We’re silent for a moment.
“Come on, let’s eat. It happened so long ago.”
James picks up his fork and so do I. The food is fantastic, and I say so. I can’t believe this is all plant based- I’m happily surprised.
I finish off my plate and so does James. When I get up to take the plates to the sink, he stops me.
“Let’s hold off on that. I want to know more about you. How about another cup of coffee?”
“I’d love that. Your coffee is so good.”
“I put a stick of cinnamon in with the grounds.”
“Smart. Did Bessie-Sue teach you that?”
James takes our coffee mugs and refills them. I’m impressed that not only does he have gorgeous dinner plates, but the mugs all match. I’ve never been to a man’s house that doesn’t have a random set of coffee mugs.
James sits down and slides my coffee cup to me.
“No, Bessie-Sue doesn’t spend much time in the kitchen. I learned that when I worked in Seattle.”
“The home of Starbucks?”
“Yup, I followed my high school sweetheart to Seattle and her first job was at a Starbucks.”
“Young love,” I sigh.
“The breakup was soul crushing.”
“I had one of those too.”
I finish my coffee and realize how easy it is to get to know James. I’ve never felt so at ease having a first breakfast. Every other guy I’ve been with has been a talking disaster. I feel that I can really let James into knowing about my life. This is usually a no-go for me.
The one thing that’s bothering me is that I want to see James again. I have this rare desire to get to know more about his life, and I want to share my life info with him too. I definitely want to see this guy again, but I don’t know if he wants the same.
James is such an easy-going guy. I’m sure he is like this with all the women he beds. This is probably a one-time thing.
“Do you do this often?” I decide to ask.
“What?”
“This first breakfast thing. It’s usually more awkward. You must have a lot of practice.”
James laughs and takes a sip of his coffee.
“Well?” I ask.
It’s a critical issue in my mind. I don’t want to be like all the other girls. I have a problem with wanting to always be unique in a man’s mind.
James puts down his coffee cup.
“I can tell you this. I don’t feel like this is our first breakfast. Do you?”
I finish my coffee before I can answer.
“No, this doesn’t feel like a first breakfast.”
I get up from the table and put my mug in the sink.