Crossing the line

26: Morning

AVA

The soft light of morning filtered through the curtains, warming my skin as I slowly blinked awake. I stretched lazily, expecting to feel Jake's warmth beside me, but when I reached out, my hand landed on cool sheets. I sat up, my heart skipping a beat as I glanced around the room.

Where was he?

I frowned, brushing a hand through my hair, still groggy from sleep. The night before had been... perfect. Everything I had imagined and more. The memory of it brought a soft smile to my lips, but the empty space beside me now had my nerves on edge. What if Jake had freaked out and left?

No, that wasn't like him. Not after everything we'd been through. I slipped out of bed, pulling on the oversized t-shirt I kept draped over the chair in the corner, and padded toward the door, determined to figure out where he'd gone.

As I stepped into the hallway, the smell of something delicious hit me-bacon, maybe eggs too. My curiosity piqued, I headed toward the kitchen, and that's when I saw him.

Jake stood at the stove, shirtless, wearing nothing but sweatpants that hung low on his hips. His back was to me, muscles flexing as he moved, and for a second, I just stared, feeling the heat rise in my cheeks. The sight of him so at ease in my kitchen, cooking breakfast like he belonged there, made my heart swell.

"Good morning," I said, leaning against the doorframe, trying to sound casual despite the fact that my pulse was racing.

He turned around, a smile spreading across his face when he saw me. "Hey, morning. I didn't want to wake you, so I thought I'd surprise you with breakfast."

I couldn't help but smile back, the worry that had been creeping in quickly fading. "You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to," he said simply, flipping the bacon with a practiced hand. "And I figured you had to get to work soon, so I wanted to make sure you had something before you left."

I tilted my head, surprised. "You knew when I had to work?"

Jake shrugged, still focused on the stove. "Yeah, I might've checked your phone last night to see your schedule. Didn't want to screw up your morning."

The fact that he'd gone out of his way to check when I worked, to make sure I had breakfast, it made something inside me relax. This-him being here, cooking in my kitchen-felt so natural, like we'd done this a hundred times before.

"You didn't have to go through all that trouble, but... thank you," I said, stepping closer to him. My eyes drifted to the plate he was preparing, piled high with eggs, bacon, and toast.

He turned, handing me the plate with a small grin. "Well, I wanted to. So, sit. Eat."

Before I could say anything else, he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my forehead. The simple gesture sent a warmth through me that no breakfast could, and suddenly, everything felt okay. More than okay.

I took the plate and settled at the small table in the corner, watching him as he went back to cooking his own food. There was something so intimate about this moment-about him being here, knowing my routine, caring about the little things like making me breakfast. It made me realize how easy it was to fall into this with Jake, how right it felt.

After a few minutes, he joined me at the table with his own plate, sitting across from me. We ate in comfortable silence, exchanging small smiles every now and then. It felt like a normal morning, but with him, it was so much more.

Once we were done, I got up to get ready for work, and as I was pulling on my shoes, Jake grabbed his keys from the counter.

"I'll drive you," he said casually, like it was no big deal.

I blinked at him, surprised again. "Jake, you don't have to-"

"I want to," he interrupted, giving me that easy smile that made my heart skip. "Let me take you to work."

I nodded, smiling softly as I grabbed my bag. "Okay."

We walked to his truck, and as I settled into the passenger seat, I couldn't help but feel a sense of calm wash over me. It had been a whirlwind these last few days, finally being honest about our feelings, but now that we were here, now that we were doing these normal things together, it was like everything was falling into place.

Jake drove in his usual quiet way, his hand resting on the gearshift, his eyes occasionally flicking over to me. I caught him a couple of times, and each time, he'd smile like he couldn't quite believe I was sitting there next to him.

When we pulled up to my office, he turned the engine off and turned to me. "You have a good day, okay?"

I smiled, leaning over to give him a quick kiss. "You too."

I stepped out of the truck, feeling lighter than I had in months. And as I walked toward the building, I glanced back over my shoulder. Jake was still sitting there, watching me, a soft look in his eyes.

Maybe this was what I'd been waiting for all along.