She looked beautiful asleep.
He opened his eyes and she was facing towards him, her hands near her chin, her head tilted downwards and a thin line of her lips perfectly still...her angles framed against the cotton were delicate and he wondered if he dare move to disturb her.
Fuck it, he thought...not wanting to be some weird stare-fest until she opened her eyes...he slid slowly across the bed and put his feet on the floor...padding away looking for his tee shirt and shorts which were ejected at some point last night.
He found them, turned to make sure she was still asleep and quietly left her.
The kitchen was far from the bedroom so he turned on the lights and hit the Sonos...lofi music quietly filled the room as he turned on the coffee maker and started pulling items from the fridge. The screened in porch next to the kitchen had a full range and gas burner so he rummaged around and found one of his cast iron skillets. He set it on the outdoor burner and went back inside to grab his coffee.
Outside the world was blinking itself awake...the sun was still low behind the trees and the windows were glazed with water from the humidity. It was still relatively cool though and across the many woods he heard the neighbor's farm beginning its day...a rooster called and a donkey brayed in its stall. Other than that it was perfectly quiet.
Except for his music.
He grabbed the plastic wrap of bacon and pulled four slices out and put them into the skillet, turned the gas on low and sipped his coffee...the bacon was the most straightforward of the items to cook but it also required a bit of precision...done too early and it was limp...left on too long it was too stiff...he had to monitor so that it was perfectly pliable and would bend slightly when perfectly cooked...
He heard the padding of feet and turned to see her coming into the kitchen...he had already left her cup of coffee ready to be poured and he watched her move towards the machine...she was wearing one of his tee shirts that just came down below her ass...he couldn't tell until she turned towards him if she was wearing a bra...she turned slightly and in her silhouette he saw that she wasn't.
Good morning he said and she turned towards him...taking a sip of coffee she merely raised her eyebrows in a gesture that to him sounded like I remember last night...at least that is what he interpreted. She came towards him, the tee shirt swaying against her.
Good morning back to you...and she closed the distance and gave him a kiss, her lips warm from the coffee. She looked at the bacon in the skillet and closed her eyes...that smells good.
He kissed her on the cheek in a symbolic "I've got to continue cooking" move and turned off the burner...he went back inside and grabbed the tomato...he had gotten it a few days ago from the farmer's market...heavy, thick and ripe from summer. He sliced it into four thin circles and wrapped up the rest of it and put it back into the fridge.
How do you feel?
He heard her question as she returned to the inside kitchen...
Uhh...hungover?
He heard her laugh...and reveal me too.
I've got some champagne...or prosecco he offered...but she just shook her head and held up her coffee cup.
I'm good.
He nodded and went into the pantry for the bread...the toaster was already out.
What's this music she asked, looking down at the speaker.
Uh, lofi...it's like really good for studying...or cooking.
It sounds like it's fucking music.
He stopped in whatever it was he was doing. What?
She grinned. You heard me.
Yeah...I guess I'll have to play it next time.
She nodded and went and sat down...tucking the tee shirt into her lap and crossing her legs. Are you almost done?
He put the four slices of toast into the toaster...yeah, almost. You hungry?
Starving.
He glanced over at her, the steam of the coffee rising against her, the tee shirt laying against her except in two distinct points and her eyes still puffy from not enough sleep...her hair was tussled and fell across her face in a way that could only be described as haphazard beauty...and she looked completely at ease...but in her own little way still demanding...asking to be pleased by him...even if in this case it was taking care of her hunger. Food hunger...unlike the kind she displayed last night.
what, she asked...
He shook his head...nothing. The toaster sprung and the pieces came out perfectly...browned but not too well done....he spread a smear of Miracle Whip across two of them...he laid down a slice of tomato on each of the pieces of toast and then put butter lettuce on each one as well. Two of the pieces of toast got 2 slices of bacon and he assembled the BLTs...he put hers on a plate and took it to her. She moved slightly and he saw she was naked beneath the tee shirt.
Can I get more coffee? she asked, holding the cup to him...of course he said and grabbed the empty one and went to pour her another.
Do you mind if I eat, she said, and he could tell she already had a mouthful of food and it made him laugh.
Of course not...please. He poured her another cup, added cream and brought it to her. She was halfway finished...and looked a little embarrassed.
sorry, she mumbled, again, a bite of the bacon in her mouth.
He went back to the kitchen and brought back a lone piece of bacon. Here...bartenders call these "the residuals"...the leftovers of a martini still in the shaker after being poured...good bartenders will save it until you've taken a few sips and then add it to the drink to finish it off.
She nodded, taking it in...taking a bite of the bacon...the residuals, she said, chewing...I like that.
At this point the sun had crested the trees and the yellow air was warm and lazing...the kitchen smelled of bacon and coffee...somewhere a clock indicated it was some sort of time. They ate across from each other, and she left nothing but crumbs on her plate...her eyes now brighter...she was more awake.
This music...she said slightly...lowly.
what about it?
She stood up, taking her plate and his, setting it down on the table nearby.
She came to him, very close and pulled the tee shirt over her head...she crumbled it into a ball and tossed it to the side...in the morning golden light she was revealing...and she was vulnerable...and she was telling him that she was offering him a chance to start the day in the same way they ended the night.
Good morning, he started before she had smothered him in a kiss that wasn't lazy at all.
