Chapter 29

Lizzie's P.O.V.I woke up to her sleeping peacefully beside me, her eyes shuts tight and brows almost stitched together with that serious look on her face. Pale bare skin and natural dark circles around her eyes with her long lashes on full show.Her exposed shoulders glows underneath the light of the sun peaking through the blinds.

She's here

Its too good to be true, she's actually here, on my bed in my house and its not a fucking dream. She's actually here.  My finger tips softly glides on the scar on her shoulder thinking what actually happened on the day of the accident. Trent told me bits and pieces but I didn't quite picture it as he told me so. He sucks at telling stories. All I got was that she's in that moment where she's not in control of her mind and body.

What did happen?

She never told me the story of how it happened. I don't know if she intended to leave it like that or she just forgot to mention it. Maybe its better if I didn't know, how it happened. Well, its just my curiosity, eating me out alive.

She suddenly moves and I froze. Her arms around my waist goes tighter pulling me closer to her as she hums and snuggles further in to my neck and then settles down releasing a breath that tickled my skin and sends an electric shock down my spine. I smile placing a soft kiss on top of her head as I put my arms around her too, naked bodies now tangled up together and nothing beats a good morning snuggle from her.

We stayed in each others arms for quite some time until it was time for me to get up and make us some breakfast. So I slowly untangled myself from her which is a success at how deep her sleep is. I really can't blame her, last night was pretty rough, from the moment we land up to coming back home here, so its really best that she gets that much rest today.

I gather our clothes that are scattered on the floor and toss them with the others before putting on some fresh ones and heading downstairs, checking my phone for emails or texts messages from people. Well, there's a lot since the tabloids from last night came in early this morning and it all say the same thing. Shannon and I are back together like a confirmation of what clearly is the truth but neither of us confirmed any information about this, and as expected, Marla calls.

'Hello? Lizzie? We really need to set an interview with you and Shannon."

"Good morning to you too. Marla" I sarcastically say as I grab things from my pantry in order to make her favorite pancakes.

'I'm sorry, good morning. James Corden's team called me this morning and says they want Shannon to be in your scheduled interview on Wednesday afternoon and that is in fact tomorrow already.' My protective instincts comes kicking in as soon as I heard that. Maybe because it involves my girlfriend, the media and panic attacks

"I'm not quite sure about that. I have to ask her."

'Can you get back to me within the day? I also need to talk with Alyssa on this so she can arrange the schedule for her'  I sighed and hummed in response. I'm really really still not quite sure about this. With us being in an interview just confirms all the rumors that are plastered in every tabloids these past few weeks and I'm scared that it might affect her in the worst way again.

The phone call ended after a recap of my schedule for the whole week which is the interview with James, a photoshoot for Instyle Mexico and a bunch of radio interviews talking about Marvel but who am I kidding they're just about Shannon and I and maybe try to get it out why we broke up in the first place.

Well, I still have one day off so maybe I'll just enjoy it while it lasts and besides I can't let anything ruin my day. I just want this day to be all about me and Shannon and the both of us and so I start cooking. Shannon likes two kinds of pancakes one with blueberries and the other with bananas and since I haven't pick my berries from my garden just yet, I'd be making banana pancakes for her today.

After quite some time, I hear footsteps getting closer and closer making a smile automatically grow on my lips and as I plate the pancakes up, I felt warm hands snake around  my waist.

"Good morning my love." She whispers in my ear so I turn and meet her lips giving me that tender morning kiss, I've missed so much.

"Mm, Good morning honey." I smiled as I wrapped my arms around her neck while hers slips around my waist pulling me closer in to her as she gives me another kiss.

"How's your head?" I asked as soon as we pulled away. She smiles and says,

"So much better" I let out a soft giggle as she flashes me that charming smile of hers. "Anyway, something smells heavenly."

"It was your favorite, I hope it still is. But first, can you set up the table for me please honey." I bat my lashes towards her hoping she'll do it because I know she's sick of being on the table set up duties since she always do it.

"Alright, you're lucky you're adorable and that I love you." She rolled her eyes making me giggle. She's really sick of always setting up the table. She gives me a one last peck before whispering against my lips,

"Now, where are the plates?"

"On the right top shelf." I whispered back and she smiles before releasing me from her arms completely going to the kitchen cabinets while I continue plating up the pancakes with a smile on my face. As soon as I was finished, I grabbed the plate full of pancakes and the maple syrup, turn around and see Shannon in my blue T-shirt that has the word 'Campbell Hall' printed in bold white letters which is a bit short for her since her toned lower abdomen is a bit exposed, and a Calvin Klein boxer shorts setting up the table. How fucking hot is my girlfriend.

"What're you wearing?" I giggled as I make my way towards her. She looks at her shirt then smiles back at me and says,

"Well, I don't have anything when I woke up and I couldn't find my clothes from last night. I only brought underwear with me on the trip to New York so I got one of your shirts to wear, I'm sorry." She flashed me that charming smile of hers and it made my heart skip a beat.

