Her only answer is a nod, and I pull the covers up as her eyes drift shut. There's no reason for her to be awake unless she wants to be. And I know her. She doesn't do well with mornings. It's one of the reasons she loves working at the bar. They don't open until lunch which gives her time to get her sleep in.
I head back toward the kitchen and close my notebook. Grabbing a coffee pod out of the drawer, I place it in the coffeemaker, starting it before taking a shower. I'm going to need so much caffeine today.
With that set, I go to the bathroom. I can't believe I've stayed up this long. Even when I've been inspired before, I've never stayed up all night writing lyrics. Not that they'll make sense, but they are a start.
The room fills with steam after I turn on the water. My favorite thing about this house is it doesn't take long for the water to warm. Unlike when I lived in the house with my parents. It felt like it took forever to get the water lukewarm. Plus, I have my own space and my parents won't walk in without knocking.
They respect my space just like I respect theirs. I guess it makes more sense now why they didn't say anything to Delilah about me and Lisa. Even though they love both of us, they knew I needed to be the one that said something to her.
Quickly, I undress and step into the hot stream of water. My brain is going in a million different directions thanks to my lack of sleep. All I can hope for work today is that it's an easy one, and I won't have to use any of the big equipment. My level of exhaustion isn't exactly up to it.
"Devin." Lisa knocks on the bathroom door. "Are you almost done? I need to pee."
Why is she awake? I could have sworn she was asleep when I came in here. "The door's unlocked."
I'm not sure if she heard until a loud "ewww" comes from the other side of the door.
"What?" I rinse the shampoo out of my hair.
"I'm not going to the bathroom while you're in there." She doesn't have to sound so disgruntled about it.
"Give me a couple of minutes." I finish bathing and rinse off. As much as it doesn’t make sense to me, I would rather her be comfortable. Turning off the water, I grab the towel and quickly dry my body before wrapping the towel around my waist. She’s sitting on the edge of the bed when I walk out. “Bathroom is free now. Do you want me to make you a cup of coffee?”
“That would be great.” I watch her walk into the bathroom. Her long hair a mess, and sticking up in various areas. At least she feels comfortable enough with me that she doesn’t feel the need to make herself presentable after waking up before I see her. I dig through the nightstand and pull out a brush and hair tie she left so she can brush through it if she wants.
My closet, small as it is, is on the other side of my bed, and I hurry over to grab my clothes for work. If I stay undressed, there’s no telling what might happen and I can’t be late for work today. If I was smart, I’d call in, but I can’t. I know she has to go into work at some point, too. We don’t have to rush our time together anymore.
She comes out of the bathroom as I’m pouring coffee into two travel mugs. “Do you have any creamer?”
“Yeah, check the fridge,” I nod behind me.
When I hear the fridge close, I slide over her cup so she can add whatever she wants. “Do you want any?”
Normally the answer would be yes. I typically need some flavoring added to my coffee, but not today. I need to feel the full impact and I know black coffee will do that for me. “No, I’m good. Thank you, through.”
I glance up at the clock. Shit. We need to leave soon. I grab the lids to the coffee cups out of the drawer and hand one to her before putting it on my own.
She must notice my sudden rush because she begins grabbing her clothes and setting them in a pile on the bed when she notices the brush and hair tie. She brushes through her hair and puts it in a ponytail while I clean off the table. “Can I wear this home? It’s cold outside, and I don’t feel like putting my jeans back on.”
“Sure.” That jacket she wore over here last night is pretty thin. I hurry over to my closet and pull out the thickest hoodie I have, and hand it to her. “You can wear this, too.” I grab my own jacket and slide it over my arms. “Give me a few minutes. I’m going to warm up the truck so it’s not as cold.”
“Thanks.”
She wasn’t wrong about it being cold. My house stays pretty toasty in the winter, with the heaters and insulation, but I am not prepared for the frigid air hitting me as I open the door. Well, if the coffee doesn’t work in waking me up, this definitely will.
Opening the driver’s side door, I put the key in the ignition and start it. The truck rumbles to life, and I adjust the temperature until the heater is on full blast. It won’t take long for it to heat up. One of these days I’ll upgrade to a truck with remote start. Maybe that will be my first big purchase if, no…when, I make it in music.
When I walk back inside, Lisa is wiping down the counter where we made coffee. It’s’ natural her being here, and I love seeing her at ease in my space. As much as I wish she was staying with me, I also know this space isn’t big enough for the both of us. It’s crowded with only me most days with the instruments I have tucked away in the corner under the TV. There isn’t much storage. That will be another thing I upgrade soon. I need a bigger space. When I got this place, I was settled into being a bachelor for a while. I didn’t need to have anything huge. Then I met Lisa, and I knew I wanted us to be end game.
I move behind her and wrap my arms around her waist. She leans into me and sighs. “Do we have to be responsible adults today?”
Chuckling, I shake my head. “I wish. I could spend all day with you.”
“Same,” she laughs. “But we have to work to get food and all that stuff. It’s a good thing I love my job. Thought, I’m nervous about bartending.”
Another glance at the clock and I wince. I’m going to be late if we don’t leave soon. “We need to go, but I didn’t know you were going to be a bartender.”
She reaches for her bag, but I beat her to it and grab it before heading to the door. She follows, but remains silent until we’re inside the truck. “Carlos and Angie asked me about it when they hired me. They think I’ll be good at it.”
