Page 34 of Fast Break
And there goes my extra time in the shower.
“Morning,” I say.
“Morning,” he replies, voice still raspy from sleep. I step towards him, overly conscious of the way he’s looking at me, and perch on the edge of the bed. Just like last week.
“Did you sleep okay?”
“Um, yes?”
I can’t help but smirk at his answer as he just watches me back. “Do you want a shower? I left a towel out for you in the ensuite.”
“Thanks. That would be great,” he replies. I don’t move and he watches me for a few weighty moments. He clears his throat. “Do you think I can meet you downstairs?”
I realise he’s gripping onto the covers, and my eyes involuntarily dip down his concealed body. If he woke up anything like me, I can appreciate his need for privacy. So I nod and then leave him be, closing the door behind me.
I make my way downstairs where I find Mum leaning back against the kitchen cabinet, a cup of tea in hand.
“Morning, Mum,” I greet her, pecking a kiss to the top of her hair. “Did you just get home?”
“Yep,” she smiles back at me, exhaustion on her face. I always tell her she doesn’t need to take these late shifts but she really wants to fund my way through university so she never listens to my protests. “I thought I’d have a cup of tea but I think I just need to go to bed.”
“Good idea,” I tell her. I hear the pop and hiss of the hot water system as it kicks in for the shower upstairs and Mum cocks her head to the side.
“Did you have a friend stay over?”
“Ah, yeah. JT stayed the night,” I admit, turning my back on her as I rifle through the pantry.
“Did he?” she says, her tone amused and pointed. “That’s two weeks in a row.” I just hum in reply, avoiding her eyes.
“We’re just friends,” I lie, pretending to rifle through the jars and condiments. Actually, that’s not entirely a lie. I don’t know what JT and I are to each other right now. Friends who kiss? Friends who kiss and happen to want to get on their knees for each other?
“Hmm, okay,” she returns. I make the mistake of looking back at her and her face is so smug I can’t help rolling my eyes.
“Goodnight, Mum,” I say pointedly.
“Night, darling,” she singsongs as she turns and heads for the stairs. I can tell how much she loves being right about this.
I find one of those pancake shaker mixes at the back of the pantry and decide to make JT breakfast. I mix it all together and then start frying the pancakes while I cut up some berries and bananas.
I have a small, neat stack of pancakes ready to go when I hear footsteps on the staircase and JT steps into the kitchen. His shyness has returned in full force, but I don’t mind that one bit. It’s actually kind of endearing now that I know I’m the reason for it.
“Hi,” he says as he leans up against the island. His cheeks are flushed and he looks so cute I nearly melt into a puddle.
“Hi,” I return.
“So, it’s tomorrow.”
“So it is,” I reply, taking an overly obvious eyeful down his frame as I try not to smile.
“I believe you made a promise to me last night,” he lays out. I can’t stop myself from smiling. He lasted bare seconds before bringing up the kiss and I do a little happy dance on the inside.
“I did but first I want you to eat the breakfast I made you,” I say, gesturing to the stack of pancakes which I don’t think JT has noticed yet. “And I want to talk.”
“Talk?” he repeats, mouth tugged down in a pout.
“Yes, talk,” I affirm. I pick up the plate of pancakes and then motion for JT to follow me to the dining table where I’ve set out the fruit and maple syrup. He grabs a pancake and layers it in fruit and syrup before taking a bite.
“So, what do you want to talk about?” he asks tentatively.
