Harrison Avenue // H.S.

Monday Mornings

[Ellison]

Monday mornings are my favorite.

Now I know that if you ask any other person, they'll most likely disagree with me. But I'm going to stand strong on this one. Monday mornings are my favorite.

This isn't because I'm eager to get a jump start on my week, that's very far from the case because Monday mornings are slow, almost leisurely to the point where they feel like a Sunday. Monday mornings are my favorite because they are the mornings I get to spend with Harry.

Any other day of the week, he's up and ready before I even have a chance to open my eyes. Of course I always stumble myself out of bed, wrapped in a cocoon of blankets and messy hair with intentions to see him off for the day. If we're at my place I'll make him something for breakfast. At least I'll attempt to with my sleep eyes. Usually I can get something together... toast, or oatmeal, maybe get the coffee pot going. If I'm feeling really tired I'll just grab the cereal and milk, set it on the table, and try not to fall back asleep as I watch Harry scramble around getting ready for his day.

I've been banned from the kitchen in Harry and Ted's place. Something about the drunk kitchen fiasco of March 14thas Ted likes to call it. He glares at me any time I step foot into the kitchen, even if I'm just following Harry in there for juice or something extremely mundane. It's gone as far as Ted tacking up a poster with a picture of my face on it, reading "Elle Grey has been banned from this kitchen until further notice." Really it was just as much Harry's fault as it was mine, but Ted heavily favors him. So if we're at their place I cannot attend to my morning ritual of making the easiest breakfast food possible for Harry when it's four in the morning.

Monday mornings are consistently at my apartment and not Harry's. This partially has to do with Ted and my inability to be in their kitchen for more than a few minutes. But it's really because Monday mornings are just for Harry and me and we selfishly want to keep it that way.

It's the one day of the week that Harry doesn't have to work at the bakery. I still have to go about my daily responsibilities, still having school and often having to work in the evening. But I try to stay away from early morning classes and when I can I will switch shifts to turn a Monday morning spent with Harry to something that lasts most of the day.

This Monday morning isn't any different and I'm already grinning and giddy the moment my eyes open. Harry's eyes are still closed when I turn my head in his direction, breathing out deeply as he sleeps, which only adds to my already enthused mood.

My bed is right against the wall with the one window of my tiny place right next to it. This turned out to be a horrible idea during the winter when my apartment was already freezing without the single pane window adding to it at all. It's nice now that it's spring though, because I can wake up with the sun, or whenever the city decides is fit. Today I'm waking up to gray skies that should catapult a hatred for Monday even further. But I love Monday's and gray skies aren't so bad anyways.

I turn back to Harry, pulling on the blanket a little to cover more of my body as I scoot myself closer to him. For a while even on Monday's he wouldn't be able to sleep in past the normal time he has to wake up. He's gotten himself to stay asleep for a few hours longer by this point though, strategically staying up later on Sunday night to make it possible.

Even though I want to let him sleep because if anyone deserves a little rest, it's Harry, I'm too excited to be careful with my movements as I snuggle into him. It takes him a few seconds to wake from his sleep, yawning loudly as I feel his arms wrap around me, hugging me into him.

"Ellison," he says slowly, his voice raspy and filled with sleepiness. "Have you decided it's time to wake up?"

"Suppose so," I mumble into him, my voice being muffled by his chest. "Thought I'd offer some incentive..."