Just Like Nicotine

Chapter 2

(Theo's POV)

"Celia stop!" A girl giggled from the kitchen as I heard a loud 'thump'. My program was rudely being shouted over and I wasn't going to miss out on the latest episode of Sofia The First for my wife. Don't get me wrong, I love her immensely, but when it comes to Sofia The First then it's a definite track to the couch later that night.

I sighed, pausing the show and unsticking myself from the couch, defeated physically at my unwanted movement. I walked to the door to the kitchen and just about managed to dodge a chunk of flour, soon finding the cause of it was my beloved wife.

She sat on the counter, giggling away at my almost misfortune whilst Alaeia just waved awkwardly.

"Hi there Alaeia, how've you been?" I asked, I hadn't seen her since the wedding and it was clear she'd changed immensely - from her hair to her height - she looked like a whole new person.

"Theo! It's been ages, I'm good - how have you been?" She replied eagerly, a beaming smile growing on her face. I smiled back with a quick grin and we continued small conversation as I helped the girls make some cupcakes before Celia fell asleep from her random spurts of tiredness.

The cupcakes turned out pretty good considering they didn't exactly look the most appealing. A mixture of different flavoured frostings were sprawled on top of each cupcake and every type of sprinkles on the face of the earth could be seen sitting delicately placed in the frosting. Yeah, they didn't look appealing at all, but I'm sure we could convince Will to at least try some. Maybe?

Whilst waiting for him to get home, me and Alaeia decided to clean up the mess from the flour fight and the overexposed amount of frosting on the counters from the decorating - to which of course had stiffened slightly, making it harder to remove with just spray and a cloth.

Roughly about an hour later, I was washing up the cupcake tins whilst Alaeia fiercely scrubbed the counters clean of frosting, and soon enough everything was spotless. Just in time too, for Will had just walked into the kitchen with his shoes in hand, ready to put them into the shoe cupboard by the entryway.

Me and Alaeia just sat comfortably at the table in the corner, both of us munching on a shared cut up cupcake. We both waved hello to Will and he waved back after he put his shoes away.

"I'm surprised Celia and Theo haven't scared you off yet," He chuckled towards Alaeia, she shook her head lightly with a closed smile, "It's nice to see they actually have friends though, I was starting to think they were just lonely people who were obsessed with candles." I feigned shock and hurt at this comment, although I could feel a genuine smile creeping onto my lips.

Alaeia laughed lightly after quickly finishing her mouthful, before replying that she too, was a person with a strange interest of candles. Will smiled and mumbled something to himself whilst looking down - neither me or Alaeia seemed to make out what he'd said and simply pushed past it, talking for a little while over small topics. Will had sat down at the table with us as we grew into a more comfortable chat and even decided to try a cupcake after multiple pestering attempts me and Alaeia had partook in. He looked at the cupcake he was handed as if it was a dangerous weapon, wide eyes and his face lightly twitched into an expression almost unreadable - but plenty signs of fear still visible.

I think it was safe to say everyone was getting absolutely no sleep tonight thanks to the sugar overdose. I mean, Alaeia's face had lit up a considerably large amount since she'd had that half a cupcake - and she takes sugar overloads well. She'd been smiling and laughing with me the entire evening despite all the sugar, something she'd usually do but this time she seemed...happier?

Alaeia doesn't talk much when we're around people she doesn't know well, but she certainly surprised me with the smile she gave Will. She's kind of the person with a built-in manual switch who is either on or off, and when she's off, she closes herself off completely - no talking, no smiling, no interactions, no anything. When she's on she's a bundle of joy, laughing, smiling, chatting away to her friends - I love each side of her equally but this side is my favourite, she's the best to be around either way. She's usually off when she doesn't know someone that well, but she seems to be different with Will, maybe she's met him before?