I may be fragile, but I'm not broken.
I wake up at the ass crack of dawn feeling more motivated on this fine Sunday than I have in weeks. Last night was just what I needed to feel alive again. However, I assume Iris may not share the same sentiments toward today, so I decide to do what I do best: cook. Okay, I’ll fess up. I haven’t cooked breakfast in months—years, maybe. As a night owl, I typically stay up so late that I don’t wake up in time for breakfast. But not today.
After changing into joggers and a T-shirt, I venture into my kitchen, determining toast, eggs, and potatoes should be a safe bet for breakfast. I open my pantry, grabbing the bread and potatoes. I set those items on the counter, then open my fridge tograb the eggs, only to notice there aren’t any.That’s just great.Luckily, it’s so early that I should have enough time to go on a quick grocery run, so I grab my keys and set off in haste.
I live less than five minutes away from Susie’s, the local grocery store. I hustle inside, grab the goods, and get going. Thankfully, the sun is just now starting to rise. I pull into my garage and enter as quietly as possible, careful not to disrupt her slumber. I turn the corner toward the kitchen, and my jaw drops. She’s awake. Not only is she awake–she’s wearing a T-shirt. A big T-shirt. Seemingly pantsless. In my kitchen. Iris is awake, in a massive T-shirt, standing in my kitchen.Fuck. Me. She looks even better than I imagined.
Iris turns to face me, flashing a chipper smile my way. “Morning! Do you mind if I make some coffee?” Her hair is up in a high ponytail, and wavy dark wisps frame her face, highlighting her cheeks. To no one’s surprise, Kai hastily walks into the kitchen and hurriedly blocks my view.Of course. He must have read my mind.
“Why are you awake?” I say without thinking.Why the hell did I just ask her that?She scrunches her nose. “I mean, it’s early. Do you always wake up this early?”
“Um, no, actually, but I slept really well, so I guess that's why I’m awake?” she says lacking confidence while waiting for the coffee. With Kai persistently shielding her from me, I can hardly see her clearly from behind his bulky frame.
“Sorry, I’m not used to being up this early myself, honestly.” I run my fingers through my hair and make my way to the cabinet, ready to start cooking. Finally, Kai meanders away, leaving Iris and me alone.
“Did you just go to the store?” She reaches into Truman’s bag, propped against one of the wooden barstools, and grabs his food.
“Yep, do you like eggs?”
“I haven’t eaten eggs in forever.” She sighs as she bends down to fill Truman’s bowl.
“Great, breakfast will be ready in about 30 minutes.” I rinse the potatoes one by one, setting them aside to chop them while Iris finishes brewing her coffee. She takes a sip and instantly spits it out, all over the kitchen counter.
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry!” Her face turns tomato red. Instead of laughing it off, she darts across the kitchen to grab paper towels, wiping down the counter in record time.
I approach her from behind, my chin lingering just above her shoulder. “Well, now you’ve done it.”
She turns slowly to face me. We’re standing just inches away from each other. I stare into her emerald eyes, then carefully assess the damage over her shoulder. “Looks like I’ll have to replace the countertops first. Then, the flooring.”
She gawks, smacking me. I catch her biting her lip.
“It’s no big deal,” I say. “But I’m dying to know. What’s wrong with my coffee?”
“Well, I checked your fridge for creamer earlier to see you didn’t have any.” She throws the paper towels away. “I figured I could survive drinking one cup of black coffee, and well, I overestimated my abilities. That was… unpleasant, to put it lightly.” She looks into my eyes, waiting for a response. I nod, biting my lip to keep myself from laughing. I reach for her cup of coffee, lift it up to my mouth, take a large gulp, then set it back down.
“Oh,so bitter—just how I like it,” I drawl. “Sorry I don’t have pumpkin spice creamer. I do have milk and sugar if that’ll help though.” I walk back toward the stove to resume cooking breakfast. I feel my stomach growling and, at this point, I’m wondering if this will even be worth the wait.
“She won’t say it, but she doesn’t actually like eggs,” Kai obnoxiously whispers into my ear. “She clearly just noticed you purchased them for breakfast and feels bad.”
I ignore him and put the diced potatoes in the oven, dressing them with oils and seasonings, then get started on the eggs.
“I’m telling you, you’re wasting your time,” Kai taunts. “But oh man, I wish I could eat your breakfast; it smells delightful.”
“If she doesn’t like eggs, she can tell me that herself,” I whisper, keeping my back turned away from Iris. Thankfully, she is listening to some music on her phone, so it doesn’t seem like she can hear me.
“Sounds good to me, bro,” he says, then sits on the stool next to Iris. Truman leaps onto the counter almost immediately, inviting Kai to pet him. I veer away, realizing I have stared in her direction for far too long.
While working on the eggs for a few minutes, Iris appears next to me out of nowhere, invading my personal space. “What can I do to help?”
That’s new—I’ve gotten used to cooking solo. “You can make the toast if you want?”
“I’m on it.” She hustles to my pantry, peering inside. I watch her walk away, letting my eyes linger on her smooth legs a smidge longer than I’d like to admit before I clear my throat to get her attention. I let her know the bread is already out on the counter. We both cook together in harmony, and after we finish up, she sets the table and then I dish up our plates, noting that Kai is nowhere in sight.
As we’re both sitting next to each other at the bar, my eyes betray me, flickering again to her bare thighs. Turns out, she’s wearing short biker shorts, yet Istilljolt. I’ve always been attracted to the oversized T-shirt look on girls. But Iris lounging around my home in a massive T-shirt showing off her voluptuous legs will clearly be the death of me.I’m a wreck.
“Well, dig in,” I say, attempting to drown out my inner thoughts.
She nibbles on her toast, then proceeds to taste the potatoes, letting out the smallest moan after taking the first bite.Well, shit. Wasn’t expecting to hear that during breakfast.Her eggs, suddenly looking very lonely, sit untouched as she eats every last bite of the potatoes and toast. She begins to swirl them around with her fork, clearly trying to make them look poked over.