"That's too cute honey." I smiled placing the plate and the maple syrup on the table. "I'll make you some coffee" I say and she smiles. I made her coffee and my daily dose of protein shake in the morning and go back to the kitchen table placing it on her side of the table, I sat down beside her as she smiles so sweetly.

"Now eat up." I say placing two pancakes on her plate before putting the same amount in mine. She poured a little syrup on top of it and I watch her as she gives it a taste.

"Oh God, that is so good." She sighs in satisfaction smiling at me and shakes in her head. I let out a soft giggle and the next thing I knew was her lips on mine. I can taste the sweetness of the maple syrup on her bottom lip making me sucked at it as we pull apart.

"What was that for?" I giggled. She smiles and shrugs stuffing another bite into her mouth.

"A thank you for a good morning breakfast darling." She raised her brows and smiles. I shake my head at her antics and took a bite of my own food and I admit it, this is good. We sat in a comfortable silence just eating our food and I might've playfully slapped her a few time because she was so into it, she's eating way too fast.

"I can't help it its way too good" That's what she always says after swallowing a mouthful of pancakes and flushing it down with her mug of hot coffee. It makes my heart jump up and down just watching her do so and somehow, I forget about the other stuff and now its just us, enjoying a great morning together. I am happy and its been years since I've been and how I missed how it felt. ————-"So here's my stop." I pulled over to the side of the road in front of a light shade of gray painted house with a dark gray, almost black bricked wall that connects to a wooden sliding door at the entrance, just like what I saw when I watched her video for the first time after two years. "Would you like to come in and just have a drink or- I don't have protein shakes inside but I can make you some coffee if you like."

"I would love that." I whispered turning the engine off. She smiles and her eyes sparkles with it which made my heart beat fast.

"Really?" I nod scrunching my nose a bit and she giggles giving me a kiss and whispers 'okay then' against my lips. She then gets off the car while I unstrap myself and get my keys and my phone. I smile as she opens the door for me, she always does that, nothing really changed.

"Glad Zoë's still at Liz's." She mutters as she gets her bag from the back seat and its a bit weird hearing that from her since my family calls me that name. Well, its a weird coincidence that her room mate's girlfriend is named Liz. She takes my hand as I lock my car and leads the way to her house.

"There we go." She mutters as she finally unlocks the door and steps aside to let me in. Her house is quite nice and simple. The ordinary American home, A tan colored couch with a glass coffee table in front of it, dark brown hardwood floor and a tan carpet on it, a television set, a ceiling fan in the middle of the room, books to read, a door that leads to the kitchen and two separate rooms. Its a bit weird though, maybe because she is sharing these things with a complete stranger to me.

"This is nice" I smile as I look around. She smiles and takes my hand pulling me slightly to her direction we stand by the hallway and she opens up the door.

"This is my room."She smiles widely as I stepped in the room. White and green painted walls and a cozy bed. Shelves that displays pictures and her cameras creating a very aesthetic look to it. Random framed posters and film pictures hanged on the wall and the new dresser she got for both of our stuff back then. It looks so familiar, maybe because its the way our room looks like back in her old house and it takes me back somehow. I smile as I sat on her bed.

"Its a bit small compared to you-"

"I love it." I cut her off and she looks at me quite in disbelief and I'm. not sure why. "It's the same back in your old house."

She drops the bag on the floor and made her way towards me sitting next to me taking my hand in hers and say "I'm really curious of what this house looks like sweetheart." I smiled and shift my body a bit to face her opening up my phone and opened up my hidden items in my Photos. I scroll through the huge amount of pictures of the both of us and showed her the one where we shot some pictures at home.

"Here" I say as I handed her my phone. "You took that picture, we were having a stay in and you decided to take pictures instead so we kinda made a little photoshoot at that moment." She smiles at the pictures, going through each one of them. It's sad that she might not remember all of those moments and how it felt like being in that time but its enough for me, that she's here, still breathing, walking, talking and obviously so alive.

"These photos are hidden." She eventually says looking at me and I sighed before meeting her eyes and nod. "Why is that?" She asks scrolling again, from the very top, our last picture together, down to our very first picture together.

"Uh, yea. You kept teasing me about the pictures I showed you back in New York so to fix that, I hid all of our photos." She chuckles quite expectedly but then looks up to me again and says,

"Why?" I shrugged not knowing how to answer that question. Maybe I just didn't want her to know that I still haven't let go of us back then. It was some kind of a defensive move I made just not to let my heart shatter into a million pieces again.

