Chapter Two
1145 Words
Lena woke up to the sound of cups and spoons coming from her kitchen. She thought, Who could be in the kitchen this early? Her eyes opened slowly. The morning light came into her room through the curtains, making everything look bright. For a moment, she just lay there listening to the noises.
"Who's there?" Lena asked
Then she heard Ethan say, " Morning, how was your night, my love?"
He walked into her room. She groaned, burying her face deeper into the pillow.
"Go away," she muttered.
Ethan stood there leaning against the doorframe.
"How did you get into the house?" Lena asked him
"You left it unlocked, Lena." He said
"You broke in," Lena said
"It’s not breaking in if you forget to lock the door, Lena," Ethan replied
Lena sat up slowly. Her hair was all messy around her shoulders.
"You're unbelievable, Ethan." She said
Ethan stepped inside. Lena could smell the cool morning air and coffee on him. The smell of coffee immediately caught her attention. She looked at the cup in his hand.
"Is that for me?" She asked
"Maybe." He said
"If it's not, I'm kicking you out." She said
Ethan walked over, kissed her cheek, and placed the cup on the nightstand beside her bed. Lena grabbed the coffee and took a sip; the warmth of the coffee felt nice in her hands.
"Okay, I forgive you," Lena admitted
Ethan looked pleased with himself.
"You know you can't stay mad at me forever."
Lena took another drink and sighed
"You're still annoying, though."
"That's part of why you love me," Ethan replied
Lena swung her legs over the side of the bed and stretched.
"What time is it, Ethan?" She asked
"Seven," Ethan said
Lena turned her head toward him, saying, "Seven?!"
"Relax, you have plenty of time." He said
"I have work, and it takes twenty minutes to get there."
"Which means you still have plenty of time, Lena," Ethan said
Lena scrambled toward her closet, saying, "You're an awful alarm clock, Ethan."
"Yet an effective one," Ethan said
She pulled a dress off a hanger and tossed it onto the bed.
"Why are you here this early, though?" She said
Ethan leaned against the wall and shrugged.
“I wanted to see you."He said
"See me for what?" She said
"You hurt me." He said
Lena disappeared into the bathroom. Shouted through the door
"But you saw me yesterday, Ethan."
"That should be enough." She said
"It's never enough, Lena," Ethan replied
Lena paused mid-step, and something about the way Ethan said it made her smile even though he couldn’t see it. She quickly washed her face. Brushed her hair before returning to the bedroom. Ethan was now sitting on the edge of the bed, scrolling through his phone.
"Hello, you're invading my space." She said
"I'm supervising."
"Supervising what Ethan?"
"Your morning routine."
"That's creepy, Ethan."
"It's responsible." He said
Lena grabbed her bag from the chair, shoved her laptop inside, saying,
“You're weird, Ethan."
“You love it, Lena."
"Debatable."
Ethan followed her toward the kitchen, saying, "Wait, don't tell me you're leaving for work without having breakfast."
"I'll grab something at work."
"You said that yesterday."
"And yesterday you didn't eat until two in the afternoon." He said
Lena froze, asking, "How do you even know that Ethan?"
“Because I know you," Ethan said
Lena narrowed her eyes and said, “That's mildly concerning, Ethan.”
Ethan opened the fridge and started pulling things out: eggs, bread, butter.
"What are you doing?" Lena asked
"Saving you from starving yourself." He replied
"You're cooking?" She said
"Yes, I'm cooking breakfast for my Princess." He said
Lena leaned against the counter and watched him c***k eggs into a pan; the kitchen quickly filled with the smell of butter and warm bread. Ethan moved around the space easily, like he’d done this a hundred times before.
"You're too comfortable here."
"That's because I like it here, Lena." He said
"Why, Ethan?" Lena asked
Ethan glanced at her and said, "You're here, Lena.”
The answer came easily, which caught her off guard.
Lena looked down quickly, pretending to adjust the strap of her bag.
"You're very smooth this morning." She said
“I’m always smooth." He said
"You tripped over a chair yesterday." She said with a smirk on her face
“That chair attacked me."
Lena laughed quietly.
Ethan slid a plate toward her, saying, "Eat, Lena."
Lena reluctantly picked up a fork, saying, "You're bossy."
"And you're stubborn." He replied
"Well, that's true."
They ate quickly, standing in the kitchen, as sunlight slowly filled the room.
Outside, cars moved along the street. Someone shouted to a neighbor across the road.
The city was waking up.
Ethan watched her finish her last bite
“See, that wasn't so hard." He said
"You're acting like I'm a child, Ethan."
"Sometimes you forget survival tasks, Lena."
"I do not." She said
"You skipped breakfast three days in a row." He said
"That's different."
"How?"
"I had coffee."
"Coffee really is that food, Lena?"
"It's close." She replied
Ethan shook his head in disbelief, saying, "You're impossible, Lena.”
"And yet you keep coming," She said
Ethan didn't answer; instead, he reached over and gently brushed a crumb off her cheek.
The simple touch made Lena's breath hitch for a moment.
"You make it easy, Lena," Ethan said quietly
Her heart did a flip.
Lena grabbed her bags quickly and said, "I need to go."
Ethan walked with her to the door.
The morning air outside felt cooler than she expected.
Lena locked the door behind her while Ethan leaned against the railing.
"We're still meeting tonight, right?" He asked
“Meeting where Ethan?"
"The park, of course." He answered
"You're obsessed with that place, Ethan."
"It's peaceful."
"We've gone there like fifty times." She said
"And we're going a fifty- first time." He replied
“Fine,” Lena said with a smile on her face
"So I'd pick you up by six o'clock," he said
"You're very demanding, Ethan."
"I'm very organized." He replied
Lena ran toward the bus stop, then stopped and turned back.
Ethan was still standing on the steps watching her.
"What, Ethan?"
"Nothing." He said while still looking at her
"You're staring." She said
"I'm so lucky to have you in my life." He said
Lena rolled her eyes, saying, "You can say that again."
"See you tonight, Ethan."
Ethan nodded, saying, "Have a great day at work and see you tonight, Lena."
Lena got to the bus and quickly found a seat.
In the mirror, she saw Ethan still standing there, hands in his pockets, watching the bus disappear down the street.
For a moment, he looked strangely thoughtful.
Then the bus turned the corner, and the moment was gone.
- Writer
