Beepbeepbeepbeep!
Elizaveta sat up with a start, masses of sleep-tangled hair falling into her eyes. Leaning over as far as she could without falling out of her bed, she groped blindly for the alarm clock and managed to smack the off button. The incessant beeping ended, to be replaced with the slightly static-blurred sound of the radio. As the gentle notes of 'Ave Maria' filtered through her room, a smile of barely contained joy spread over her face. It was Christmas!
With a huge yawn, she got up, and pulled her flannel bathrobe on over her t-shirt and shorts. She never put the thermostat up in the winter, she liked it cooler. Also, doing so saved her money, and it wasn't hard to put on some extra socks or a sweater if she got too cold. Humming happily, she made her bed, tidied her room, and then made her way to the front of the apartment to open the curtains. Once that was done she went to the kitchen, rolled back her sleeves and started fishing ingredients out of her cupboard. As far as Elizaveta was concerned, it just wasn't Christmas without a giant breakfast of pancakes and eggnog.
After her overload of carbohydrates and sugar, she turned on the stereo and started on the dishes. She always made such a mess when she cooked that if she didn't wash up right away, she'd run out of dishes before suppertime. But she didn't mind. She liked to have her hands submersed in the hot water, liked to hear nothing but the music and the clink of the plates. There was just something so peaceful about housework, even if she did occasionally catch herself drawing someone's distinctive hair curl in the soapsuds.
Drying her hands on a towel, Elizaveta put the last of the cutlery away in the drawer, leaving the assorted bowls to drain in the rack. She wiped down the counters, and finally, finally, it was time to open her present. She took it from the fridge, and placed it gently on the table. With painstakingly careful movements, she untied the ribbon and pulled he paper off without tearing it so much as once. Folding the wrappings neatly, she set them aside so they wouldn't get damaged. Then, she took a deep breath and timidly opened the flap of the standard small white pastry box.
Nestled snugly inside was a mocha torte, frosted with light brown chocolate whip cream. Hopeful warmth blossomed in her chest, because this cake was not something that he could have just bought from the shop. She knew from experience that a torte was both time consuming and difficult to make properly, and yet he had made one up special for her. There was no denying it. It was square when most were round, it was larger, and on the top was a very distinctly (and familiarly) shaped orange flower.
It would seem that Roderich had noticed her new accessory after all.
Clapping her hands joyfully, she leapt up and twirled a couple times, unable to think of any other way to express what she felt. Not only was she in love, but she was in love with someone who, she dared to think, liked her too! There really was no greater feeling in the entire world, not that she would admit that out loud. She giggled, and stopped mid-twirl. If Gilbert could see her now, he would undoubtedly say that she was acting like a girl. Not to mention that he'd kill himself laughing. Elizaveta considered it briefly, then shrugged and resumed twirling. If Gilbert had somehow managed to shimmy up the drainpipe, he could go ahead and look. It was Christmas, she was young, happy, pleasantly buzzed on eggnog, and has a cast-iron frying pan with his name on it.
Elizaveta spent the rest of the day doing all the little chores and tasks she'd been putting off throughout the month. With the television quietly playing all the usual Christmas specials in the background, she patched and hemmed her work clothes, vacuumed, dusted, and changed the burned out light bulb in the hall. She even dug out her toolkit and, with a bit of tenacity and swearing, managed to replace the stripped faucet stem in her bathtub.
After a quick shower, all there was left to do was prepare a small supper and go to bed. So she made herself a couple sandwiches and had half her torte for dessert, savouring every bite she took of the incredibly well made cake. With a happy sigh, she put the last of it back in the fridge, tidied up, and turned off the light. She didn't think she'd be able to sleep, considering how much she was looking forward to the chance to see Roderich tomorrow, but by the time she'd crawled into bed and pulled the covers up, she barely had time to set her alarm before she dozed off, a content, peaceful smile on her face, and his face in her heart.