It Started With Hello

Chap. 58

The next morning, Emma's eyes slowly opened as the sun from the window shone through the blinds. The first thing she realized was that she wasn't home; she'd slept over at Blake's, in his bed. They had watched movies and talked until they both fell asleep together. Glancing over at the TV, she saw it was now off, even though she remembered falling asleep in the middle of a Spider-Man movie. At first, she was nervous about staying over, thinking what would happen if his parents came back in the middle of the night. But as the night went on and she saw no sign of either of them returning, she got more and more relaxed, to the point of falling asleep.

She also took note that she was now in bed by herself. Where was Blake? she wondered, nuzzling her face against his blanket, loving the smell of his cologne. Finally sitting up, she stretched her hands over her head, yawning. She didn't even want to get out of bed, but she wanted to find Blake. She stood from the bed, her naked feet meeting the cool wood floor as she padded over to the door. Cracking it open, looking around the empty hallway, she still saw no sign of anyone.

Walking downstairs, the smell of burning food hit her nose, making her cringe. Following the smell, it led her to the kitchen, where she saw Blake attempting to scrape a burnt pancake off a pan. "Fuck it," he whispered. Though his back was to her, she could tell he was frustrated by the pancakes. He was wearing boxers and a simple black V-neck T-shirt, which was messy with flour and what looked like eggs. She smiled slightly, sitting at the kitchen table, hands folded neatly on top of the table.

"Maybe I should just order them instead?" he said, rubbing his jaw.
She let out a small giggle through her hand. "I think that's a good idea, too."
He stopped trying to pry the pancake off the pan, setting it on top of the oven, and turned, looking at her shyly. "Surprise... um, I wanted to try cooking you breakfast, but turns out I'm shit at cooking." She laughed. She didn't want to agree with him, but the burning smell was literally making it hard to breathe.
She watched as the smoke from the burning pancakes rose into the air.

She pointed towards the pan in front of him. He quickly faced forward. "Shit!" He took the pan off the heat, waving his hand in the air. He quickly turned off the oven. "I mean... it may still be good."
She stood, walking over to stand beside him, looking down at the dark, oddly-shaped pancakes. "I don't know about that, Blake." she laughed. He raised a brow, picking up a fork, handing it to her. She took it, looking at him like he was crazy.

"Try a little bit," he said cutely, making her smile. She didn't mean to crush his spirits, but this pancake literally looked like death. But she couldn't say no while looking at his adorable morning face, hair all messy over his eyes. Sighing, she stuck the fork into the pancake. Trying to cut it, it was like cutting rubber; it was acting like it didn't want to be cut. It was as if these pancakes were made of leather or something.

Finally, she was able to pull off a small bit. Looking up at him, she raised the fork slightly. "On my gravestone, make sure to let them know my death was your fault."

He laughed while she pulled it into her mouth. While chewing it, she noticed the texture was gritty and hard, and somehow it had a burnt yet salty taste that had her gagging. "Oh my God!" She placed her hand over her mouth when she felt crunchy bits inside. Speed walking to the trashcan, opening the lid, she spat it out, still having the awful taste in her mouth.

"Okay, so I'll order us pancakes?"
She nodded with a grimace on her face. He picked up his phone from the counter, typing away. She assumed he was ordering the food. "Didn't you say you had to pick up Alex from his friend's house today?"

He nodded, setting his phone on the counter, picking up the burnt pancake, throwing it in the trash. He came back to the sink, attempting to scrub it clean. "Yeah, I do, but I'm picking him up at one. I thought we could do something fun while we wait, though." She sat back at the table, watching his back. He turned, looking at her. "I'm going to take you driving." He smiled, watching her eyes widen.