#richansen

Out of curiosity, Zarina glances at the clock on Felix's bedside table—only to promptly bolt out of bed.

"Shit, it's already eleven!?" Zarina exclaims.

She flings open the heavy curtains, sharply illuminating the room and revealing a sun high up in the sky. Ace groans from the bed and burrows deeper under the covers.

"Ace!" Zarina accuses, tugging down his blanket. "Why didn't you wake me up? What happened to the alarm?"

Ace's answer is a sleepy and all too self-satisfied grin that tells Zarina more than any of his white lies ever could.

"You got into my phone again?" she asks. "I just changed the password!"

"It's the weekend. No alarms allowed," Ace mumbles, his face half-squished into the pillow. "Now come back to bed."

Zarina ignores Ace making grabby hands at her and wordlessly heads across the hallway and into her own room to get dressed.

The Richter manor is chillier than usual and Zarina realizes fall is creeping in. She makes a mental note to stock up on firewood and opts for woolen socks today, pulling the cuffs over her jeans.

As Zarina makes her way downstairs, she finds the missing Felix on his laptop in the living room.

"Morning," Zarina says.

Felix flinches, like he hadn't even heard her come down. "Good morning," he says.

Smelling coffee and breakfast, Zarina abandons further small talk in favor of walking into the kitchen.

Élodie and Jeff are standing by the stove, her head on his shoulder as she laughs at something Jeff says.

"Morning," Zarina repeats.

Both immediately turn around to greet her.

"Bonjour, ma chérie." Élodie kisses Zarina on the cheek. She smells of freshly ground coffee beans and Zarina gently pushes her way through Élodie to the espresso machine.

"Hey. You took your sweet time getting down here," Jeff says.

"Ace. Alarm," Zarina offers, making herself a cup of coffee.

"Pancakes?" Jeff suggests, tilting his pan to show a berry pancake frying. His hands are flecked with color, whether from the berries or a morning painting session is hard to say.

Zarina nods. "Thanks."

"Coming right up."

"My god," Ace groans as he enters the room. He's dragging his feet and goes straight for the coffee machine. "What's everyone's obsession with waking up early and being productive? I swear, living with four morning people is terrible for my blood pressure."

Élodie chuckles and leans in to kiss Ace's stubbled cheek. "Oh, ma crotte, if we weren't productive in the mornings, you wouldn't have fresh coffee and pancakes when you do get up grumpy and hangry."

"The coffee's definitely nice," Zarina agrees.

Even Ace perks up. "Pancakes?"

"Blueberry pancakes, to be exact," Jeff says. He finishes plating up two servings and holds them out to Zarina. "Can you take the other one to Felix? He hasn't eaten yet."

"Sure," Zarina says.

Zarina hears Ace pester Jeff about more pancakes as she leaves the kitchen, silently thanking her old waitress jobs while balancing two plates, her cup of coffee and utensils.

Felix is still where Zarina left him, frowning at his laptop. Charlie—Jeff’s old rescue dog that's now a family favorite—is dozing peacefully by his feet.

"I seem to recall a certain someone insisting no work before breakfast, complete with angry French cursing," Zarina says.

"Oh," Felix simply says as she sets the plates down, next to his no doubt cold cup of coffee. "Thank you."

Zarina happily digs into her meal. "Thank Jeff."

"I will." Felix turns back to his computer. "And I'm not working. There's a band that Jeff wants to see playing at a restaurant tonight, but I can't find an online reservation page."

"Hmm," Zarina says as she chews. "Maybe call them."

Felix's mouth presses into a line as he starts cutting his own pancakes.

She smiles. "Let me rephrase that: I'll call them, after we've eaten."

Felix deflates in relief. "Thank you."

Hurried footsteps approaching from the kitchen are all the warning Zarina and Felix get before Ace is flinging himself across the couch and into their laps, nearly making Zarina spill her coffee.

She sighs. "Ace."

Ace flops dramatically onto his back and has the gall to look at Zarina with puppy eyes. "Give me attention," he whines.

Felix takes Ace's surprise attack in stride, one of his hands already running through gray hair while the other keeps shoveling pancake into his mouth.

"Attention? Weren't you just smooching Élodie?" Zarina accuses.

"And Jeff," Ace huffs, leaning into Felix's touch. "And all was well in the world, before I got thrown out of my own kitchen—"

"We are not having piña coladas at eleven in the morning," Élodie says, emerging from the kitchen with Jeff in tow.

"Pineapple is a healthy breakfast food!" Ace protests.

"So how about that band tonight?" Jeff says, changing the subject before an Italian-French argument can ensue.

"On it," Zarina says, grabbing one last piece of pancake. "What time?"

"They start playing at eight," Felix says.

"So, seven thirty?" Zarina shoves Ace's feet off her lap and gets up. "We'll have time to order before."

"Yes, that sounds good," Élodie says. "Thank you, chérie."

"What band is it?" Ace asks.

"It's this new folk band from Nürnberg," Jeff explains, self-consciously picking at the stains on his hands. "It's pretty obscure, you probably haven't heard of it."

"It must be good if you like it," Zarina reassures, earning a warm smile from him.

Élodie slides into Zarina's seat and gently nudges Felix. "Remember your earplugs, mein Süßer."

Felix smiles at her. "Bereits verpackt."

Zarina dials the number that Felix helpfully left up on the laptop screen.

"So, dinner in eight hours. Does anyone have plans before that?" Ace prods, stealing Zarina's plate of half-finished food. "Other than enjoy my delightful company, of course."

Jeff huffs in amusement while Élodie rolls her eyes and pinches Ace's leg.

"Ow!"

"Everyone's calendar was empty today," Felix informs.

"Movie?" Jeff suggests.

"Whose turn is it to pick this time?" Élodie asks.

"We could play for it—" Ace starts.

"It's Felix's turn," Zarina shuts down before walking to the kitchen for relative silence.

Throughout the call, she hears bickering from the living room, and upon returning finds the screen paused on a nature documentary. Ace is now in Jeff's lap, sandwiched between Felix and Élodie on the couch, with the artist keeping him firmly in place as Ace desperately tries to reach for the remote.

Seeing as the couch is occupied with four people, Zarina plops onto the floor to join Charlie. Once Felix starts the movie, Élodie’s well-manicured hand immediately finds its way to playing with Zarina’s hair, making her lean back against the couch with a happy sigh.

And even when Charlie wakes up and lunges for the leftover pancakes next to Élodie, to the sounds of Jeff’s scolding and Ace’s laughter and Felix complaining about getting dog drool on his pants, Zarina can only smile.