Once Upon a Wish

5

I feel the air shift around me and it brings the scent of Irish Spring to me. I smile into my pillow and try to hold still. My pillow moves and I nearly jump right off of the bed.

"Go away, Owen," Sean grumbles from the bed. I look down and blush when I realize just how cozy we were. There's a bit of a drool spot on Sean's shoulder, and I silently plea to whatever Deities are listening to open the ground up and let it take me away before he notices.

Sean grips me around the waist and pulls me back down beside him, and for a few minutes, no one moves, and he relaxes back into sleep.

I feel the bed dip behind me, and Mr. Blackbourne lays a gentle hand on my shoulder.

"Miss Sorensen," he whispers, "if you are awake, would you care to join me for breakfast?"

I feel butterflies flutter in my stomach, but I nod and delicately try to extract myself from Sean's grasp. He mumbles something about alarm clocks and string cheese, but with Mr. Blackbourne's assistance, I manage to sneak away without bothering him further.

He takes me by the hand and leads me silently through the condo until we are standing in the kitchen as the early morning light filters through the east facing window. The sun's first rays reveal to me the fact that Mr. Blackbourne is wearing dark blue jeans and a charcoal t-shirt, and for a moment, I'm so stunned that I forget to breathe.

He gives my hand a little squeeze and I feel my cheeks flush. I'd forgotten he was holding it.

"Good morning, Miss Sorensen," he holds a chair out for me, and I lower myself, praying that I'm done with awkward blunders for the day.

"Good morning, Mr. Blackbourne," I reply, and that millimeter smile perks up at the corner of his mouth.

He walks over to the fridge and frowns when he sees how barren it is. My mouth goes dry when I see that he's barefoot.

What is wrong with me?

"I know," I squeak. "It was worse yesterday. Luke and I spent an hour throwing out all of the expired food. He said that he'd bring some groceries this afternoon once he's done with his shift at the diner."

I get up and reach around Mr. Blackbourne. I pull out two of the leftover Chinese food containers and place them on the counter while I search for a skillet. Mr. Blackbourne eyes me with speculation.

"It's Egg Foo Young," I explain. "Just think of it as an interesting omelette."

He nods slowly and leans back against the counter. "If you say so," he hums.

I throw him a sunny smile as I dump the contents of the takeout box into the warm pan. "It's either this, or dry Lucky Charms. The milk had chunks in it." I reach overhead and pull down the box of cereal and hand it to him. "Your choice!"

He watches me cook for a minute while snacking from the box in his hands. I have to hold in my laughter when I realize that he's only eating the marshmallows.

Who knew? Mr. Blackbourne has a sweet tooth!

He closes up the box and puts it away while gathering plates and utensils for our 'breakfast'. I reach behind him for a spatula while he begins a pot of coffee, and we work side by side in companionable silence. Once the food is heated, he nudges me over and serves us both while I search the cupboards for the powdered creamer I'd seen last night during the purge.

He sets both of our plates on the table while I bring two prepared mugs of coffee over. Mr. Blackbourne sits across from me, and stares for a minute while he absently sips from his mug. I can tell there's something on his mind, but I trust that he'll talk when he's ready. I begin to eat while I wait, and am pleasantly surprised with how well the food reheated. I make a mental note to order this again sometime.