SugarCOAT

75. Friend Zone 🚦

A.B. texted me at 7 a.m. saying he was on his way. I know I said bright and early, but can I get a few more hours of sleep? Even Monica was still knocked out. I ended up grabbing anything to wear, brushing my teeth, and washing my face before going outside to get in his car.

"Good morning, Jamie."

"Mmm-mmph," I mumbled as I put on my seatbelt and reclined the seat.

A.B. chuckled, "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Mmmmh."

"Donuts? Eggs? Grits?"

"Anything."

He rubbed my arm. "Go back to sleep," he told me.

I woke up to the smell of sausages. I sat up in one of the most comfortable beds I'd ever slept in. It was more comfortable than the bed back at the Rivers' Residence. I pulled the covers back and hopped out the bed. After stretching, I walked over to the door and opened it. I left the bedroom to see A.B. cooking. His back was to me as I tip-toed to the open kitchen. I was ready to scare him when my stomach growled.

"Hungry?" A.B. asked.

I smacked my lips. "Are you serious?" I looked down at my stomach. The betrayal!

A.B. turned around with two full plates. "French toast, scrambles eggs, grits, and sausage."

"Thank you for this and for letting me sleep." I sat down on a bar stool.

"Anytime. Do you want orange juice, milk, or water to drink?" He asked.

I rubbed my hands together. "Orange juice."

A.B. grabbed two small bottles of orange juice and put them on the bar top. Then, he sat next to me on the other bar stool. He said grace, and then we ate.

"You didn't have to put me in your bed. I would've slept on the couch with no problem." I chewed my food.

A.B. smiled, "That was all you. You walked in my room and got in the bed. I just left you alone."

I put my fork down. "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. You've been working hard. If you need to go back to sleep after we eat, you can do that."

I placed my hand on his shoulder. "Thank you, but I want to spend time with you." There I go again - overstepping the boundaries.

"When do you go back to L.A.?" He asked me.

"Thursday. I really don't want to go back." I started to eat again. "Well, the one thing I really need to accomplish is getting this album finished with a release date."

A.B. nodded his head. "What happened to that song you were gonna let me hear."

"Oh, yeah. I re-sung 'Psalm 5.' I listened to Maranatha sing it. I loved the simplicity and that it was directly from the Bible. I thought it would be great as an ending to the album."

A.B. glanced at me without saying anything.

"What?" My heart tried to skip a beat, but I giggled to confuse it. 

"Can you sing it - acapella?"

I opened my orange juice and took a sip.

A.B. wiped his mouth on a napkin before completely turning his body to face me.