The scent of cooking bacon had filled my nose. It smelled so delicious, and it was very tempting to get up out of bed and thank Xander for making food that I was going to definitely eat. I don't remember the last time I actually had a nicely made meal for breakfast. That would require me to get out of bed earlier than I usually do, so it's been a while.
Wait.
I wasn't in my bed.
My eyes shot open, immediately being blinded by the light that was shining through the big ass windows. I squinted at the sun and rubbed my eyes, trying to figure out where I was. And then it all came back to me. I fell asleep last night here in Summer's apartment. She fell asleep here, too. Wait, where is she?
"Ow! Shit!"
A loud clang came from the kitchen area, and I stood up immediately. I ran over towards the noise and didn't see anyone there.
"Uh. Summer?"
"Down here."
I walked around the small island in the kitchen and saw her sitting on the floor, pans scattered around her. She was holding onto her foot as she looked up at me.
"I'm sorry, did I wake you up? I didn't mean to."
I shook my head and crouched down next to her, "No no you didn't. Are you alright? What happened?"
"Um," she looked embarrassed as I helped her to stand up. "I was trying to grab a pan that was underneath all the rest of the pans, but I dropped them instead. And one landed on my foot. Not the greatest way to start the day."
She limped over to the stove that had bacon sizzling in a pan and flipped the pieces. I laughed as I bent down, picking up the kitchen appliances that were on the floor. I neatly stacked them together and set them in the cabinet, earning an amused looked from Summer.
Then something clicked.
"Oh, fuck!" I practically yelled.
Summer dropped the tongs she had in her hand and slightly jumped, alarmed at my outburst, "What? What's wrong?"
I ran a hand through my hair and pulled out my phone, walking out of the kitchen, "I was supposed to clean the kitchen this morning."
Leaving the room, I quickly punched in the numbers and waited for the line to pick up. I paced back and forth in front of the window, looking out at the city.
"Hey there, lover boy. What's crackalackin'?"
"Izzy, I completely forgot to get up this morning and clean the kitchen!"
She laughed on the other end, "I know, don't worry. I took care of it last night."
"What? Last night?" My panicked state was starting to die down a little bit.
"Yeah. You didn't come back to your apartment. I figured you were getting down and dirty with your new girl, so I called someone else and told them to clean it."
"You did?"
I was a bit surprised. I didn't know she would be so kind to do something like that. I know that she knows how I usually am when I stay out. She's witnessed it first hand. I had no idea that she would remember and call someone else to do my job.
Isabella laughed again at me, "Yes. Well actually, it was Xander's idea, so you should thank him. I thought about it, but I would've forgotten if he didn't say something."
So it wasn't technically her. There's that.
"So what did you tell them about me not showing up?"
"I just said you were sick and couldn't come in."
I groaned at her response, running my hand through my hair again, "Izzy, you know how much I hate lying."
"Chill out, dude. You didn't lie. I did," her voice was tainted with annoyance of me. "Most people would be like 'Wow thanks, Izzy! You're so nice for calling in for me!'"
Rolling my eyes, my hand slid down my face, "Ugh, fine. Thank you, Izzy."
"That's what I thought. You're welcome."
It was silent between us for a moment, and I could hear Summer dropping something else in the kitchen. Before I could say something to end the conversation, Isabella spoke up.
"So, how was your new girl? Was it good? Do I have some competition?"
It took me a moment to figure out what she was talking about, and when I did, I rolled my eyes again. "First of all, I did not sleep with her. And second, that is none of your business anyways!"
"That's always my business. I make it a point to know. I've got to be aware of who I'm competing with."
"You're not competing against Summer. There is no competition," I didn't know why she always wanted to drag on conversations.
"Harsh a bit?" I would've apologized after, but I knew she was full on smirking on the other end of the phone, a sure sign that she was only joking. She has a unique sense of humor. "So, her name is Summer? I never understood why people name their child after a season. Like Autumn or Summer. It's weird, don't you agree?"
I sighed dramatically so she would get the hint, "I've got to go. I'll talk to you later."
Without waiting for a response, I hung up the phone and stuck it back into my pocket. I walked back in the kitchen to see it a bigger mess than how it was when I left not too long ago. Summer was standing at the stove, making something with eggs. She must've heard me come in because she turned around to look at me with a concerned expression.
"Is everything alright? I didn't get you fired, did I?"
"No, of course not. Why would you get me fired?" I walked up to her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.
"Well you were supposed to go to the restaurant this morning, but you were sleeping here. That's my fault."
"It's not your fault. I didn't wake up when I was supposed to. But it's okay because it's already been settled. So no worries," my eyes watched her movements with the spatula and pan. "What are you making anyways?"
