Celine placed the strips of bacon into the hot pan, the fat immediately beginning to sizzle and crackle. The sound of Lana Del Rey's music filled the kitchen, adding an air of dreamy and romantic ambiance to the scene. Celine nodded her head in time with the music as she tended to the bacon, carefully flipping each slice just as it started to crisp up.

Carefully cracking the eggs into a separate pan, Celine's gaze flickered up to the staircase where Rick, Rina, and Reagan were starting to descend. She watched as they emerged from upstairs, rubbing their eyes and yawning groggily, still half asleep.

"Is that bacon I smell?" Regan yawned

"Yes, it is." I smiled

Rina made her way over to the dining table, her movements slow and sleepy. As she took a seat, she let out a tired but cheerful "yay."

Celine laughed at Rina's exaggerated excitement, knowing that she was likely still half asleep and not entirely aware of her surroundings. "Someone clearly had a late night," she said, continuing to cook the eggs and bacon.

"Oh tell me about it, I was up last night just binge-watching Bridgerton," she stated

"Well, this is really nice of you Celine,"

"To cook breakfast for everyone— isn't that right Rick?" Regan asked

Rick averted his gaze from Celine and instead turned his attention to Regan, his mother. He let out a frustrated sigh before mumbling a response. "Yea, mhm." His voice was casual and uninterested, as if he couldn't be bothered to engage in conversation this early in the morning.

Celine watched as Rick sat down at the table, noticing his disinterested expression. "I remembered that you don't like maple bacon, so I made turkey bacon for you instead," she offered, smiling warmly.

Rick's eyes widened slightly, as He seemed surprised and taken aback by the gesture. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then closed it again, his expression returning to its usual stoical expression.

Rick paused, hesitating for a moment before speaking. He had started to say something, but then stopped himself, his words catching in his throat. "T—" he repeated, his voice soft and a hint of uncertainty in his tone.

"spit it out boy, you know you want to say it." Rina teased

Rick tried again, stuttering slightly as he spoke. "Th—" he began, but then he trailed off, his voice faltering. He seemed to be struggling to find the right words to say. Celine paused in her cooking, her eyes on Rick as she waited for him to continue.

Rick finally spoke up, his voice soft and tinged with reluctance. "Thank you." He averted his gaze from Celine, not wanting to show too much emotion. He then took a seat at the table and picked up his phone, engrossed in the screen. Celine chuckled to herself, knowing that getting a thank you from Rick was practically a miracle.

"You're welcome," I replied, happy to hear those words come out of his mouth. 

"wow, I never get one," Rina said

"Rina shut the hell up, damn." he spat

"Do not talk to your sister that way!" Regan said

❧❧❧

"Hey, can I come in?" I said outside the door.

Silence

"Hello?, Rick?"

Celine stood in front of Rick's bedroom door, which was slightly ajar. She had knocked on the door and called out to him, but there was no response. She wasn't sure if he was purposely ignoring her or if he just hadn't heard her. She hesitated for a moment before deciding to push the door open a little more and peer inside.

Celine peered into Rick's room and her gaze immediately fell on his bed. He was laying there, one hand hidden under the covers, and his respiration was heavy.

"fuck." he moaned

"Oh my."

Rick's eyes widened as he saw Celine standing in the doorway. He quickly scrambled to cover himself with the covers, his face turning red with embarrassment. It was clear he had not been expecting her to come into his room unannounced.

"What the fuck are you doing in my room?!" he said angrily

"You know what—I'm going to get out now." I forced an awkward smile walking backwards.

Rick burst out of bed, his muscular torso exposed, his only covering being a pair of tight underwear that hugged his hips.

He hurried over to Celine, reaching out and grabbing Celine's wrist, his firm grip preventing her from leaving. His eyes were fixed on hers, his expression intense. "You have a habit of avoiding my questions."he stated
"And that's not happening today, so What the fuck were you doing in my room Kinsley?"

Celine met Rick's intense gaze with a steady one of her own. Her eyes flickered down to his lips, which were so close to hers. She could feel his breath on her skin, and her heart was racing in her chest. "I-," she began, but her voice trailed off as his proximity overwhelmed her.

"hm?"

Celine took a deep breath in, trying to steady her racing thoughts. She swallowed hard before continuing, her voice slightly shaky. "I just wanted to ask if you'd like to go on a walk with me," she repeated, her eyes locked on Rick's.

Before Rick could even open his mouth to respond, she continued to ramble nervously. "It's okay if you don't want to," she said quickly, trying to sound casual. "I understand."

Rick gently let go of my wrist, "fine but only in one condition."

"yes?"

"let's fucking pretend that you didn't see that," he said going over to his closet to find clothes.

"See what? I didn't see anything." I said glancing around.

Rick looked at me, "haha real funny Kinsley." he said with sarcasm.

The sound of footsteps approaching interrupted Rick and Celine's conversatiom. Rina appeared in the doorway. She had a weird expression on her face as she saw the both of us.

"Rick," she began, "Can I borrow your charger? Mine is broken."

"No, you cannot."

"Please, I need to text my—uh friend," she replied back

"what the hell did I just say?"

"you can use mine Rina, me and your brother are going on a walk, mine is on one hundred."

"You're literally the best and a walk?"

I nodded my head.

She scoffed, "Rick Hale Going on a walk?" she laughed again

"that's not even like him."

Rick grunted irritably.

"get the fuck out of my room." he said

"Was already on it." She slammed the door shut.

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