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The morning of the twenty-first I was awakened by the sound of the phone ringing. I glanced at the clock as I fumbled for the phone that had somehow ended up in the bottom of my laundry basket. It was six-thirty AM.
“Somebody better be dead.” I grumbled sleepily into the mouthpiece.
“Good morning, Sunshine!” Justin’s chipper voice greeted me.
“Justin, do you know what time it is?” I demanded.
“Day time,” Justin replied.
“That’s so lame,” I informed him.
“Yeah, I know.” Justin was undaunted by my criticism. “I’ve been up for hours.”
“Great, now it’s bedtime, find yourself a bed and crash,” I advised.
“No, actually I’m on my way over,” Justin said.
“Well, the door’s locked and I’m on my way back to bed,” I informed him. “Our plane doesn’t take off for twelve hours.”
“Eleven hours,” Justin corrected.
I was about to reply when there was a knock on my apartment door. “Hold on, there’s someone at the door.”
I stumbled through my tiny living room/kitchen to the door. I pulled open the door to see Justin standing there holding his cell phone to his ear.
“Hey! You tricked me!” I accused him. “You said you were on your way!”
“Did not! I was on my way down the hall,” he said. He looked me up and down. “Hey, is that what you usually sleep in?”
I looked down at my short, purple nightgown. “No, my evening gown was at the dry cleaners, so I’m kind of slumming it.”
Justin chuckled. “C’mere, give me a hug.”
I stepped into the warm circle of his arms, breathing in his familiar scent. I felt him press his lips to my hair. The gesture made me smile.
“C’mon in you sneak,” I said, stepping back and letting him pass.
Justin stepped I, looking around the room. “Cozy,” he commented.
“Thanks,” I said.
“You have a fireplace.”
“Yeah, so?”
“That’s unusual for such a small place.” Justin shrugged.
“I don’t really take up a whole lot of space,” I explained. “So, I got a small apartment with a fireplace rather than paying for a spare room when there is a perfectly good couch for my few guests.”
“I see.” Justin nodded. “Good thinking.”
“Tha…nks…” my word trailed off into a yawn.
Justin grinned. “Tired?”
“Yes!” I exclaimed with mock anger.
“Tell you what,” Justin said. “Your take a shower and wake up and I’ll stretch out on your couch and watch some TV.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “TV is over there. Hope it works, it’s rather old.”
I headed into my bedroom. I grabbed my favorite pair of faded jeans and a blue shirt with three-quarter length sleeves that I knew Justin would like.
“Help yourself to anything in the fridge!” I called before heading onto the bathroom where I took a quick shower.
I hopped out and wrapped a thick, fluffy towel around myself while I brushed my teeth and combed out my long dark hair.
After I dressed, I stepped out into the main room of my apartment. I instantly smelled coffee and bacon. I peeked around the corner to see Justin cooking bacon and eggs in my small kitchen and there was a fire burning in my fireplace.
“I had eggs?” I asked.
“Yep, and bacon too,” Justin informed me. “You shouldn’t leave eggs in your refrigerator for more than a week and a half.”
“Thank you Mom,” I said sarcastically. “Any other words of wisdom?”
“Yeah, all this junk food cannot be healthy.” Justin gestured with one hand to the collection of cookies, chips, and assorted candy that were scattered across the counters. “And all that caffeinated pop, no wonder you’re so short!”
“Hey! You try pulling these all nighters without it,” I said. “Besides, what about all the cappuccinos you guys chug?”
Justin paused to flip an egg before replying. “I figured after I hit six-three I figured it would be all right to stunt my growth a little,” he said. “But you know at your height…” he trailed off.
I swatted him playfully. “Five-six is a perfectly good height!”
“Okay, whatever makes you feel better,” Justin told me as he flipped the eggs onto a plate and added bacon. “Here you go mademoiselle.”
“Thank you, sir.” I took a bite. “Mmm, mis is mgood,” I told him through a mouth full of food.
Justin chuckled. “Thanks.”
I stretched out in front of the fire with my plate in front of fire. “So, where did you get the log for the fire?”
“There was a guy selling it in the basement,” Justin replied, joining me in front of the fire.
“Really? I don’t think that’s normal,” I said.
“Then I just bought a bootleg fire log,” Justin joked.
I giggled. I snuck a look at Justin’s face out of the corner of my eye. It felt completely natural to be sharing a romantic breakfast in front of the fire.
Then Justin began to hum ‘Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire.’ I leaned over, putting my head on his shoulder. His arm slipped around my waist. I closed my eyes, savoring the moment. Justin’s heartbeat was strong and dependable as we lay there, letting our eggs congeal as we snuggled next to the blaze.
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