It had to cost somewhere in the vicinity of two thousand dollars.
He held up a hand and smirked, a single dimple appearing in his cheek. “Okay, look: call this one a failed pandemic investment. When everyone was in quarantine, I was going to learn how to make café drinks at home, but the machine was kind of hard to use and I only ended up making a few shots of bad espresso with it. But by that point, it was too expensive to get rid of. Sunk cost fallacy.” Then he chuckled. “Until I sat down and really learned how to use it—and added a single coffee drink to my repertoire.”
“Can I play with it? Please?’
“No.”
She put her hands on her hips indignantly. “You didn’t let me touch anything with breakfast, you have to at least let me play with—”
Theo turned and grabbed Audrey once again, lifting her at the waist and setting her gently down on the counter across from him with a shake of his head. “Not yet. Don’t ruin my surprise. I’ve been practicing, just in case I ever got this opportunity.” He leaned in andkissed her before turning to the fridge to take out a jug of milk. “Hush. Just wait.”
And then she watched him work.
He went through the motions she knew so well, she could do them in her sleep, and his brow furrowed in deep concentration while he watched the espresso drip, pulling it at a precisely timed moment before steaming the milk. Theo seemed to hold his breath while he assembled everything, and though he sighed and grimaced when his hand shook and ruined the design he tried so very hard to patiently sketch in the foam, he still held the black ceramic mug out to her proudly in both hands with a soft smile.
It was a flat white.
Not only that, but when Audrey took a sip, she closed her eyes and hummed in pleasure.
He’d pulled a perfect ristretto.
He’d learned how to make her favorite coffee, just for her. No one ever made her coffee. No one besides Josh.
And now Theo.
She opened her eyes and licked the foam from her lips.
“Well?” His expression was anxious. “How did I do?”
“Perfect. It’s perfect.” She set the mug down carefully on the counter and dragged him all the way over to her, opening her legs wide so he could nestle himself between them and get closer. Theo rested his hands on her hips.
“This is everything I’ve ever wanted in a Sunday and never had,” he whispered. “I think I could do this with you every weekend and never get sick of it.”
“Me too, Theo,” Audrey whispered back, running her hands up along his neck and burying her fingers in the hair at the base. “Me too.”
When he bent to kiss her, her heart skipped a beat. It stuttered in her chest, a deliciously painful flutter of feeling chased by a deep,mournful ache. She didn’t want to name whatever this was—not yet. It was far too fragile, far too new to stand on its own. But every glance, every kiss, every moment between them only strengthened it, made it sturdier, built the foundation of it to last.
But for now, she couldn’t even breathe it. It was too soft, too delicate, too precious and fleeting. They were both scared of it,forit, she could tell. She could tell by the way Theo’s breath trembled when he pulled away, how a hint of fear still lurked around the edges of his eyes. But with any luck, and with time, they’d move past the doubt.
The second time Theo’s lips met hers, their breakfast forgotten, she tasted coffee on his tongue.
The rest ofthat Sunday was just as perfect as it had started.
Theo was an incredible cook, and he let Audrey play with his fancy espresso machine while he plated up their breakfast. She made him a latte today rather than his usual, just so she could draw him hearts in the foam—which he loved and fawned over far more than she felt was necessary.
But she let herself bask in the warmth of his praise anyway.
After breakfast, they cozied up on the couch again, avoiding going outside in the intense gray fog blanketing Brooklyn after last night’s storm, and Theo asked what her favorite movie was.
Audrey bit her lip.
“It’s…really cliché.”
“No such thing.”
“Oh, it definitely is.” She sighed. “But it’sAnastasia.”
He blinked at her, a curious furrow between his eyes. “The Don Bluth animated movie?”
