Leigh
Like many other mornings, I awoke the next day to the feeling of nothingness.
By now, I think I would have felt more emotion if I’d rolled over and the man I’d been with actuallywasthere. That would have been doubly true with Sonny, for whom last night felt like nothing I’d ever had before. Descriptions didn’t come easily, but “the best,” “the most,” “the top”—such heightened phrases all kept popping into my head, even if they had trouble specifying what, exactly, was the best, most, or top.
But even though I was used to waking up to an empty bed, whether at my own place or as a subtle hint at the guy’s place, it still pained me. Was I ever going to stop playing this game? Was I ever going to be able to stop chasing men that withheld attention when I most wanted it?
But then a second sense kicked in, one that wasn’t as rewarding as touch but nevertheless seemed to promise something.
Smell.
Specifically, the smell of cooked bacon, sausage, and eggs.
Was I dreaming this? Was this going to be just like last time? It couldn’t possibly be the case that…well, that Sonny was cooking for me, right? Because no one ever cooked for me.Except for Sonny, but there’s no way he’d do it twice.
I laid in bed a few minutes more, not seeing a point in closing my eyes but waiting for the evidence that I was somehow imagining all of this. Instead, the scent got stronger. Sporadically, I could hear the sound of a fresh slab of meat landing on the skillet, that sudden singe dancing over my eardrum.
It was beginning to be time for me to see with my own eyes whatever it was that Sonny was doing.
I brushed the covers off of me and found my clothes, lying on the floor. I looked at the clock. It was just barely past eight.Oh, right. Work.But I didn’t have to rush it. And if anyone asked, I could always say I needed to build up the courage to return after the shootout had happened. You know, traumatized and such.
I got dressed, slowly made my way down, and found myself smiling as the various senses that filled my nostrils didn’t dissipate but instead got stronger and stronger. When I came to the kitchen, I saw a sight most handsome and pleasing to see.
Sonny, shirtless, stood in profile before me, a spatula in one hand and what looked like a fork in the other. Two pots were going, one with eggs cooked sunny side up and the other with a mixture of bacon and sausage. The savory scents became overwhelming, but by definition, overwhelming savory scents were the best kind of overwhelming. He looked at me, smirked, and went back to his cooking.
“Good morning.”
“Come back in five minutes,” he said, looking at me only to wink.
I took the hint and headed back upstairs, crawling into the still-warm covers and thinking about the delicious meal to be had. By now, my mouth was watering, both at the thought of the food and at the sight of Sonny shirtless. It was hard to say which one would be more enjoyable to consume.
I couldn’t wait five minutes, though. As soon as I heard the sound of sizzling end, I kicked off the covers and bounded back toward the kitchen. I came in just as Sonny was laying out the table, placing what looked like a half-dozen eggs sunny side up in the middle, with bacon on the left and sausage on the right.
“Don’t make a bad joke about my name and the eggs, or you won’t get any,” he growled.
“You made this for me?”
“For us. But yes.”
For the second time in a row?
For…for real?
I didn’t treat myself this well, and now Sonny was making me breakfast? And for what, because we’d had sex last night? Is this…is this what it felt like to have a normal, healthy relationship?
Slow down, girl. Nowhere near that.
But in terms of how I was treated, in terms of how he saw me and provided for me, this was the most “relationship” I’d ever been a part of.
“Take a seat,” he said. “I want to talk to you.”
“Sure,” I said, still sounding a bit dazed. I felt like I should say something more, something to express my gratitude or joy, but words failed me. Everything pretty much failed me except my facial expression, which I was hopeful more or less said it all.
“But first, eat some food,” he said.
When I just stared at the food, unable to decide what to take, Sonny made it easy for me. He took two eggs and about half the bacon and dumped it on my plate. He added two pieces of sausage before leaning back in his chair.
“There’s more I can make if you need it,” he said, “and if I don’t finish this, you can have it.”
