Winds of Destiny: Rising ~ {Hawks x OC}

Chapter Twenty-Six: Setting the Record Straight

Hawks awoke slowly to the sound of chirping birds and the familiar touch of a gentle wind brushing across the right side of his face. He was lying on his stomach in a soft bed that smelled faintly of cinnamon and honey, a scent he had always subconsciously associated with Misaki. Memories from the previous day suddenly flashed through his half-conscious mind and he remembered winding up at her apartment before literally passing out on her in the living room. He cracked his eyes open and blinked a couple of times at the bright light filtering in through the sheer curtains billowing in the breeze from the open balcony doors across the room. She must have carried him into the bedroom while he was unconscious. Knowing that she was more nimble than sturdy, he was actually kind of impressed that she'd managed it on her own.

Now that he was fully awake, his bowels took the opportunity to urge him to get out of bed and he grudgingly heeded their call, reaching down to throw the covers off before sitting up. Looking down at himself, he took note that she had also apparently removed his clothing and changed his bandages at some point. He really must have been out of it to have missed all of that. Glancing down at the end of the bed, he saw that she had laid out his clothes from the day before, neatly folded and looking like they had been washed and pressed. He'd never been one to leave behind many personal effects at her apartment while they'd been dating, so these were probably the only items of clothing she had to offer him at the moment.

After carefully slipping his clothes on, he made his way toward the door that led from her bedroom into the bathroom to use the toilet. Once he'd relieved himself, he wandered out the door that led into the entryway and headed toward the kitchen, figuring that was where Misaki was likely to be at the moment given the heady aroma of roasted coffee in the air. Sure enough, there she was, sitting at the bar counter, holding a steaming mug of coffee in one hand and her smartphone in the other as she scrolled through either her email or the news.

Her eyes immediately shifted over to him when he walked into the room and she set the phone and the coffee mug down, smiling at him affectionately in greeting. "Good morning."

"Morning," he answered with a scratchy voice, walking up to her as she stood and wrapping his arms around her in a warm hug. "Thanks for taking care of me yesterday."

"You're welcome," her muffled voice drifted up from his chest before she pulled back. Cocking her head to the side a bit, she gazed up at him and asked, "Are you hungry?"

"Starving," he immediately replied. It had been almost eighteen hours since he'd eaten anything, and his stomach was definitely letting him know how unhappy it was about that at the moment.

Misaki shyly ducked her head, grinning to herself as she picked up the mug of sweetened coffee she'd been holding when he'd walked in and held it out to him. "Here. Go ahead and sit down. I'll make you some breakfast."

He accepted her offering with a grateful grin before making his way toward the dining room and taking a seat at the foot of the table. A few minutes later, Misaki walked over carrying a tray with two large bowls and one slightly smaller one sitting on top of it, carefully setting it down on the table before placing each bowl in front of him. The first was filled to the brim with soft scrambled eggs, garnished with a few thinly sliced strips of grilled nori. The next bowl appeared to be torn pieces of lightly grilled salmon over simple white rice, followed by a steaming bowl of miso soup. All things that were easy to eat and wouldn't aggravate his throat. She set a pair of chopsticks on a holder next to them and removed the tray, setting it down at the other end of the table before picking up her own coffee mug from the kitchen counter and taking a seat next to him.

He smiled at her appreciatively as he picked up the chopsticks and croaked out, "Thank you, this looks delicious."

"Enjoy," she said, returning his smile, bringing her coffee mug up to her lips, and crossing her legs in her chair.