She turned her head to me and grinned. “I would love some.”
“Okay, I will meet you in the kitchen. Feel free to use the bathroom to freshen up.”
“Thanks.”
I rolled out of bed and waited until she got out and went into the bathroom. I changed out of my flannel pants and put on some clothes. I exited the bedroom and headed to the kitchen. Kyle was up, and already playing video games.
“Hey, man, what time did you get in?”
Kyle looked up and answered, “Like, 4:00 a.m. You left the bar pretty quickly. You found a girl real quick, right?”
“Something like that.”
“What time did she leave?”
“She didn't. She's still here, so behave yourself.”
“You let her sleep over? Seriously? When have you ever done that?”
I went into the kitchen and started to put some coffee on. I grabbed a filter and put it in the coffee machine. I added a scoop of coffee, and then filled the pot with water. Once I emptied it into the machine, I turned it on. I loved the smell of coffee in the morning because it always reminded me of possibilities, of a fresh start to take over the world.
I opened the fridge and pulled out some cream. I assessed the rest of the fridge to determine what there would be for breakfast. It looked like it was going to be bacon and eggs. I turned on the stove, and started to put slices of bacon in a pan. I waited to hear the sizzling of the bacon cooking. I pulled out the eggs as well, but they would have to wait.
When I turned around, Natalie was behind me, and Kyle's jaw was on the floor. Yes, I would have some explaining to do later. However, for the time being, it was sort of amusing that Kyle was so shocked that it was the artist I had brought home from the bar.
“Kyle, this i
s Natalie. Natalie ... Kyle. Kyle is my roommate and teammate.”
“Hi,” she said tentatively.
“Hey, what's up? Nice to meet you.”
I could tell by Natalie's expression that she realized that Kyle was the one who told everyone we had slept together. She held herself together pretty well, though, not giving anything away.
I turned back to the bacon, and started flipping the pieces while she moved up beside me and smiled.
“Bacon. How healthy.”
I laughed. “Please tell me you're not on a diet.”
“No, but aren't you supposed to eat properly?”
“I do, for the most part. But I also indulge. My body burns food up like fuel since I train a lot. I am careful when I'm preparing for a fight, because I may need to cut weight; but if I'm not training, then I have a little more leeway.”
She just nodded.
With the bacon well underway, I fried us up some eggs.
“Would you like some coffee?”
“Yes, absolutely.”
I poured her a cup of coffee. “Would do you like in it?”
“I can make my own, thank you.”
I watched as she opened drawers until she found the silverware. She plucked out a spoon and proceeded to add cream and sugar to her coffee. I watched her stir it, mesmerized by the swirling in her cup. I smiled as she looked up at me.