Chapter Twenty-One:AdamSunday Mornings
1296 Words
Adam was beginning to notice a pattern.
Every morning…
He woke up cold.
Not because the penthouse was cold.
Far from it.
It was because the warmth beside him had disappeared.
He smiled to himself before opening his eyes.
“You’re up already,” he murmured to the empty room.
The neatly made side of the bed answered him.
Sunlight poured through the bedroom windows, painting golden streaks across the hardwood floor.
He stretched lazily before sitting up.
His hair was a complete mess.
He glanced down at the beige pajama bottoms Alex had bought him.
They had quickly become his favorite.
They were ridiculously soft.
He chuckled.
“I might accidentally steal these.”
The faint aroma of coffee drifted through the hallway.
Followed by butter.
And toast.
“Of course…”
Adam climbed out of bed.
Barefoot, he wandered toward the kitchen.
Sure enough…
Alex stood at the stove once again.
Today he wore a charcoal T-shirt and comfortable lounge pants instead of his usual tailored clothes.
His hair wasn’t perfectly styled.
A few strands had fallen across his forehead.
It made him look years younger.
Less like Alexander Hayes, the intimidating businessman.
More like…
Just Alex.
Without thinking too much about it, Adam smiled.
An idea crossed his mind.
Quietly, he tiptoed across the kitchen.
Alex remained focused on breakfast.
When Adam reached him, he gently slipped his arms around Alex’s waist from behind.
For a split second, Alex stiffened in surprise.
Then…
He relaxed completely.
Adam rested his forehead lightly against the middle of Alex’s back.
“Good morning.”
Alex laughed softly.
“So that’s how we’re saying hello today?”
“I thought I’d try something different.”
Alex slowly turned within Adam’s embrace until they faced each other.
His eyes softened immediately.
“Did you sleep well?”
Adam nodded.
“I did.”
“What about you?”
“Better than I have in a long time.”
The answer came so naturally that Adam believed every word.
For a moment they simply looked at each other.
Then Alex reached up and gently brushed a strand of messy hair away from Adam’s forehead.
“I can see.”
“My hair is that bad?”
“It’s impressive.”
Adam laughed.
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“It was.”
Without another word, Alex leaned down and kissed him.
It was slow.
Gentle.
Unhurried.
The kind of kiss that felt more like a quiet greeting than anything dramatic.
Adam smiled into it.
When they separated, Alex rested his forehead lightly against his.
“I’ve been wanting to do that since I heard you walk into the kitchen.”
Adam felt his cheeks warm.
“You could’ve.”
“I know.”
Alex smiled before, with surprising ease, slipping one arm behind Adam’s back and another beneath his knees.
Before Adam could ask what he was doing, Alex lifted him effortlessly onto the kitchen island.
“Alex!”
“What?”
“You make it look far too easy.”
Alex stepped closer, his hands resting lightly at Adam’s waist.
“I work out.”
Adam rolled his eyes dramatically.
“I noticed.”
Alex chuckled and leaned in again, pressing another soft kiss to Adam’s lips.
Nothing hurried.
Nothing demanding.
Just quiet affection shared between two people enjoying the beginning of their morning.
Adam’s hands naturally settled around Alex’s shoulders.
His feet brushed lightly against Alex’s sides as they lingered there, smiling more than speaking.
Then—
A loud bubbling sound interrupted them.
Adam blinked.
“…I think your eggs are boiling over.”
Alex looked toward the stove.
“…They are.”
Adam laughed.
“You’d better save breakfast.”
Alex sighed dramatically.
“I suppose breakfast wins.”
“It usually should.”
Reluctantly, Alex stepped away to rescue the saucepan.
Adam sat on the island laughing quietly while watching him.
“You know,” he teased, “I don’t think anyone has ever been interrupted by eggs before.”
Alex looked over his shoulder.
“I’m choosing to blame you.”
“Me?”
“You distracted the cook.”
“I hugged the cook.”
“Worse.”
Adam laughed even harder.
“I’ll remember that.”
⸻
The rest of breakfast passed with easy conversation.
After cleaning up together, Adam carried his sketchbook toward the living room.
Alex appeared a few minutes later carrying several unopened art supplies.
“I wasn’t sure what kind of paints you liked.”
Adam looked at the neatly arranged boxes.
“You really bought all of this?”
Alex nodded.
“I figured you’d know what to do with them.”
Adam smiled warmly.
“You figured correctly.”
For the next few hours, the penthouse transformed into a temporary art studio.
Newspapers covered part of the floor.
Paint tubes lay scattered across the coffee table.
Adam painted.
Alex attempted to.
His attempt lasted about twenty minutes before Adam started laughing.
“What?”
Alex looked down at his canvas.
“I think it’s abstract.”
Adam walked over.
He studied it with exaggerated seriousness.
“…It certainly is.”
“You hate it.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“You were thinking it.”
Adam laughed.
“I think…”
He tapped his chin thoughtfully.
“…it has character.”
Alex narrowed his eyes.
“That’s the nicest way anyone has ever called my painting terrible.”
Adam couldn’t help it.
He burst into laughter.
“I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
“I’m really not.”
Soon Alex found himself laughing too.
The afternoon drifted by in a blur of paint-stained fingers, playful teasing, and quiet conversations.
No phones.
No schedules.
No interruptions.
Just time spent together.
Adam hadn’t realized how much he needed something so uncomplicated.
⸻
By evening, they made dinner together once again.
This time Alex insisted on chopping vegetables while Adam supervised.
“I don’t trust you with that knife.”
“I’m offended.”
“You’ll recover.”
“I probably will.”
After dinner, they cleaned the kitchen together before Alex glanced toward his watch.
His expression shifted slightly.
“I have one meeting.”
Adam nodded.
“I remember.”
“I tried moving it.”
“You already moved the others.”
Alex looked almost apologetic.
“It shouldn’t take too long.”
Adam smiled reassuringly.
“I’ll survive an hour without you.”
Alex studied him for a moment before stepping closer and pressing a brief kiss to his forehead.
“I’ll be as quick as I can.”
“I know.”
Adam watched him disappear down the hallway toward his home office.
The apartment became quiet again.
Not lonely.
Just… quiet.
Adam changed into comfortable clothes before climbing onto the bed with his phone.
He scrolled aimlessly through videos before settling on an anime series he had been meaning to watch.
Occasionally he smiled.
Occasionally he laughed softly to himself.
But every now and then…
His eyes wandered toward the bedroom door.
It was strange.
Just a few weeks ago, Alexander Hayes had been little more than the intimidating businessman who bought one of his paintings.
Now…
Waiting for Alex to finish a meeting felt oddly natural.
Adam leaned back against the pillows, listening to the faint murmur of Alex’s voice somewhere down the hallway.
The penthouse remained peaceful.
Comfortable.
Safe.
He smiled to himself.
The weekend hadn’t been exciting in the traditional sense.
There had been no lavish trips.
No grand adventures.
No extravagant plans.
Just breakfasts.
Painting.
Movies.
Conversations.
Quiet moments shared between two people who were slowly learning one another.
Adam had expected excitement.
Instead…
He found peace.
And somehow, that felt even better.
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