Arranged to Him

Waffles and Butter

When I woke up, the light from morning was pouring through the massive windows, and he was gone. His bed was much warmer than mine for some reason, and I couldn't help but indulge in the soft blankets that had enveloped me all night.

I heard some banging in the kitchen, so I assumed he had left for work and Marie was making breakfast for me. With a groan, I got up and padded to his bathroom, which was attached to his bedroom. Whereas mine was filled with marble and pristine white, his had black facets and edging, giving it a clean but manly feel.

I had no idea how much it cost, but I was sure it was entirely too much for a simple black facet made by a machine. Very little of what he had was handmade, and yet, because of the supposed better brand, it was insanely expensive. His mother's house was far more modest and reasonable, and her facets had a smidgen of rust on it. It felt like home as opposed to a hospital.

I took a luxuriously long shower, cleaning myself and finding quite a few marks from our lovemaking. I also had bled a bit, but while I was sore it wasn't unbearable. I didn't want to walk through the house naked, so I tossed my dirty clothes in his laundry basket and raided his sweats from his black dresser. They were large, but I pulled the drawstring and made it work. They were insanely comfortable compared to the formal clothes he had bought for me, and I knew I needed some ASAP.

I went out of the room slowly, hoping to sneak into my room, but instead of it being Marie it was James. He was cooking for me shirtless and had already emptied half the fridge, it seemed, into various pots and pans. It smelled divine, and I sat down at the counter instead. He stopped when he saw me, and he seemed nervous even after he resumed cooking.

"Ah, there you are Anaya! I was hoping to be done when you got up." He said apologetically, putting scrambled eggs on a plate that already had waffles, strawberries, and sausage on it.

"This looks amazing, thanks for cooking!" I said, beaming and digging in, suddenly ravenous.

"Right...so...about last night. I noticed...are you okay? I didn't realize it was your first time. You have to forgive me. I thought you were with Joseph." He confessed to having noticed the blood also. He poured me a cup of juice and glanced at me nervously as if trying to gauge my expression.

"Well, you wouldn't have done it if you knew it was! Do you have any butter, maybe for the waffles?" I asked, changing the subject and enjoying every bite of his delectable breakfast. He gave a short nod and grabbed it, handing it to me, still uneasy.

"Did you enjoy it?" He asked after a long, awkward moment.

"It's butter, so yes," I said crisply between bites.

"No, I mean...being with me." He said with a soft chuckle.

"Oh! Of course. Why wouldn't I? Did you not enjoy it?" I asked, horrified at the very thought. I had no idea what I was doing, so I let him lead the whole time.

"No! I loved it. Actually, it was quite unlike anything I had ever had before. Something about you just brings out the devil in me, I think. Most people like it more vanilla, I think ." He explained again as if apologizing for killing my dog, his brown eyes so serious and concerned.

"The waffles?" I asked cluelessly.

"No, last night! Vanilla means...normal sex." He explained poorly.

"We had abnormal sex?" I asked, confused.

"No! Yes... a bit. It wasn't normal, but there wasn't anything abnormal about it. Usually, the women I sleep with are older and more experienced, so I explain to them ahead of time how I like things. I kind of surprised you."

I was beyond confused and annoyed he was ruining a perfectly good breakfast.

"You talk too much. It was good. You will have to sleep with me again soon. I don't know why you are so weird with these things." I said abruptly, eating my waffles with the butter and strawberries, the waffles practically melting in my mouth.

He seemed relieved and smiled finally. He was back to his normal, confident self as if by magic.

"Very well. I hope you don't mind me keeping you company for breakfast, then? I have a long day today at work, but I wanted to spend a bit of time with you." He told me sweetly, pulling a stool over to me and sitting with me with his own plate piled high with an unhealthy amount of food.

"I put off the trip to Martin's place while you healed, but maybe we could reschedule for a few weeks out?" He asked me warmly. It felt like, at that moment, we were finally moving to be husband and wife, talking about work and not strangers living together.

"Of course." I agreed easily, not wanting to ruin the mood even though I told him not to involve me in such things. He smiled a handsome, charming smile, his eyes full of adoration for me, and his food went untouched.

"You're beautiful. I want to give you the world, but it's not enough." He told me without a hint of a lie.

"All I need is you," I told him sweetly again, breaking my promise to myself not to let myself fall in love with him. He was quickly becoming the center of my world, and I loved it. Being with him was better than any drug that could be offered to me.