"Hm, dear. Are you asleep? Good."
Gracie was still sitting on her chair at the dining table. The bowl is half finished. Her head lowered and facial expressions were calm. Her lips apart with a tiny rice sticking on her lower lip.
Alina's seemingly soft hands were still cupping her face as Gracie dozed off in a light slumber. It had just been a few moments after Alina made her first advances and cupped Gracie's face.
Alina: She had that motherly affectionate smirk on her face as she watched her supposedly daughter nap in peace.
"Gracie. Are you listening…? No…?"
Alina pressed herself more to Gracie's back. Alina breathes out air near Gracie's ear as she lowers her voice to a whisper.
"I'll take that as a yes." She chuckled to herself, backing off a little.
"You really are asleep aren't you? Working so hard."
Alina dropped her grip from Gracie's cheeks and her hand fell on Gracie's shoulder. Her grip was gentle and she made hand movements similar to a massage.
"Why are you so diligent?"
Alina leaned in close, her lips near Gracie's ears.
"By taking you in I, in other words have adopted you. So won't that make it mother and daughter? Does it trouble you? Hm."
Alina's hand slid from Gracie's shoulder to glide by below her neck and above the chest and to wrap her arms around Gracie.
"Does this relation bother you? Gracie."
Alina closed her eyes as she tried pressing more into Gracie's back, though the back of the chair blocked their connection…
Suddenly the back rest or the rail of the chair disappeared and Alina's chest pressed itself on Gracie's back.
Alina breathed in Gracie's scent, and nuzzled on her neck yet Gracie made no movement and only the sound of slow and sleepy breathing could be heard from her.
"... How tired were you? Didn't even get to bed and fall asleep here."
Alina sighs in Gracie's neck. Who subconsciously leaned back more into Gracie's embrace. And Alina tightened her grip around Gracie.
"Hm. My dear. Dearest pretty girl. I wanted to tell you so much about what had happened when we met… I know you remember nothing."
Her eyes still closed and her smirk widened. Her right hand index finger lifted up towards Gracie's lower lip and brushed off the tiny piece of rice sticking to her lip.
"I wanted to tell you so much about it."
Her grip only seemed to tighten further and further though Gracie's unconscious body felt nothing but soft embrace and radiating comfort from the hardening embrace.
"You know. As soon as I fall asleep and wake up I'd forget most of today. Maybe even the whole thing. Even the fact I wanted to share our past with you. Remind you."
She pressed her cheeks against Gracie's cheeks.
"Though, I wish to not forget our fishing plan."
…
…
…
Alina loosen her grip around Gracie and backs off of her. Without the structure of Alina who acted as a support for Gracie to not fall in the absence of the chair's back rest she was about to fall. But then it reappeared. The back rest of the chair.
Alina backed off of Gracie and went to the sides of the sleeping/napping Gracie and looked down at it. Standing tall beside Gracie she analyzes the table.
Seeing the half eaten plate and half eaten bowl, of them respectively. Alina scratched her chin. Her eyes wander over the table and around the small dining room next to the kitchen.
"Now what do I do with this?" She mutters quietly to herself.
"Can't let it go to waste, can I?" She looked up at the ceiling as if she'd find any answer up there but all she saw was the support beams made of wood…
"Damn. No spider web…" She looked back down towards Gracie. "How hard did you work, again?"
She sighed and rubbed her temples.
"She's asleep… Now, am I supposed to do a fraction of what she does?"
She looks down at Gracie and the motherly smirk reappears on her face. She watched her supposedly daughter sleep peacefully.
She sat back on her chair. She was quiet. Silently looking at her plate of food. As seemed to be in some deep thought from time to time glancing at Gracie. Then she started eating and finished her plate.
Gracie: Even though asleep she was seated firmly in her chair. In sleep her body leaned forward and head tilted to the side. Yet her body didn't seem like it may fall over.
Her face seemed to be at ease. Not only the face but the whole body was relaxed. What was strange was how fast she fell asleep. Her lips were slightly open as she breathed out of it and through her nose.
She was still in that shirt she wore. No sweater yet she didn't shiver in her sleep. It wasn't a miracle but the whole room had a sense of unexplained warmth to it.
Alina: She quickly finished her plate, got up and again. As she lifts her hand up from her plate the vegetable oil in her hand slips off of her hand and back on the plate.
She takes Gracie's bowl. Which still had the leftovers of Gracie.
"I don't think you'd need it anymore…"
She takes it to the kitchen and drops her plate on the skin with a loud thud… She threw it across the room and somehow it didn't break.
She looked down at the bowl.
"Um. Seems too good to let it go to waste… Fine. I won't waste it I guess."
She places it down at the counter and takes up a spoon full of Gracie's leftovers. While munching on it she looks out the window up towards the dark clouds as it starts raining again.
"What a timing…" she smiled as she took another bite. She turned her gaze back at the bowl.
"Just imagine she wakes up while I'm eating this." She whispers to herself in the quiet kitchen as her smile grows.
She quietly finished the rest of the bowl while Gracie was still asleep. While eating she didn't say anything else but she seemed to be in some deep thoughts. Looking straight ahead with unfocused eyes.
After she is done she drops the bowl into the skin as well and walks out without washing them.
While walking back to the dining table her eyes still showed the unfocused gaze. Her steps had the rhythm but as close she got to the dining table her pace slowed. But when she reached the sleeping Gracie, a smile grew on her face.
"Sleep peacefully, okay dear."
Saying that she gently and effortlessly lifts Gracie up in her arm. On one hand holding her by the shoulder and the other just below the thigh.
She adjusts Gracie to a much comfortable position, careful not to wake her up as she walks up stairs. Walking up the stairs was no struggle for Alina as if Gracie weighed equivalent to nothing.
Walking past the dark hallway she reached Gracie's room. The door was closed, not locked. Alina didn't move a finger and the door opened on its own. Inside, nothing much could be seen as it was also dark. Alina walked past Gracie's room and the door closed behind her on its own.
Alina came to her own room and the door opened as usual. It was bright inside. The bed is already done and warm to fall asleep on.
Alina walked inside and straight approached the bed and pushed away the blankets by her foot. She gently lay down Gracie on the bed.
She sighs. And touch the warm mattress. Then she leaned forward and kissed Gracie's forehead.
The lips lasted a bit too long on Gracie's forward until Alina pulled back and looked down at her with an affectionate smile on her face.
She opened her mouth, about to say something but paused… She shakes her head and looks back at the sleeping Gracie…
She inhales… And exhales.
"Good night. Dear."