Small

We Can't Live Off Pancakes

Hi, guys! This chapter is a newly added chapter that will fill the gap between the previous chapter and the next chapter (which will also be edited). Let me know what you think!

---

When I woke up, Darren was gone from the room. I had moved from my spot on the left side of the bed and into the middle, taking up the whole space with my stretched-out limbs.

I pushed my hair out of my face as I sat up. I blinked a few times as I forced myself to wake up.

I grabbed Ted as I decided to venture out into the hallway. From the doorway to Darren's room, I could hear him talking.

Did someone come to see him?

I cautiously walked out of the hallway and into the living room. As I glanced around the room, I was even more confused when I didn't see Darren or anyone there. Was I missing something?

I heard Darren talking behind me and followed the sound of his voice to his office. He sat behind his desk with his phone pressed against his ear. As I entered the doorway, he waved me over.

I walked over to his desk and stood at the end. I looked down at the pens and pencils he had neatly sitting side by side. He had several pieces of paper over a large calendar and his computer was on the left side of the desk, open to a search engine.

He nodded to himself as he listened to who was on the other end. After several seconds, he finally spoke. "I'm sure Jackson will be eager to see the reports. Send me the confirmation email and I'll mark that time off in my calendar."

My eyes moved to the large calendar and I wondered what he was talking about.

"Thanks, Allen." He set his phone down on his desk and turned to me. "Hey, Aly."

"Who were you talking to?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "Are you hungry?"

I looked at him. waiting on him to answer my question. I wasn't sure why he was avoiding it.

He sighed. "My boss, Allen."

"What were you talking about?"

"Work stuff. I was filling him in on a project I've been working on."

I nodded.

"I have to go away for a conference this weekend. We're pitching a new idea to some big wigs and they want me there since I'm apparently good at negotiating."

I swallowed. "What does that mean for me?"

"Well... you can't stay home by yourself. I was going to ask my mom if you could stay the night until I get home."

"She would let me stay the night?"

He nodded. "Yeah, she likes you. I'm sure she'd like having you over."

"How long are you gonna be gone for?"

He stood up and pushed his chair back. "Just for the night unless something comes up."

I stared down at the top of his desk as I built up the courage to ask him what was on my mind. "Are you gonna come back for me?"

His features softened and he took a step toward me. He put his hand on my back and pulled me in for a hug. "Of course, Aly. My mom would kill me if I didn't come back for you."

"Are you gonna miss me?"

He smiled and a soft chuckle left his lips. "There's nowhere I'd rather be than right here with you."

My heart skipped and I wrapped my arms around him. I hated the thought of him leaving, especially overnight. But it made me happy to know he would miss me while he was gone.

"Do you want me to make pancakes for you? I'm sure you're hungry."

I looked up at him with wide eyes. "I'm always hungry for pancakes."

He took a step back and held out his hand for me. "Let's go then."

I put my hand in his and followed him from his office. Owen only left a handful of times when I lived with him. Sometimes, he told me he was going and other times he just never showed up after leaving to go somewhere. I had been stuck in the house my entire life. Any errands he ran or groceries he went to get, he did alone. I was eager and excited to do those things with Darren.

Darren started making the pancake batter while I sat at the bar. I set Ted on the counter in front of me and brushed my fingers over his fur to smooth it out.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You can ask me anything, Aly."

"When you come back from your work trip, can we do something?"

"Like what?"

"Like... go grocery shopping or clothes shopping or something."

He set the bowl of batter on the counter by the stove and turned to face me. "This is a bit sudden. What made you want to go grocery shopping out of the blue?"

"I want to spend time with you."

He chuckled. "We already spend most of our time together. Is that not enough?"

I scowled at Ted, trying to think of the right way to phrase what I meant so he'd understand. "I like being here with you because it's familiar but I want to go out of the house."

"So you want to be around other people?"

"Yeah."

He walked over to the bar and leaned against it. "We could start with grocery shopping. I need to get... a lot. We can't live off pancakes all the time."

"I don't see why not."

"You're funny, Aly."

"So how long are you going to be gone for?"

He walked back over to the stove and poured the batter into a pan. It sizzled when it hit the hot surface. "Just overnight. I'm leaving Friday morning and I won't be back until Saturday afternoon."

I frowned. That only gave me two days with him before he had to leave. It was the first time he had to go away for work and it made me nervous to think of how I was going to handle it. I liked his mom but I liked him just a little more.

"I'll call my mom after breakfast and talk to her. I'm sure she'll say yes. She's always looking for reasons to be useful."

"She took care of you growing up so she's always useful."

He turned and smiled at me. "I guess you're right. Tell my mom you said that and she'll love you even more."

I nodded.

He walked over to me and stood beside my chair. He put his hand on the back of the chair. "The sooner we do it, the sooner we won't have to worry about it anymore."

I sighed.

"It's not going to be as bad as you think. I don't go away for work often so you won't have to worry about that after this weekend."

That made me feel better to know.

"Okay."

He patted Ted before walking back to the stove. "How many pancakes do you want?"

"As many as I can have."