"Well, can you send me these photos? I'd love to have a copy of these myself." I let out a soft giggle and a nod after hearing that. She continues to look at the pictures while my eyes wander to every corner of her room, from a door that maybe leads to a bathroom to her bedside table where I noticed something, a photo. I reached for it curious where did she got it. Its a stolen shot of us by our spot. I was seated on the grass leaning against the huge tree reading a book while Shannon's head lies gently on my lap holding my other hand against her chest.

"Where did you get this?" I whispered and she looks up from my phone. "I thought you said there weren't any pictures of us left because you've, uhm, burned them all up?" The thought of that still hurts my gut. Though I know, its not really her fault, it still fucking hurts to even say that. She places my phone down on the bed and takes the picture from me then smiles.

"It's from mom. This is her shot of us, I had it printed because its too good not to and kind of a reminder that I had a life with you." Her mom still has photos of us, I'm confuse, intrigued and scared about what her family thinks of me now. Well, maybe at some point they hated me, maybe they hate me still for causing this entire chaos in Shannon's life but a part of me wants to know.

"Uh honey? How's Deb and Jim?" I whispered, my voice getting softer fading into nothing.

"They're good." She shrugs then looks at me. I look away at her intense stare.

"Uhm, are they like you know, mad at me?" Silence, and it was making my heart race in my chest. She sighed and I felt her hand on my cheek turning my head to look at her. She smiles, it was a smile pure of sympathy tilting her head a bit and shakes her head.

"No, they made it clear that they only didn't tell me about you and us because they were scared I'd go back. They're not mad about you. In fact, mom kept a few things that belongs to us. Well that's what Casey said" She smiles and that lifted a weight on my chest. "I haven't seen it yet but she has photos of us in her phone that's where I got this. They probably miss you, you know." Her eyes sparkle as she tells me this, big and bright. This sends me some kind of reassurance and its working as I feel a smile growing on my lips.

"You think so?"

"I know so darling." She whispers and seals it with a kiss on my forehead. As if on cue, her phone rings. She sighs and rolls her eyes before reaching down to her pocket and taking her phone out.

"It's Scarlett" She says which made a smile form on my lips as she answers.

"Hello... Yea, why?" She looks at me confused and I try to hear what Scarlett is saying on the other line but its a little muffled.

"What is it? How about Colin? Yes she's with me." I raised my brows at her and she shrugs before giving me her phone and whispers. "She wants to talk to you" I quirked an eyebrow, well, this is new. Haven't talk to Scarlett for a while. I take it.

"Hello?"

'Hi Lizzie, do you like have plans today?' My brows stitched together upon hearing this. My mind was going to her asking us for dinner but the tone of her voice says otherwise.

"Nope, not that I know of. Why?"

'Well, I really need a huge favor. Colin and I are stuck in a middle of a meeting and this is going to take longer than usual, its Rose. I need someone to pick her up from school and I heard you just got back from New York. I can't let Shannon pick her up by herself so I'm really glad she's with you.' I glanced up to Shannon who is currently still looking on our pictures on my phone smiling to herself. Judging by the looks of it Scarlett knows about Shannon's accident and probably is afraid of her getting into one again and worse with her child with her, but last night wasn't that bad. 'Can you please go with her?'

"Yes, of course. We'll pick her up." I smiled and Shannon's head literally snapped to me with a huge smile on her face. She really loves Rose, I can tell.

'Oh God, Thank you. You two are a lifesaver.' I let out a soft giggle at these two all hyped up. 'So Rose comes out at 2 which is 45 minutes from now. Shannon knows where to go. Thank you Lizzie, I really owe you this one.'

"Oh don't mention it. Really, glad I could help."

'Colin and I will both take you out to dinner one time, just like the old times. Okay?'

"Alright then." I smiled.

'Really need to go, Thank you.'

"Yea, I'll text you later on when we got her out." I say, before saying our goodbyes and dropped the call.

"So I guess were going to pick Rose up-" I was cut off by Shannon launching herself to me making us fall onto the bed before showering me kisses. Okay, love is an understatement for her relationship with Rose and its too fucking cute really. "Babe-"

"You're amazing you know that don't you?" I let out a giggle and shake my head at that. "Well you are and I love you so much." She gives me a quick peck before pulling us up from her bed her smile then fading.

"Sweetheart, there's one thing though." She looks at me with hopeful eyes and I raised my eyes for her to continue. "We might be needing to leave your car in for a bit. Rose really loves to be picked up by Chase so-" I let out a giggle at the sound of her calling her car's name. It makes me wonder how coincidentally that is, since she doesn't have a clue that that is my second name. The works of fate really amazes me big time.

"Don't worry about it, I'll call Charles right now so she can pick my car up. But we have to wait for him though maybe around 10 minutes, I guess." She nods scrunching her nose. "Now go change clothes while I make a call okay?"

"Alright sweetheart but can I get a kiss first." I smile and nod at her leaning forward to capture her sweet lips. "I love you, now go." She giggles and went off leaving me to call Charles and ask him to pick my car up. This day is going to be interesting.