Me Plus You

Stupidly Expensive Coffee..

Kelly was at the kitchen counter pouring coffee, yawning. Jesus he was tired! He carried the cups back into the bedroom where Stella was still asleep, face down in the pillow, the sheets tangled around her lower half.
For a long second he just stared at her sleeping. Dark curls splayed around his pillows. His groin tightened and he swore softly. His usual emotional and physical reaction the morning after was to try and politely part ways with the girl as soon as he could, yet having spent most of the night entangled with Stella on the couch and then the loft floor he still hadn't had enough. He had carried her exhausted to the bed after dawn just so they could get some sleep! And right now the last thing he wanted was for her to go anywhere.

"Wake up sleepyhead." The bed dipped under his weight.

Slowly her dark eyes opened, drowsy and weary.

"Morning." It was a softly groaned out response.

Holding the coffee to her, he grinned as she slowly struggled up. There was a childlike weariness on her face.

" What's up? Tired?"

"A little." She complained, gratefully taking the coffee. The sheet fell away from her top half and Kelly regretfully watched her pull it back up.
Sipping her coffee she closed her eyes in approval.

"Mmmmmm. This is nice coffee."

Laughing at her undisguised pleasure he leant over her and placed a light kiss on her nose.

"Unlike the instant rubbish you served me..."

"Well you're an officer and I'm only a lowly paid firefighter...you can afford stupidly expensive coffee."

Her eyes remained closed her back resting against the headboard.

"But you dont mind drinking my stupidly expensive coffee." He concluded as she breathed in the smell from her cup.

"Of course not.....Especially when it's free." She opened her still sleep heavy eyes and gave him a shrug. " Though I think I've earned it."

Kelly laughed out loud his eyes crinkling at the corners something that only happened when he was genuinely amused. Her banter came easily and on point and it was softening his usually hard edges without him even realising it.

"How long have you lived here? I'm in love with this apartment."
Stella looked around the bedroom masculine in its sparesness. Big windows over the bed with more fantastic views.

"Six years give or take."
It was after Shay died. Kelly swallowed another gulp of coffee and for a moment he was absorbed in the cup. Always that little jab of pain in his chest.

"Did I say something off?" She put a hesitant hand on his arm.

"No." Shaking his head he came back to the present.
"I moved here after Shay died. Well... I moved in with Casey and his ex wife Gabby for a while first. Then I moved here. "

Unconciously he had interlocked his fingers with hers, his thumb rubbing the inside of her palm.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to open up old wounds."

"You haven't. The wound hasn't ever closed."
There was a stoicism about him today unlike that night in Molly's, as if he had accepted it as a part of him.

He kissed her wrist.

"C'mon let me cook you some stupidly expensive eggs or whatever else your poor firefighter's heart desires."

Swinging his legs out of bed, he pulled out a t shirt from a drawer for her to wear and then held out a hand ignoring her disgruntled pout.

Stella took it reluctantly, really wanting to stay in the cosy bed, preferably with him, but she was kinda hungry too.