23TomI snuck out that morning early, making sure Amanda was still asleep before heading out. By the time she was just waking up, I had returned and was walking back into the bedroom with a bag and a cup holder that held four drinks. She scooted back so she leaned against the headboard and looked up at me, a lazy, sleepy smile on her face.
“Good morning,” she said. “I smell deliciousness.”
I laughed. “You do. I went and got us breakfast. Also, two orange juices and two coffees.”
“Well, hydration is important,” she said.
“So is caffeine,” I said, and she laughed as she took the food out of the bag.
“Where did you get this?” she asked.
“Little diner at the end of the street. I usually get a run in during the morning, but I settled for a short walk to get us something yummy,” I said. She pulled me by my shirt to her and pressed a kiss to my lips.
“I already have something yummy,” she said.
I kissed her again and stood up, creating space so I didn’t get tempted to spend my entire day wrapped up in her naked body. It was a tough decision, but I had important things to take care of. Spending an entire day off with nothing, but Amanda to keep me company, was something I was going to have to put on the to-do list, in more ways than one.
We sat down and fell into an easy conversation as we ate. It felt so natural to be there with her, sitting side by side on the bed, her with just one of my T-shirts on, eating breakfast. But the nagging in the back of my mind was telling me I needed to enjoy it while I could. It wasn’t going to last much longer. I tried to shake that thought off when Amanda squealed and took my attention away. She was pulling a chocolate croissant out of the bag.
“How did you know?” she asked.
“I didn’t?” I responded.
“These are my absolute favorite, ever since I was little,” she said, tearing off a piece and tossing it into her mouth. She closed her eyes for a moment and seemed to revel in the memories before opening them and looking at me with a look of pure delight.
“That much, huh?” I asked.
“Yes. When I was little,” she said, scooting back to sit up straighter, “these were the absolute epitome of high-class breakfast. Mom and I would go out to this little restaurant for brunch once a month, and it was always full of fancy ladies in big hats, and I just felt so grown-up. I always wore a dress and gloves and fancy shoes that clicked when I walked, and they had these beautiful, wonderful chocolate croissants.
“Mama used to say that ladies didn’t overeat and that brunch was as much for getting together with the girls as it was for eating. I did not subscribe to that theory, though. I just wanted to shove as many of these in my face as possible. I remember one time, she got so mad because I put like six of them in my purse, and the chocolate melted by the time we got home. Though, after that, she let me have as many of them as I wanted.”
I sat back on the bed and listened to her as she went into detail about her family, and how her mother spoiled her with chocolate croissants at every birthday, and every big day of her life. They were her comfort food, and I knew that somewhere it probably meant a lot for her to be having one with me. I had to shake that off, though.
Getting wrapped up in her, which was absolutely what I was doing, was not going to work out for either one of us. As much as I loved learning about her and her past, and the connection that was growing between us sparkled with life and energy that felt deep, I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to survive. Not once we got back home. Once we settled into the office again, with all the rules and regulations, and worst of all, all the investors and their pesky, prying gossiping, our connection would likely fizzle. What it would become after that, I wasn’t sure. I didn’t think this was a genie that could be put back in the bottle, as it were.
But that was a conversation for another day. Right then, I just wanted to listen to her ramble and eat good food and drink the surprisingly good coffee. When we were all wrapped up, I checked the time and noticed I was already running a little late. I kissed her cheek, kicking myself for falling into a routine that seemed so familiar, and headed out. The last thing I saw before I shut the door was her bending over to pick up her clothes off the floor as she prepared for a shower, her cute ass poking out of the bottom of my shirt, and my stomach clenched. It took a lot of willpower to shut that door.