Interlocked

eleven.

The weekends rolled by quicker than I thought. It was already Saturday and it was 9 in the morning. I managed to pull myself out of bed as I headed to the washroom to freshen up.

I pulled my hair into a low pony and put on my favorite robe of all time. I walked out of the room to see that Tyler was already sitting in the dining area, his messy hair sticking out in all weird directions. He was still clad in his pyjamas which consisted of an old worn out shirt and sweat pants.

The smell of bacon, eggs and toast invaded my nostrils and a small smile found it's way to my face.

I pulled out the chair from underneath the wooden table as I plopped myself onto it. I turned to see that Tyler was still busy typing away on his computer, his eyebrows furrowed together in concentration.

He continued to type away on his computer and if he did saw me, he still did not acknowledge me.

"Good morning," I greeted. "How's your job search going?" I asked before popping a piece of bacon into my mouth. "Mhmm.. This is really good."

He let out a huge sigh before slamming his laptop shut. "This is not working out, I can't find a job. I'm not even short listed for interviews," he said, without even turning to look at me, clearly frustrated.

I paused for a moment and silence stretched between the both of us as I thought of what to say next.

"I mean, it has only been like a week or so. It takes time, just be patient. I'm sure they will get back to you soon!" I assured, reaching out to sling my arm around his shoulders as I gave him a small smile to which he didn't return.

"I'm already tired of staying home and doing nothing. I want to do something useful and support this family you know?"

"You are supporting this family!" I exclaimed, making exaggerated hand gestures. "Look, it's not easy taking care of Eira and Coro but you did it! Besides, it's better to have you spend time with them than to put them in a childcare centre," I explained as my hand remained on his shoulder, rubbing his back soothingly.

"I don't know..." He mumbled under his breath before burying his face in his hands. As if on cue, the door swung open and Eira and Coro walked out of their room hand in hand. I watched as they made small and careful steps towards us, with Coro rubbing his tired eyes while Eira let out a small yawn beside him.

Once their eyes landed of us, I saw how his Coro's bright eyes lit up as he quickly fasten his pace.

"Mummy, daddy!" Coro ran towards us while Eira trailed behind with her tiny feet, trying very hard to keep up with his sudden speed. "Good morning!" He greeted as he reached his arms out, signalling me to put him on my lap.

Naturally, the corners of my lips twitched upwards into a smile as I quickly carried both Coro and Eira in my arms. Just as I was about to open my mouth and say something, the ringing of Tyler's phone reverberated throughout the entire dining area.

He fumbled for his phone and managed to pick up on the third ring. "Hello? Who is this?" He asked before standing up to walk away in another direction.

I watched as his figure got smaller before he disappeared into the corner and I was greeted with silence.

"Is daddy okay?" Coro asked, his bright eyes shining with worry and concern for his dad who seemed distraught.

"He's.. fine. Don't worry," I replied, my lips curling upwards into a smile that didn't quite reach my eyes. "Hungry?"
I asked and they nodded quickly to which I responded with a soft chuckle. "Go brush up kids."

I placed them down and ushered both of them to the bathroom where I helped Eira to brush her teeth as Coro recently just learnt how to do it on his own.

As soon as they were done, they planted themselves on the couch and entertained themselves with a cartoon. I quickly headed to the kitchen and prepared breakfast for the kids.

"Babe!" I heard Tyler yelled from inside the room before he popped his head into the kitchen.

A wide grin was plastered on his face, his eyes glistening with excitement and joy. "I got an interview scheduled this Thursday!" He announced.

"Oh my god! That's great news Tyler!" I exclaimed, pulling him into a hug. "Eira! Coro! Come here and give daddy a good luck kiss!"

The kids slowly made their way down from the couch and ran towards the Tyler and I with happy smiles on their faces. Tyler picked Coro up and kissed him on his lips before doing the same to Eira. They were laughing happily and I couldn't help but smile as well.

I'm glad that Tyler felt happy and finally got a call back after applying for dozens of jobs. I knew he had been drinking at night and staying up several nights the past week or so as he was too busy looking for jobs and stressing over them. I'm really glad that he finally had this burden lifted off of his shoulders.

"What's that smell?" Tyler asked all of a sudden and I was broken out of my little reverie. "Do you smell something burning?"

"Huh?" My eyes flickered over to the stove to see that the pot of porridge was bubbling over the brim of the pot and spilling all over the place. "Holy shit!" I cussed as I ran to the stove to turn the fire off.

I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as I turned to look at Tyler who was now carrying both of our kids in his arms. He merely gave me a shrug as an amused smile graced his lips. "Well, guess you have to recook that," he remarked.

"Well yeah, no shit sherlock. This is your fault."

A/N:
Hey guys! Just like I said, I'm back with another update! How did you find this chapter? Feel free to leave a comment and tell me what you think! 😊

Don't forget to vote, comment and share if you like this chapter! ❤️

Much love,
Rachel xo