MIDNIGHT (Slow Updates)

14|| FIONA'S COMMENT

"There's a missing piece I'm trying to find."
- Kodaline

     Giving a small smile, I entered the cozy house lit with an array of brilliant hues, neither too sharp for the eyes nor too dull; a centralised room conditioner and the aroma of scrumptious delicacies wafting around the space.
    Delphi greeted me from the maroon couch situated beside the glass centre-table with a bored meow. 

"Hello Delphi! Good evening Mrs Gallagher." Smiling at the elderly lady who had emerged from the kitchen,  my eyes darted around the room, looking for Fiona and her parents.

    Mrs. Gallagher wiped her hands dotted with glistening drops of water on the apron, before steering me to the couch for a comfortable seat. "We're happy to have you here for dinner, honey. As it is, you were staying alone and during this hard time, I know what you must be going through."

     Not even half of it. - The slight nod or the ghost of a smile on my lips didn't give away the train of havoc inside my head.

"Thank you Mrs. Gallagher,"  My mouth moved on it's accord, "Yeah, I won't lie, it's definitely a...little...tough at the moment. And this means a lot. "

Delphi gave an approving purr, gracefully leaping onto my lap the next second.
Giggling, Fiona sat beside me.
"Delphi seems to love you. She's usually very particular of people other than her close family."  

      I smiled at the feline who was napping away without a care in the world, my thoughts wandering to the first scratch she'd given me as a stranger.
"Oh, it was love at first sight. "

We burst out laughing, making Delphi give a startled mewl.  Stroking her ears to calmness, Fiona looked up at me with gleaming eyes. "I'd like to hear your adventures with this mischief maker then."

     " Sure!"

   Mrs. Gallagher was beaming. It was pure, warm and motherly. There was something ancient about it. I couldn't help but notice, maybe I was thinking too much, but it was as if her smile held some unearthly magic that only she knew about. Or maybe it was just her love.

"Ah, Before you two get conversing, Fiona, just go give Robert a call and see how long it'll take for him to get home from the school."

   Nodding, the snow-haired girl got up to call her uncle.
  Mr. Robert Gallagher was a jolly man in his mid forties, taking care of his family which chiefly included his mother and Delphi. Despite the fact that his wife Charlotte had passed away due to some chronic illness, he never let the pain show. The ever constant smile, genuine kindness and crow's feet near his eyes - they were meant to convey the message of positivity.    
    
Hope.

    Mrs. Gallagher's deep but clear voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Fiona wanted to come over for her holidays here - her parents have been quite busy in Denmark. Besides, she wanted a change of air - You know, the freshness of Floridian beachside, scrumptious ice creams and all that." We both laughed as Fiona approached us, phone in hand, with a curious look.
  "I think you two are going to get along very well."