Page 22 of Trusting You

“You cook?” I smiled as I fidgeted on my seat.

“I do a lot of things you don’t know about,” he turned on a burner before dumping the contents for what looked like pancakes into a bowl. “Coffee?” he turned on the coffee pot and began pulling mugs and plates out of the cabinet.

“That would be great. Thank you,” I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling any wider. I couldn’t look eager, but I’d never had anyone other than my mom cook for me before. “Where did you learn to cook?”

“My dad taught me. It was just us until I was four, and then Avery liked to burn stuff so Dad did a lot of the cooking. When I got older he let me help,” he cracked a few eggs and began beating them. It was then that I heard footsteps coming down the hall.

“Why the fuck are you up so early?” the male voice growled as a guy came into view.

“This is Brandon, my roommate,” Aaron deadpanned.

“Sorry,” the guy I now knew as Brandon, grumbled. He was dressed in just a pair of athletic shorts and his hair was sticking up in every direction. “It’s way too early to be up on a Saturday.”

“Rough night last night?” Aaron chuckled.

“Dude. You don’t know the half of it. I got stuck at work late, and then Jasmine showed up just as I was leaving,” he shuffled around to where the coffee had finished brewing and poured himself a cup.

“I thought you two broke up?” Aaron poured the contents of his bowl in the pan on the stove, and it began to sizzle.

“We did. She’s a stage five clinger,” Brandon shook his head. “I’m heading back to bed. Let me know when you leave,” he waved his hand in the air as he headed back in the direction he’d come. “Nice meeting you,” he mumbled before disappearing.

“He’s really not that much of an ass,” Aaron mused as he passed me a cup of coffee. “His girlfriend is just nuts.”

I nodded, not really wanting to get in someone else’s business. “Smells great,” I smiled as I sipped the coffee.

“Wait until you taste it,” Aaron smiled back before turning to plate his concoction. “Here,” he placed a heaping plate in front of me and then stood there like a little kid waiting for approval.

“What is it?” I looked at it trying to figure out what to call it. It wasn’t an omelet, and it wasn’t a frittata. It was like a pancake with pieces of egg and vegetable in it.

“Sutter Surprise,” he beamed. “Just try it.”

I slowly cut a piece off and took a bite. It was really good, and unlike anything I’d ever had. I grinned as I took a second bite. “I like it.”

“When my dad finally got full custody of me, he spent an entire month trying to make up for all the bad stuff that had happened. We ate all kinds of weird stuff, and he let me help cook a lot. This was one on of my favorite dishes. We have it on special occasions,” he took the seat beside me with his own plate.

“So why are we eating it today?” I tipped my head to watch him. This was the realist I’d seen Aaron be other than last night during our walk. I liked this version, but I wondered how long he would stick around.

“Today’s special. You’re here,” he clarified before stuffing a bite in his mouth.

We didn’t speak after that. We just sat there eating in the quiet of his apartment. It was nice, and something I didn’t realize I was missing in my life. It had been so long since I’d done this, that I had forgotten how soothing it could be, just spending time together.

“Wanna go out on the beach for the day?” Aaron finished placing the last of our dishes in the dishwasher. “I have no plans, and it’s supposed to be beautiful.”

“I need to change first,” I glanced down at my shorts from yesterday.

“Sure. We can walk back to Em’s and hang out on the beach there if you want,” he shrugged. “I just need to change first. Give me five minutes.” Aaron yanked the hoodie he’d been wearing over his head as he turned to walk down the hall. His back muscles flexed with the movement, and I had to bite back a groan.

Aaron

So far the morning was going better than I could have ever hoped for. It started with waking up next to her. I never thought it would happen, and even though the night hadn’t gone the way it did most of the time with a woman, I was happy. We’d had a real conversation last night, and she didn’t run when I explained why I was damaged. This morning I cooked her breakfast. She’d smiled and ate it. We both changed and now we were lying in the sand near where we’d been last night.

“It’s really warm out today,” Mel mused from where she was lying on her towel. She’d changed into this little blue bikini that I hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing last summer. Her hair was in a messy bun on top of her head, and a pair of white framed sunglasses covered her eyes. She was on her stomach, and by the way she was yawning I thought she was surely close to falling asleep.

“It’s been getting warmer every day. I’m just ready for it to be warm enough to swim,” I stared out at the water. I was propped up on my elbows enjoying the view. The beach was practically empty, and the sun was hitting the water just right to where it looked like it was covered in diamonds. Emma had gone off with Brock for the day, and having Mel here like this was perfect.

“You really like it here, don’t you?” she lifted her head and smiled at me.

“It’s heaven on Earth, why wouldn’t I?” I rolled to my side and let my eyes trail over her. “Want me to put some sunscreen on your back? The rays can be brutal out here,” I wagged my brows. I just wanted an excuse to touch her, and I figured she’d let me this way.

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