the first thing eliza noticed when she woke was the smell. it smelled heavenly, of bacon and eggs and waffles and orange juice. her first thought was of how sweet alexander was, making all of this for her...
as soon as she opened her eyes, reality flooded in. she didn't recognize the room she was in. it wasn't her bedroom. it wasn't a bedroom at all. she was lying on a couch in someone's living room. but why-?
tears flooded her eyes as she remembered the events of the day before; what had happened with alexander, and with george, and how james, a friend from her english class, had found her in the streets. so that must mean...
"miss schuyler! you're awake!" james stood before her, a bright smile on his face. "are you feeling alright? would you like some breakfast?"
she nodded mutely, her brain still trying to catch up to the previous night's events.
james's face brightened and he nodded, beginning to walk away. he paused in the doorway, though, and added a comment over his shoulder: "don't be surprised if thomas walks in."
thomas jefferson. he must mean thomas jefferson, she thought. she had heard from alexander that the two were practically inseparable. she nodded again and looked around the room, trying to sort out everything that had happened.
there was a television in the corner. i walked in on alexander and some woman. a bookshelf filled with old books and plays stood proudly by the front door. i left alexander. there was a coffee table with an old crossword puzzle and a chipped mug right in front of her. i ran into george king... quite literally. a vase of flowers rested on a windowsill. james rescued me.
in the corner of the room was a piano. it looked like it hadn't been touched in months, or perhaps even years. eliza's fingers yearned to fly across the keys, to let out her pain through music, but someone interrupted her thoughts.
"miss schuyler?"
eliza looked up to see thomas jefferson standing in the doorway. she gave him a small smile and nodded for him to come in.
he looked a lot less intimidating in flannel pajama pants and an old sweatshirt than he did in his usual button-up and khakis. it also didn't help that he had bags under his eyes and was holding a chipped mug that read "bonjour y'all" or that he was sitting in an old rocking chair. despite all of that, the genuine concern in his voice still surprised her.
"may... may i ask what happened?" thomas leaned forward, sipping his coffee. he didn't seem to want to pressure her for an answer, but she didn't really believe that he would take no for an answer, either.
"well-"
she was cut off by james. "breakfast, m'lady." the man whisked in and placed a plate on eliza's lap. "bon appetite!"
eliza gave him a soft smile. "thank you, james," she practically whispered, but she didn't miss the way his eyes brightened. she offered him a small smile, but then thomas quietly cleared his throat, and eliza flinched. "right. well... let me eat breakfast, and then we can talk, okay?"
the boys nodded and eliza flashed them a grin before digging in.
[the beginning chapters are so bad i'm so so sorry]
