ᴀᴜʙʀᴇʏ 'ᴅʀᴀᴋᴇ' ɢʀᴀʜᴀᴍ
I yawned, dragging myself through the halls as I made my way toward the kitchen.
The smell of something cooking hit me before I even turned the corner. When I stepped in, I was surprised to see Onika already up and talking with my chef, Finn. She was helping him around the kitchen, completely at ease.
That's wild, I thought to myself. They were already clicking, and I hadn't even introduced them yet.
Finn wasn't around last night when she got to Canada, so I didn't expect her to jump right in like this.
Curious, I walked up behind her quietly, leaning over her shoulder to see what she was working on. She was making something from scratch—looked like homemade biscuits—and her hands were moving like she'd done this a million times before.
"Look at you," I said, making my presence known with a soft chuckle. "Already showing off in my kitchen?"
Onika jumped a little, spinning her head to look at me with a startled laugh. "Aubrey! You scared me," she said, playfully swatting my arm with her flour-covered hand.
I stepped back, pretending to dodge her, but not before she left a faint white mark on my shirt. "Oh, so this is how we're starting the morning?" I teased, brushing at the spot while grinning at her.
"Good morning to you too. I couldn't go back to sleep, so I decided to come in here and make myself useful. I hope that's okay?"
I glanced over at Finn, who was laughing quietly as he worked on something at the stove. "Finn, you already got her helping you?"
"She offered, boss. What was I supposed to do? Say no?"
I shook my head, leaning against the counter and crossing my arms. "I can't even be mad. She's putting me to shame right now." I turned my attention back to Onika, watching as she kneaded the dough like she was born for this. "You didn't tell me you could bake like this."
She shrugged, focusing on her task. "I don't bake all the time, but when I do, I like to get it right."
"Well, you're making it hard for me to stay out of this kitchen, that's for sure."
Her cheeks turned a faint pink, and she avoided my eyes as she worked.
But as I stood there watching her, I couldn't help but think that mornings like this were something I could definitely get used to.
Finn had moved to the other side of the kitchen, focused on setting up the plates and utensils. He was too preoccupied to notice anything, which gave me the chance to step closer to Nicki while she worked at the stove.
"I already know these are gonna be hitting," I said, watching as she flipped the pancakes with ease.
She glanced up at me with a small smile. "Of course they will. You doubted me?"
"Never that," I said, shaking my head, my tone light but genuine.
As she turned her attention back to the stove, I leaned in, catching her off guard. I tilted her face up gently and pressed a soft kiss to her lips.
Onika's smile widened as she looked up at me, her cheeks glowing just a little. "Aubrey," she murmured, a hint of shyness in her tone.
"What?" I asked, stepping back slightly but not breaking eye contact.
She shook her head with a quiet laugh. "You're something else this morning, that's all."
I smirked, brushing a loose strand of hair out of her face. "Can't help it, mama. You make it hard to stay away."
