Nochelle - Our Stories

P R E S E N T

~Post TNS~

Heavy chunks of ice, which the weather lady on TV dared to call 'beautiful snowflakes', drizzled down over the street below. Its habitants had naturally chosen to stay inside in order to escape from the cold, but also because it was indeed Christmas Eve. The streets were clear from people - not snow - and the only life to be seen was the flickering street lights and occasional birds as they searched for a hiding place themselves.

Inside Richelle and Noah's Toronto apartment, two anxious individuals were running around the house in preparation for tomorrow's festivities. Actually, the truth of the matter was that Noah was hopelessly standing by the kitchen sink, feeling anxious for Richelle, as he watched her anxiously run around the house. Luckily, Richelle had the day off, since her entire family plus Noah's parents would be coming over for Christmas morning celebrations - and it was their first time hosting.

He hadn't been around for the entirety of the day, since he still had to go to work, but Richelle had been up and running around even before he had. In retrospective it was hardly surprising, but it had definitely caught him off guard at 5 AM, when her alarm had ripped them both out of a deep slumber. Within seconds the alarm was cut off, Richelle was out of bed and he was left with the remaining warmth that her body had left on the mattress beside him. For a second he thought he was dreaming, but upon noticing the bathroom light being turned on, he'd lazily boosted himself into a half-risen position, resting on his forearms. After quickly checking the clock on his bedside table, he'd redirected his exhausted and disoriented gaze towards the bathroom.

"Rich?" His voice was groggy, and he had to squint; even the slightest light coming from the bathroom was burning his eyes. "What are you doing?"

A couple of seconds went by in silence, before she rushed out of the neighbouring room in what would be her grey, 'down for business' set of sweats and a high ponytail. Even through the darkness, he could tell that her facial expression showed no mercy and she was determined as ever.

"Richie?" He tried to reach her again.

"Our families will be here in," she swiftly glanced at her Fitbit, "29 hours and this place is a mess!"

"Wha-" he frowned, even more profoundly than before, as she basically bolted around the room trying to get ready before the sun rose. A deep sigh escaped his exhausted body, internally debating whether or not he was going to be a good or bad husband today. Even though he was lowkey exhausted by just the thought of his wife's monstrous ambitions, he still still respected her enough to choose the latter and force himself out of bed.

Within the timeframe of five minutes, he managed to get up and pull a hoodie over his pyjamas (aka. his sweats and a random t-shirt), allowing him to leave the coziness of the dark bedroom behind for their living room and whatever 'mess' Richelle was talking about.

She was already running around the room and picking up clothes (mostly his - and yes, he did feel bad). With this tempo, she was going to exhaust herself in a matter of minutes and just the thought of it pained him. Richelle would have to slow down in order to survive today, and as her husband it was Noah's job to trick her into it since she'd never publicly admit defeat.

"Richelle, calm down." his voice was still tired, but he made sure it was still kind since the last thing she needed was to feel critiqued. "Let yourself sleep for once. It's your day off."

She froze on the spot, whipping her head in direction and letting him know that he'd stepped onto dangerous territory. "Its the first Christmas we're hosting at our place, Noah, and it needs to be perfect. Everything needs to be in order, and sleeping in isn't gonna help!"