Enthralled

capitulo uno.

The sound of Cairo's soft, purr-like snores woke me before my alarm had a chance to; I had become used to her crawling into bed with me when I got home in the morning and savored the moment for a little while before I regrettably woke her. Mahdi wasn't in bed, which meant that he'd probably taken our dog Onyx for a walk while Cai and I got some more sleep. I knew what day it was without even checking the calendar- mine and Mahdi's one-year anniversary. When I'd first met him, I never could have imagined how much he would go on to impact my life. He'd opened my eyes and my heart to a more wholesome way of living, I couldn't ever come close to repaying him for that.

"Come on Cai, I've still gotta do your hair and feed you!" I shouted down the hall while I packed her lunchbox. I had already made her an omelet and a fruit salad; her go-to breakfast order as of late.

Cairo came running into the kitchen with her hair products and a knowing smile, "Can you put my hair in a ballerina bun again please?"

"Of course, princesa, do you remember how to say please in Spanish?" I propped her up on the counter and quickly brushed her hair. I had been trying to teach her Spanish in our downtime, it would be a useful tool for her to have in the future.

She nodded enthusiastically, "Por favor!"

"Muy bien princesa!" I kissed her on the cheek, then finished her hair. "Okay, you're as beautiful as ever, now we need to eat."

Cairo smiled sweetly, "Gracias Ari." She recited, unprovoked.

"De nada, eat your breakfast baby." I helped her down from the counter and sent her to the table to eat her breakfast. According to my phone, we had another half an hour before we had to be out of the house. Where was Mahdi? Usually, he would be back from walking Onyx before I even sat Cairo down to eat.

Deciding not to think much of it, I cleaned up my makeshift workstation and returned Cairo's hair products to her room. I made it back to the kitchen just in time to hear the telltale sounds of the front door opening. Onyx bounded in first, he'd gotten so big in the six months since we'd adopted him, and planted himself at Cairo's swinging feet while she finished her breakfast, she giggled as he licked her ankle. I'd been so focused on her, that the bouquet of roses placed in front of me came as a shock. I looked from the flowers, to Mahdi's handsome face and grinned so widely that my cheeks ached.

"Happy anniversary, Santos." Mahdi kissed me on the cheek and chuckled at my pout, he knew full well that I wanted a lot more than a peck on the cheek; but the timing wasn't quite appropriate for what I wanted.

Much like what had been happening since the day I met him, I felt tears prick at my eyes. "Happy anniversary, Taylor; thank you for the flowers, they're gorgeous."

"That's just the beginning." He whispered lowly before turning to Cairo. "Good morning my love, are you almost ready for school?"

Cairo ignored his question completely, "What's a amiversary?" She abandoned her seat at the table and walked closer to us, I chuckled at her pronunciation.

"It's like a birthday babe; I've been with your daddy for a whole year!"  I plucked a rose from my bunch and handed it to her. "So, we're going to celebrate by giving each other presents."

Her eyes lit up, "And a party?"

I shook my head, "Not this time, maybe next year." I winked at her, "I'll tell you everything when I pick you up from school tomorrow. But right now, we need you to get your things together or we'll ruin your perfect attendance."

Satisfied by my answer, Cairo tried to wrap her arms around both Mahdi and I. "Happy amiversary!"

Mahdi and I shared a look before thanking her, then she was running to her bedroom. "Don't run Ro!" He shook his head as he watched after her. Mahdi's expression changed as soon as she was out of sight and pulled me closer, he planted a kiss to the space on my neck that drove me crazy and then another on my lips. Just when he was about to pull away, I deepened the kiss and enjoyed the way my body ignited at the taste of his lips. All too soon, we broke apart when Cairo's footsteps grew closer.