1994~Kai Parker

Hello, Old Friend

      The next couple of days were the best that I had had so far in the Prison World- movie nights, flirty banter, and occasional cuddling made them amazing. I slept in Kai's bed now, and I loved waking up next to him, particularly when I woke up before him and could visually trace the softness of the features of his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful and unburdened when he was asleep, and I found it insanely endearing when his tranquil expression was combined with the slight squish of his cheek against the pillow. My favorite part, however, was the way his lashes fluttered when he would awaken, and how his eyes would zero in on me and soften in a way that made my heart melt. Admittedly, the huskiness of his morning voice wasn't bad either. That was the way the day had started, with me gazing at his sleeping face, but today he woke up and gazed at me with a twinkle in his eye.

      "What are you thinking about?" I asked as he pushed a strand of hair behind my ear and cupped my face for a second.

      "I'm just thinking about the surprise that I have for you later."

      "Oh? And what would that be?"

      "Well, if I told you then it wouldn't be that much of a surprise, now would it?"

      "I suppose not," I relented as he moved to sit up.

      "It's your turn for breakfast this morning," he prompted as he raised his eyebrows a little.

      "It is indeed. That will be my surprise for you today," I said as I slid out of the bed and winked before I made my way down to the kitchen.

      The breakfast competition was fierce; it had all started when Kai was being extra arrogant about his culinary skills, and I made the error of saying that I was the reigning queen of breakfast food. We had been switching back and forth in making breakfast for one another, and Kai had managed to outshine me every time. I had tried my hand at big, complicated breakfast items, but today I had an idea- a harkening back to the pancakes that he had been so enamored by when we had first met. Maybe, just maybe, they'll do the trick. Quickly whipping up a batch, I smiled to myself as I layered thick helpings of jam on top of the butter in between each pancake, topping it all off with a generous helping of maple syrup. I was surprised that Kai hadn't come downstairs yet, for he was usually sitting at the counter, watching me with a smirk and trying to shake my confidence, or attempting to distract me with little kisses or remarks that usually ended up with the breakfast being abandoned. However, it had been nice making a meal in peace.

      "My amazing breakfast is ready!" I called up the stairs.

I heard the distinctive rhythm of his footsteps as he came down the stairs and into the room, stopping dead in his tracks at the sight of the pancakes.

      "Aw, you finished them already. I didn't even get a chance to try and derail you from your work," he said with a mock frown as he kissed me on the cheek and sat down to eat the enticing stack.

I went over to grab my own, trying not to make it entirely obvious that I was awaiting his reaction as I stole glances back at Kai as he shoved a giant bite of pancake into his mouth.

      "You're going to choke if you take huge bites like that," I teased.

      "Eh, death by pancake, especially these, would be a pretty good way to go if I could die here. But since that isn't the case, I do as I please," he shot back as he shoveled another huge bite into his mouth.

      "They're that good, huh?"

      He rolled his eyes as he relented, "At the risk of sounding completely cliché, they are to-die-for, alright? You win."