Then There Was Maverick

Chapter 15

~ Katie ~

When I awoke the next morning, the sheets on the opposite side of the bed from me were pulled back and folded over to the side and there was a spot of warmth as if someone had slept next to me and left only a few minutes prior. I turned back the covers on my side of the bed as I slowly sat up and placed my feet on the cold hardwood floors. A shiver ran up my body and I noticed a powerful throbbing pain that coursed through my head. I quickly closed the blinds that were left open the day before and made my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth in hopes of removing the bitter taste that took over my mouth. I spread the minty substance across the bristles of my toothbrush and cleaned my mouth of the less than delightful taste. After rinsing my mouth out multiple times with water to be sure all of the residue was gone, I opened the bottle of Tylenol on the counter, shook two out into my hand, and popped them into my mouth, quickly washing them down with another gulp of water.

When I opened the bedroom door, I was greeted with the scent of fresh bacon, reminding me that I wasn't the only one that decided they needed a break from life this weekend. I stepped off the last step and into the view of the kitchen, my cheeks began to flame in a burst of bright red as my sight fell upon a shirtless Mason whose back was turned to me giving me the perfect view of his toned and defined muscles that were, no doubt, a result of many years of football training. He was humming to the song he was listening to through his headphones as he carefully flipped bacon in a pan full of grease while occasionally directing his attention to a pot that sat on the burner beside his bacon pan. Making my way over to the cabinet behind him to get a glass from above the kitchen sink, I realized that there were no more glasses within my reach. I lifted myself onto my tiptoes and stretched as far as I could in hopes of grazing the glass to knock it in my direction. I suddenly felt a pair of hands at my waist that scooted me over slightly and grabbed the glass I was reaching for just moments before. I turned to face Mason who wore a smug expression, "You could've just asked, you know? Although it was pretty entertaining watching your cute little attempt." Mason's hands had now returned to my waist as I leant back against the counter. His eyes bore into mine, and he almost seemed to be conflicted as his hand rose to my face and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. He gently stroked my cheek with the backside of his fingers before cupping my face with his calloused hand. I was all too aware of my close distance from the boy. The warmth of his presence washed over me as I tried to decipher the emotions swimming in his eyes as his stare bore into me. The smell of burning bacon snapped us out of our trance. "Shit," he muttered as he tried to salvage the last few pieces of bacon that were in the pan. I stood in the same place as I watched him plate the bacon and pull biscuits from the oven. He turned his head over his shoulder to face me again and gestured toward the cabinet in a way that made me assume that he was asking me to get the plates down. I collected the plates from the cabinet and some silverware from the drawer beside Mason.

I began to place some food on each plate while Mason busied himself with cleaning the bacon pan in the sink. I carefully removed two biscuits from the pan and split them in half before pouring some of the gravy over the top of them, just as my mom used to do for us as kids. Once I finished preparing the plates, I turned and sat them at the place settings on the end of the island in the kitchen. As I sat down, Mason approached the island with two glasses of orange juice in hand. He placed a glass in front of me and pulled on his shirt before sitting to join me. "I see you still abide by your dad's table rule," I commented in efforts to end the silence that had blanketed the kitchen. Mason looked up from his plate, amusement dancing in his eyes, "I think we both remember what happened the last time that I came to the table without a shirt on." I laughed at the memory of a young Mason standing in the corner, eating his lunch, away from everyone else in this very kitchen.