Summer took her eyes off of me and focused on cooking, "Hopefully an omelet. My nanny used to make these for me when I was younger. I'm trying to remember how it goes."
The look of concentration on her face made me laugh, "Don't forget to flip it."
As I walked away from her to grab a glass of water, she looked at me with worry, "Flip? I have to flip this?"
"Yeah, that's how you cook the other side."
Her eyes grew large as she looked back and forth between me and the eggs, "Oh god. This is going to be a total failure."
I couldn't stop laughing at her. I don't think she could do anything to make me not think she was so cute. As I approached her, I took the pan from her grip and finished making the omelet, including flipping it. Summer watched me the whole time, seeming to be amazed at my ability to flip eggs.
When they were done, I set them on the plates she set out. I told her to go sit down at the counter and I'd bring everything to her. She protested at first, saying it was her idea to make and serve breakfast, but she eventually gave up trying to argue with me. I think she got the hint that I wasn't going to back down.
As Summer huffed and pouted her bottom lip, I poured her a cup of tea and set it in front of her. She jokingly glared at me before giggling like a little girl.
I grabbed the plate that had half of the omelet on it and handed it to her, "Bon appétit."
"Oh shut up," she rolled her eyes at me and started eating the food.
I couldn't help but chuckle before I sat down in the stool next to her. The two of us ate breakfast with a bit of small talk but mostly teasing each other. I think that was our thing. We had a tendency to just pick on each other at all times, and I think that was one of the things I loved most.
When we finished eating, Summer and I sat out on the balcony, looking at the city below us. It was a bit chilly from the wind because we were so high up, but it wasn't unbearable. I had my arms wrapped around Summer as she leaned herself into me.
"Do you have plans for the day?" she quietly asked, seeming to still be tired.
"Not really. I was just going to go back to my place to let my roommate know I'm still alive."
"Oh," her voice was so quiet, I almost didn't hear her.
Something inside me was eager yet scared to say what I was going to say next. I don't know. I wanted to just go for it and throw every worry out the window, but I was so scared she would see me in somewhat of a different way. Nevertheless, I said it anyways.
"Um. Do you want to come with me?" I could feel the nervousness in my voice as the words left my mouth.
Summer turned to look up at me, "To your apartment?"
"Y-yeah. Just to say hi to the roommate. And probably change my clothes. We don't need to stay there for long. I just know you maybe wanted to see the place."
A smile graced her lips as she nodded her head, "Okay. Yeah, I'd love to."
***
We took the subway down to the nearest stop by my building. It was only the second occassion for Summer to use that version of transportation, but I think she was already used to it. The streets were crowded with tourists and loads of people with shopping bags. It was already the afternoon, so the sun was shining down on us very intensely.
"So, what's your roommate's name?" Summer asked as we turned down one street.
"Xander," I responded. I looked down at her, my facial expression probably giving off the vibe that I was anxious she was coming over, "By the way, just as a warning, he may have someone over. So don't be surprised if there's a girl half naked."
She gave me a look of confusion before laughing it off, "Alright, I'll keep that in mind."
As we neared the building, my heart rate was so fast. I was just so nervous for her to see the difference in living space between her place and mine. Seriously, the apartments were dramatically dissimilar. The bathroom in her place was nicer looking than the front lobby of my building. That should say something.
"This is it," I said, pointing to the building in front of us.
She looked it up and down and smiled, "Cool. What floor are you on?"
"Uh. The ninth."
I took a deep breath, trying to conceal my uneasiness about this whole thing. I mean, what if we get there and Xander walks out in his boxers? Or if Isabella is there and she's wearing nothing but a shirt? Even worse, what if Xander is there alone and he's watching another porno on the tv?
For fucks sake. This was definitely going to be interesting. I could only hope it doesn't scare Summer away.
We reached my door, and I unlocked it, slowly pushing it open. My eyes were basically shut because I was scared of what I'd possibly see. As the door opened all the way, I was relieved to see no one there.
I stepped inside with Summer following close behind. She looked around the front area where the couch was and in the kitchen. I was pretty much terrified of her reaction.
"So this is where you live?" she asked as she turned her eyes back on me. I nervously nodded my head in response. "It's cute. It has a cozy kind of feel to it. I like it."
"You do?" My voice betrayed me as it completely showed how surprised I was by her answer.
"Yeah, of course. I've been looking for a smaller place, kind of like this. I like it."
"Oh," I had no idea what else to say. "Um. Thanks."
The door to Xander's room opened, and I mentally cursed myself. This was about to get awkward.
A/N:
Hii! I hope you're enjoying this story! I know it's taking a bit of time for Harry to figure out who Summer is, but it's because I kind of have a bunch of things I want to happen before then :) xx