Spirals || Mattheo Riddle

Chapter 28 ~ Decorate

My first day back home was spent cooking and making baked treats for me and my father to eat for the week, seeing as he had already nearly eaten the stuff I had made the night before.

My second day was spent wandering the gardens, reading out by the old tree and visiting some of the animals we kept on our land here.

By the third day I was feeling entirely relaxed and happy with how my holidays were starting off.

I had been sleeping better than usual. I didn't feel any anxiety or paranoia went I fell asleep at night, as one sometimes does.

The feeling was odd, almost protective though I only seemed to notice it once I woke up each morning.

My father sat across from me now, reading the daily profit with his second cup of coffee in his hand. He never really drank tea, only coffee.

"God this stuff is rubbish," he said, throwing the paper down.

I giggled. "Why do you read it then?"

He gave me a small smile and a glance across the dining room table.

Our house was quite cozy. I had chosen it out when we moved here a few years ago, seeing as my father trusted my interior design knowledge better than his own.

I had fallen in love with the old Victorian house when we saw it, with the fields around the back, the pond and the gardens that surrounded it. The inside was homey too, with a large number of rooms filled with luxurious furniture and decor that I had also picked out.

"Well theres nothing better to read. You expect me to read Xenophilius Lovegoods bullshit?" My father asked.

"Language," I shot back at him.

He gave me a cheeky grin before picking the paper back up again.

We sat in the dinning room, just next to the kitchen. The door opened to a large kitchen with a walk-in pantry.

If you walked through the other door, you would find yourself in the foyer, where the grand staircase is. Up the stairs was my room, the biggest one on the second story with its own bathroom. The rest of the rooms were spare bedrooms or office space for my dad.

His room was tucked down the hall behind the stairs, across from his study where he spent most of his time.

Going straight through the foyer was a ballroom type thing, though when not in use for parties, we kept couches and tables in the centre, making it something like a lounge.

Down another hall from there was the drawing room, and then Lily and Mossy's room.

In total, it was quite a large house but simple when you knew your way around.

"What are you up to today sweetheart?" My dad asked, finishing his coffee.

I pondered for a moment. "I'm not really sure. Do you have anything I can do?"

He grinned and raised his eyebrows, making me sigh.

"Well I do need someone to start on the decorating and planning for the Christmas party?" His gleeful attitude at trapping me into helping him just made my irritance worse.

I hated planning for things, it always made me anxious because it made people have expectations of me.

"Isn't that supposed to be your job?" I asked him.

My father hummed for a second before shaking his head. "I think you would be better at it. Plus all you have to do is decorate and sort out what foods are going to be served."