Glass Eyes & Titanium Hearts

Chapter 7: Want Some Waffles?

A few hours of sleeping and being lazy in my bed with Luke, my stomach and his had finally protested.

I sighed and said, "What's for food?"

He shrugged and suddenly smiled. He said, "Do you like waffles?"

I nodded slowly and he pulled me out of bed, throwing me over his shoulder and going to the kitchen. He sat me down on the counter and kissed my cheek swiftly before retreating to the snack closet. He pulled out pancake mix and went over to the fridge right in front of me. He opened it and began reading the box, leaning back between my legs with his elbows resting on my thighs.

"Milk!" he declared, as if he just found the cure for cancer. He pulled out the jug and put it next to the pancake mix. He went to the spice cabinet and pulled out the cinnamon and sugar. He looked at me and said, "Are you allergic to anything?"

"Latex," I said nonchalantly.

I heard a thump and looked up, finding him gone. I looked at the ground behind the counter and cocked my head to the side.

He said, "Why latex? Why couldn't it be peanuts or strawberries?"

I laughed at him, finally understanding why he looked so devastated. He got up and dusted off his slightly wrinkled clothes and went back to the fridge. He pulled out strawberries and said, "I'm gonna teach you how to make cinnamon strawberry waffles!"

I raised my hand.

He said, "Yes, lovely girl with the blue and purple hair."

I said, "Why cinnamon and strawberries? That's kind of a weird mix."

"Good question, shorty. You see," he leaned on his elbows on the counter, "I love cinnamon and I love strawberries. But, I hate frozen waffles. And, they make cinnamon and strawberry frozen waffles. Well, one morning, mom and dad were in Kentucky and I was home alone. I wanted waffles and I started thinking about what I could combine to make an amazing waffle concoction. That is when my wonderful 'cinnaberry' waffles were made."

I giggled at the story and said, "Well, what can I do to help make these?"

He picked me up by my waist and put my feet on the floor, handing me a cutting board, a small knife, and the container of strawberries.

He said, "Do you know how to dice, or come close to dicing?"

I nodded.

"Fantastic! You can do just that."

After 15 minutes I had the strawberries cut up and ready to be put in a bowl until I looked up at Luke. He was covered in the powder from the pancake mix. I started laughing harder than I have in years.

"What...happ...happened?" I said between my hysterics.

He opened his mouth to say something but stopped, defeated by the fact that he didn't have a good one. My laughter subsided and Luke cleaned up enough to go back to our task. We poured the milk and strawberries and cinnamon and sugar in the bowl and stirred it for what seemed like forever.

I said, "Why is it so thick?"

"Because of all the extra stuff."

"I hate you."

"You love me."

"Nope."

"But you will."

"That's debatable."

"No debate," he whispered as he kissed my nose. He took out the waffle maker and plugged it into the wall so it would heat up. After cooking the waffles, kissing, burning one, kissing some more, and spilling ingredients, we finally sat down to eat. My stomach made the noises of a dying whale and Luke chuckled, telling me it was okay to dig in now.

I did everything but inhale two of them. They were amazing. I practically moaned when I took my first bite.

"These are amazing."

"Thanks, darling," he smiled.

After we finished we cleared the table and counter tops, putting plates and bowls in the dishwasher. I yawned and said, "I really think I should stop going to hospitals. The medicine they give me always makes me tired."

"Come on, sweety. You need sleep."

He held my hand as we went back to my room, laying in bed like we had before.

'I could get used to this,' I thought to myself. I listened to his thudding heart until my eyes became too heavy.

The last thing I heard was, "I'm never letting go."