The Morning After | A Short Story

The Morning After

I stretched my legs out kicking off the duvet that was barely hanging on the bed. Yawning, I turned on my side to see an empty pillow. I sighed. He left again. I should have known better but I thought after last night, things would be different. I was naïve to think like that. I flicked my own forehead to snap myself back to reality.

It was a Sunday and I didn't have anything planned but I didn't necessarily want to mope around over a relationship that should have been left in the past where it belonged. I sat up on the bed and grabbed a hair tie from the bedside table. I quickly finger combed the mess of hair and pulled it into a bundle on top of my head.

As I climbed out of the bed, a cool breeze swept across my breasts. I looked around the bedroom and saw the black dress from last night and lingerie alike scattered around haphazardly. That was the moment I remembered I was standing there stark naked. Although I knew I was alone in the apartment, I didn't think it would be safe to walk around in this state. My roommate told me she'd be away for a few days but she always liked to return without notice. So, I walked across the room to the closet and pulled out the lacey robe I hadn't used in what felt like a century. I felt stupid for keeping it all these years but I had grown attached to it; almost like a comfort blanket from childhood. I had only just promised myself to not mope around and to maybe even forget last night, but my heart decided to go against that. I wrapped the material around my body and tied the ribbon at the front.

I was about to make my way to the bathroom when the scent of freshly brewed coffee brushed my nose. Did I set the coffee machine at some point and forget about it? I didn't think so. I trod slowly and followed the smell. It led me to the kitchen area. There stood the bare tanned back that I wish I didn't know so well. He was standing in my kitchen in nothing more than a pair of boxers. I probably should have said something at that point but I was intrigued.

I stood at the edge of the room and watched for a few minutes. I could see him looking for something in the cupboards. He was clearly struggling but I let him carry on. He eventually found what he was looking for when I saw a small grin appear from the side of his face. It was a frying pan. What was he still doing here? I thought he'd already left. He made his way over to the fridge and took out some ingredients. It looked like he was going to make egg rolls. My favourite. He always did have a good memory. I didn't know he could cook though. He'd never told me or even cooked for me for that matter, though I guessed he never got the chance to. Nonetheless, I wondered what had made him want to cook in my kitchen today?

At that point, I gave up watching from the sideline. I made my way over to the fridge to grab a glass of water. I didn't try to make my presence known so I quietly grabbed a glass and the bottle of water. I had my back turned to where he was at this point. As I brought the glass to my lips, I felt a pair of hands around my waist. They felt familiar and comforting. I was engulfed in his arms as he bent down to match my height. I quietly sipped on my water, still stuck in his hold.

"When did you wake up?" his voice tickled at my ear.

I put the glass back down on the counter and turned to face him. He wasn't taller than me by that much but I still felt like I was looking up at a giant. "Not long. What're you still doing here?"

"I'm making us some breakfast. What do you think I'm doing? You still don't eat rice in the morning, right? Still just the egg rolls?" he questioned, staring into my eyes. He might as well have been looking into my soul.

I hated how he remembered this stuff. Truth is, he was right. I hadn't changed my eating habits at all over all these years. Old habits die hard. I just nodded, not knowing what to say.

He let go of the hold on me and turned back to cooking. "Okay, grab two cups of that coffee over there and take a seat. I'll bring it over for you."