The Better to See You With (My Dear)

Fearing What We Might Discover

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It was still somewhat early when Jade's eyes fluttered open. She winced as the sunlight streamed through the cabin window and assaulted her vision. Rolling onto her left side and letting her back face the windowsill, she was equally taken aback by Tori's close proximity. Sure, she figured that their sleeping arrangements would be moderately cramped–her, Tori, and Cat were all occupying one queen-sized bed, after all–but being nose-to-nose with her sleeping rival proved incredibly uncomfortable. Especially since she was inhaling the scent of the brunette's cinnamon-flavored toothpaste as it filtered into the air in short, regular breaths.

Frustrated, Jade sat up and threaded her fingers through her dark, unruly locks. She peered over at the other figure in the bed, whose limbs were sprawled across the mattress and entangled in the sheets. Cat was clutching her signature purple giraffe and mumbling incoherent phrases ("You can't!... the magic wand doesn't... unless you... cotton candy."), but otherwise showed no sign of being awake.

Seeing that both girls were still, she carefully slipped out from underneath the covers and padded down the stairs, her plaid pajama pants trailing across the floor. She could hear the dogs treading behind her curiously as she made her way to the kitchen. The goth then rummaged through the various cupboards and became increasingly more irate by the lack of ground coffee.

Eventually, she heard the front door click into place, followed by the thrumming of footsteps, as Beck acknowledged her presence with a cheery nod. Jade let her mouth tighten into a passive smile. Despite it being nearly 7AM (so says the wrought iron clock on the wall), the actor grinned back with an ungodly amount of enthusiasm. It made Jade want to revise her previous plan of doing away with Mondays and instead just eliminate mornings altogether, if only to keep that perpetual smile on his face from seeming so smug.

Where were those reality-bending powers when she needed them?

"I can't believe this stupid log shack has a coffee maker, but no coffee. I've searched through all the cabinets and all I found were some herbal teas and a handful of old creamer packets. Seriously, who only uses their coffee maker to brew tea ?" Jade vented just before Beck could extend a warm greeting.

"Well, good morning to you too," Beck replied evenly. He set down a bag of groceries on the island that Jade hadn't noticed he was carrying. "I was actually planning on stocking the kitchen with some food from the RV, so you caught me at just the right time. I have some ground coffee on me now."

"Oh," Jade stared off blankly at her ex while he handed her a package of Jet Brew's Original Blend Coffee.

Wordlessly, she headed over to the nearby counter, inserted a new filter into the coffee maker and added a generous amount of ground coffee. She then poured in water and watched as the hot, pitch-black liquid spewed into the pot underneath. Amid the silence, which was occasionally interrupted by the gurgling and sizzling of the machine, Jade could sense Beck's gaze lingering just a little longer than it normally does. When she looked up, she noticed his brows knitting together pensively, yet his focus remained trained on placing perishables in the fridge.

"I appreciate that you were thinking of me," Jade finally muttered aloud, unable to tolerate the quiet that pervaded the room. She spoke softly to avoid waking the wailing banshee that slept on the couch across from the kitchen, though.

"Everyone and their mother knows that you don't handle mornings well without your coffee. And I'd rather us not have to head back home with one less person in tow if I can help it," Beck justified with a note of sarcasm.