what is meant

10

Sunlight slipped through the tiniest crack in the curtains, dousing my eyes and causing me to stir. For a split second I had forgotten where I was. The room was still relatively unfamiliar to me. I placed it in my mind very quickly after I sat up and had a more detailed look around; I was in Daveed's guest room. The long day beforehand had thrown me for a loop, making the last hour of last night seem fake.

I glanced at my phone to check the time; 9:26am. I pulled the covers back over my face and groaned. I needed to get up. Daveed had mentioned sight seeing last night and I wanted to make the most of the couple days I had here.

Before emerging from my room I checked myself in the mirror. I flung my hair into a loose ponytail and re-adjusted my shirt, ensuring it was covering me. My pajamas consisted of a matching set of t-shirt and shorts that were black with a pattern of French bulldogs on them. I pushed the door open and walked slowly to the kitchen.

When I rounded the corner of the hall, I could see Daveed already in kitchen. He was cracking eggs and whisking them in a stainless-steel bowl.

"Good morning," I said softly as I sat on a stool at his breakfast bar. He lifted his head as a smile grew on his face.

"Good morning sleepyhead," he returned with a chuckle. "I hope you like omelettes." I watched as he added cheese and mushroom chunks to the egg mixture. I nodded quickly as my stomach growled in agreement.

"Do you have coffee? I'm one of those sad people that can barely function without it in the morning."

Daveed pointed over his shoulder to the coffee machine, which had a freshly brewed batch in it. I launched myself out of the stool and grabbed one of the mugs he set beside the machine. I filled it quickly with coffee and took a satisfying sip. A content sigh left my lips as I leaned against the counter and took another long sip before topping up my mug to go sit down.

"So, you're the one familiar to LA. What is the plan for today Diggs?" I asked as I continued to watch his skillful cooking. He flipped the current omelette in the pan before going back to mixing more eggs for the next.

"I was thinking we can go check out some of the tourist-y stuff since its your first time in LA. The Walk of Fame. Check out Grauman's Theatre since it's nearby. Maybe hit up Venice beach." My headed nodded, loving all the suggestions he was making.

"I love the beach, so that is a must to me!"

"Perfect! We can grab lunch there too then," he responded as he put the finished omelette on a plate, retrieving a fork from a drawer and handing it all to me.

I licked my lips enthusiastically and dug into the omelette immediately. I groaned in satisfaction as I leaned on the counter.

"Daveed...this is DELICIOUS! Can you come cook for me everyday in Detroit?" I exclaimed while I prepped another piece of omelette for my mouth. He chuckled loudly and poured the egg mixture into the pan, for an omelette for himself I assumed.

"Pay me well enough and maybe I will," he responded as he focused back on his cooking. 

***********

After walking the Walk of Fame a few times, pausing to take pictures with a few stars that included Audrey Hepburn, RuPaul, Marilyn Monroe, and Lin, we headed to the beach. Daveed bought us some hot dogs off a street vendor while I went to find a spot on the beach to sit and eat.

My eyes roved the beach, taking in the beauty, the people walking around, the few gulls flying around. I grew up near the ocean and missed it all the time. Travelling with a Hamilton cast was a dream come true, but I was usually in land locked locations.

I heard fingers snap and looked up quickly. Daveed had been standing there trying to hand me my hot dog for a few seconds. I shook my head and took it from his outstretched hand.

"Something distracting you?" he asked as he sat beside me on the sand. My shoulders shrugged gently as I decided if I should say what was on my mind.

"I miss the ocean. I loved it so much as a kid and was always around it. Being on tour makes it hard to take breaks and get back to it." He listened intently as I continued to ramble. "I'm thankful for my role...but sometimes it makes me homesick."

"I get it. I grew up in the Bay area, so I was always around saltwater. It's like it has this draw in, a remedy of sorts. When you're gone from it for a bit its easy to miss."

I smiled softly and nodded my head as I took a bite of my hot dog. It made me comfortable that he got it and it didn't seem stupid to him.

As we finished lunch I laid back in the sand and caught as many rays as I could. This was another thing we were currently lacking in Detroit. My eyes shut gently for a few moments. I then felt a hand grab mine and squeeze gently. I opened one eye to see Daveed smiling down at me.

"This might seem out of the blue, but I kind of have a small performance tonight," he said as he rubbed his neck. I sat up and looked at him with an excited smile.

"Oh yeah? Where? For clipping.?"

"More so for Blindspotting. It's just at a bar. My friend, Rafael, it's actually his show but he wanted to do a few songs from Blindspotting and asked me to come down to help do a few. I know it's kinda shitty because you're here and that's likely not how you wanted to spend your-" I shook my head and cut him off.

"No Daveed. I would love to do that! You've seen me in my element, I want to see you in yours. Well, in person I mean. I've watched Blindspotting already..." I blushed and covered my cheeks as I laughed at myself. "Wow, I sound like such a fan girl."

His hands grabbed my wrists gently and pulled them away from my cheeks. I looked into his eyes and felt my heart stutter.

"No need to be embarrassed, especially when you're so cute when you blush," he said in an extremely soft voice. Like we were in a room full of people and he only wanted me to hear him say anything.

I bit down softly on my lip as I let my gaze drift to the sand beside us. He grabbed my chin gently and tipped it up, kissing my lips with the faintest of touches.

"Well, if we are going to go out tonight, maybe we should head home and that way we can be ready to go on time," he said after breaking our small kiss. I nodded in agreement.

Daveed stood first, shaking sand off his pants before reaching a hand out to help me up. He kept a gentle hold on my hand as we made our way off the beach.