“Nah. I don’t think it means he’s mad. I think he just doesn’t know how to text. Periods make everyone sound mad. I mean, he signed his name.” I chuckle. “I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“You’re right.” She sets the phone down on the table, and it immediately begins to vibrate. “Are the girls still texting you?”
“Yes,” she tells me, giggling. “They’re freaking out that I called you my boyfriend.”
Her eyes find mine, and her lips form a small smile.
“What is it?”
“Nothing, it’s just…I don’t know. I’m really happy, and I feel like a teenager whose crush finally asked her out.”
A big smile spreads across my face, and she stands to meet me. “Stop looking at me like that,” she says.
“Like what?” I pull her into me, and my lips find hers.
“Like you’re thinking about skipping the breakfast I was promised.”
I chuckle against her. “Alright, alright. I’ll make you waffles.” I pick her up, and she wraps her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck.
“Wait,” she says. “I need my coffee.”
I bend down, grabbing the glass, and then walk her into the kitchen. She nestles her face into my neck as I move.
“You know I can’t help. I burn everything I try to cook,” she says as I set her on the counter and hand her her coffee.
“Not true. You didn’t burn the grilled cheese, but I don’t want your help. Just your company.” I kiss the tip of her nose and then begin to move around the kitchen to collect everything I need to make the waffles. She sits on the counter, watching me.
“What do you want to do today?” she asks.
“Have you ever done an escape room?”
“No, but it sounds like fun.”
“Yeah, I’ve never done one either,” I say, mixing the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
“I’d really like that,” she says. “Did you tell your dad you weren’t coming in today?”
“No,” I say, combining the wet ingredients.
“Weren’t you supposed to meet with the new guy?”
I shrug, “I guess, but I can’t go in there. I’m sure I’ll get an earful on Monday, but I don’t care. Today, I want to spend time with my girlfriend.”
“I’m really sorry about everything.”
“It’ll be fine. It’s not what my grandfather would have wanted, but I’m sure Stuart will be a decent boss, and I don’t mind my current role. ”
“What about the bar?”
“What about it? I essentially ghosted Jerry.” My stomach turns. I could kick myself for not talking to him and letting it fall through my fingers. “I’m sure he’s found someone else by now.”
“You don’t know that. Maybe you could talk to him, see if it’s still available.”
“I don’t know.” I whisk the ingredients together, adding a little extra vanilla to the batter for good measure.
“They already smell so good. Can I taste it?” she asks.
I dip a finger in and walk over to where she sits.
