from the gods in her eyes. Pulling herself from her memories at the sound of Levi's voice, Autumn looked up. Her gaze flickered briefly to the mug in his hand. She smirked and arched an eyebrow. "That you need to get a new mug," she teased, gently lifting a single eyebrow.

Autumn chuckled at his obvious love of the mug. "Have you ever actually been to Texas?" she mocked. Autumn shook her head and winced. "It's like something you'd buy at a cheesy kitchen store... The same place you'd get the "Kiss the Cook" apron." The shapeshifter let her thoughts wander back to her desires for excitement. Perhaps she should get a full time job... That might keep her busier. She loved having time for her art and spending time relaxing with Levi, but she could only do these things for so long. Currently she only worked part-time at a local art supply store, simply to make her share of money for the groceries and bills. She had money saved, so she was able to live mostly off of that... But still, a change would be nice. Autumn wondered how long it was before she got tired of the job and desired something new. She had a niggling fear that it wouldn't take long...
"Hmm?" she responded in confusion, then registering what Levi had said. "Yeah. Yeah it's wonderful... Amazing, actually." The statement was true. Autumn was amazed that she had a calm life, especially after recent events. She was astounded that she and Levi fit so well together, and thankful that they did. Though that didn't quench her desire for something new to do. Autumn absentmindedly swirled her mug of coffee with her spoon and nibbled on her pancake. At the mention of the previous night, her stirring silenced. Her stomach twisted into nervous knots. Instantly she thought the worst. He regretted the kiss, he didn't want any part of her, he thought she was stupid. She found her palms were suddenly sweating and tightened the grip on her mug so it didn't shatter to the floor. She swallowed nervously and shrugged her shoulders. "I think we should... To make sure that...we're both still-you know-on the same page with...everything." And confidence that she might have had previously was gone. She watched Levi's hand rub her his stubble, having to distract her thoughts from what it would feel like under her lips. "How did you...feel about my...-me-the...yeah?" Autumn silently kicked herself, praising her ability to form coherent sentences.

Autumn listened as he spoke, letting his words sink in. ...He was afraid that she didn't feel the same? The idea of it completely baffled her and left her speechless, standing in stunned silence as he finished speaking. Without thinking about consequences, Autumn surged forward and pressed her lips to his, being careful to avoid the cup of hot coffee. She pulled back after a moment, still unsure if even doing that was okay. Autumn stared up at her friend, the person who she trusted with everything, and bit her lip in contemplation. She sighed, fiddling with her hands to distract herself from the nerves fluttering through her stomach. "Levi, trust me... You don't have to worry about me not feeling the same." Autumn pulled her gaze away from her hands, forcing herself to find the courage to look up into Levi's eyes. Autumn may be brave, but she was a coward when it came to things like this. "Levi, we're safe here... We've been here for months and the biggest trouble we've had is Sadie bringing clumps fo spanish moss into the house to chew on." Autumn paused and took one of Levi's hands in both of her own. She traced her fingertips along his palm, her touch light as a feather and hesitant. "I'm not going anywhere..."

Autumn smiled and leaned into Levi's hug. Her arms wrapped around his waist and she buried her face in the crook of his neck. "After living with you for so long, it'd be hard not to know how you are." her voice was slightly muffled, as she was enjoying having her face in his shirt. She couldn't help but feel at ease in Levi's presence. Being with him was so easy, almost natural. "As horribly cheesy as it sounds, I wouldn't have it any other way..." Autumn rose on her toes and placed a swift kiss on his cheek before she stepped out of the embrace and took another swig of coffee. "So today I think I'm gonna go to that flea market a couple blocks over and try and sell some of my paintings there... I have so many I can barely move around that room anymore, I need to get rid of some of them." Autumn took the dishes that she'd dirtied and put them neatly in the dishwasher. "And then afterwards, I'll probably paint some more and fill up that room again by the end of the week."