Small

Pancakes

I had to remind myself when I woke up the next morning that I wasn't at Owen's anymore. I was sleeping in a bed that was all mine with stuffed animals surrounding me. I almost felt out of place.

The bedroom door opened and I froze. I was facing the other direction so I figured if I stayed still, Darren would think I was still sleeping.

Except he walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge of it. "Aly? Are you awake?"

I wanted to pretend I was asleep so he would leave but the sudden dip of the bed caused me to jump.

"Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you. I was going to make breakfast and I wanted to see if you wanted anything."

"I'm allowed to have breakfast?"

He paused before answering. "Well... yeah. You have to eat something."

I rolled onto my back but gripped the blanket tight against my body. Owen usually didn't make me breakfast. He didn't care for it so he never even thought of making anything for me. I had gotten used to not eating in the mornings but it always seemed like something I should have been doing. "What can I have?"

"Well, what do you want?"

I shrugged. Food wasn't something I enjoyed like I knew most people did. In all the shows and movies, people enjoyed mealtimes with friends and family. They enjoyed cooking and eating. To me, it was only a hassle for Owen.

Darren leaned back on his hands. "Do you like pancakes?"

"I don't know. I've never had them before."

Darren raised his eyebrows. "Do you want to try them? I can make us some homemade pancakes."

"Okay."

He got to his feet and headed to the door. He stopped in the doorway and looked back at me. "Do you want to get changed first?"

I nodded. "Can I do it myself?"

"Yeah, of course. Everything is in the dresser. Come on out when you're done."

I waited until he was out of the room and down the hall before I got out of bed. I shut the door quietly before looking for what I needed.

I had only been with Darren for a few days but he was already proving to be different than Owen. He was kind and considerate and way nicer than Owen ever was to me. I was still nervous being around him as I hadn't seem the real him yet. Would he hit me? Touch me like Owen had? I didn't know what to expect from him.

I opened the door and peaked out into the hallway. I could hear Darren in the kitchen at the opposite end of the hall. The sound of a spoon moving in a bowl reminded me that he was making pancakes from scratch. I didn't exactly know if that was hard or not but I never saw Owen do anything like that so I assumed it was.

I walked down the hallway and stopped when I saw him. He was moving around the kitchen as he gathered what he needed. He added some eggs into the bowl and started stirring them in. His body was relaxed and not at all stressed or confused like I expected. Not everyone was good in the kitchen.

He moved his gaze from the bowl in his hand to the counter before lifting to look at me. He gestured at me with the bowl. "Do you know how to cook?"

I wasn't allowed to use the stove or oven or even the microwave. Owen didn't want me making a mess or setting the house on fire. I didn't blame him but it meant I didn't know what I was doing to feed myself. Which, over time, became a problem.

I shook my head.

"Do you want me to show you?" I was all for a lesson on how to cook things but seeing as I didn't really know this guy, I didn't want to get too close just yet.

"Can I watch?"

"Sure. Take a seat at the bar."

I pulled out one of the stools and sat facing him. A cookbook laid out on the counter along with measuring spoons and cups. Flour was scattered on the counter as if he had spilled it.

Darren mixed the batter before pouring it into a pan on stove. It sizzled and produced a smell that made my stomach rumble. It smelled sort of sweet but with a hint of something else. I hoped it tasted as good as it smelled.

Darren got two plates out from the cabinet and put two pancakes on each plate. He set them down at the bar before going to the fridge. He grabbed several things and laid them out on the bar as well. A tall bottle with something brown in it, a container of butter, and the milk.

He grabbed a coffee mug for himself and a sippy cup for me and filled them both with milk.

"So... um... how do I eat these?"

He smiled as he took a seat beside me. "You have to cut them into bite sized pieces. Do you want me to do that for you?"

I nodded.

He pulled my plate toward him and picked up his fork and knife. He cut my pancakes up before sliding it back over to me. "You can eat them with butter and maple syrup if you want. Or you can eat them by themselves."

"What do you do?"

He reached for the butter and spread it over the pancakes with his knife. "I do both. My mom likes them with peanut butter but I wouldn't go that far."

I scrunched my nose at the thought of peanut butter with a breakfast food. To me, peanut butter went best with jelly.

He grabbed the bottle of what I assumed to be maple syrup and poured it over the pancakes. "Have you had maple syrup before?"

I shook my head.

He made a noise in the back of his throat as he poured a little on my plate. "I can't believe he never gave you any."

"I wasn't given breakfast. I guess there's a lot I haven't tried."

"Well we'll have to have breakfast more so you can see what you like and don't like." I liked the sound of trying more foods and getting to do more. But it did intimidate me. It felt like there was so much I hadn't done and had to experience that it seemed scary to me. "Go ahead and try some."

I looked down at my plate before I picked up my fork. I covered the piece of pancake with the syrup before putting the food in my mouth. To say that the syrup was sweet was an understatement. It paired well with the pancake and made it seem like I was eating a dessert rather than a breakfast food. But I wasn't going to complain because I really liked it.

"Well?"

I swallowed my bite before stabbing another piece with my fork. "It's good."

"Just good?"

I smiled and put the fork in my mouth. If I got spoiled with food like pancakes in the morning, maybe things wouldn't be so bad with Darren.

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Edited 11/25/21