Love Me Never

26| Coffee

"Morning." I grabbed her waist, walking her backward until we reached the kitchen island. 

Her hair was pulled up in a high ponytail and her skin glowed since she washed her face before coming down here. I put my hands around her waist, pulling her up and placing her on the counter. She reached up, pinching my cheeks then my nose. I blinked in confusion, staring at her. "I like seeing you blush," she teased. 

I laughed, leaning forward and kissing her. She kissed me back, one hand resting at the base of my neck, her fingers ever so lightly tugging at my hair that sent chills down to the bone of my spine. I tightened my grip on her, deepening the kiss. 

A minute later, she pulled away and looked over my shoulder. "Your hash browns are burning." 

"I guess that means you don't like burnt hash browns, huh?" 

She laughed, pushing me softly. 

I turned around and turned off the gas, pulling the hash browns onto plates before grabbing two mugs and pouring out some coffee in them. Simultaneously, she opened the fridge and grabbed some milk and then sugar from the cabinet. She made the coffee while I set the plates on the counter. 

"Please tell me you take sugar in your coffee now." She glanced at me over her shoulder. 

"I still don't take sugar in my coffee, sorry," I mumbled, kissing the side of her head. 

"I hate bitter coffee," she groaned. 

"Well then, it's a good thing you don't need to have any," I laughed, both of us sitting across from each other. 

"Do we have the place to ourselves today?" 

I nodded. "Why? What do you want to do?" I smirked. 

Her eyes narrowed. "Definitely not what you're hoping for, Rhys." 

"Well, that's just unfortunate," I frowned, taking another bite. 

She giggled, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. We both ate slowly, having our own conversation. 

By the time I was done, I looked up at her and found her sitting there with her chin in the palm of her hand while she stared at me. I cleared our plates, leaving them in the sink with our empty mugs, and then turning to her. She had spun in her barstool and was still watching me. "What?" I asked, putting my hands on the counter. 

"Nothing," she mumbled, brushing my hair back. "I'm just happy. With the way, things are going. But I want to ask you something." 

"Go ahead, my love." 

She chuckled softly, her cheek turning pink at the nickname. She cleared her throat. "Do you think things could ever go back to the way they were? Between us?" 

I thought for a moment, her eyes searching mine for the answer. "I don't know," I answered honestly, "but I hope so." 

"Yeah?" 

"Hmm, yeah." 

"Me too," she said softly. She sighed, grabbing onto my shoulders and pulling me down. "I love you," she whispered.