LAYERS

Bacon and Eggs

Mint gradually faded back into consciousness, sunlight invading her personal space as it spilled through the cracks in her window blinds.

She took a moment for herself, focusing on the sound of her own breathing and staring at the ceiling. It was an awfully peaceful morning.

Eventually, as Mint leisurely made her way to grip at the strings of early morning rationality, she became aware of her other senses.

"Bacon?" Mint wondered aloud, sniffing the air. Intrigue got the best of her and she shoved off her blanket.

Mint's hoodie stuck to her skin as she managed to peel herself away from her bed. She pressed a hand against her abdomen to test the fabric of the hoodie, and frowned when it came back damp. Somewhere in the back of her groggy mind she acknowledged that she slept in the same clothes she had walked in the rain with.

The hoodie was quickly tugged off and tossed to the side. Mint almost walked away from it when she noticed it had landed next to a lump of blue she didn't recognize. A twinge of curiosity poked at her legs and she made her way over to examine it.

It was Ashley's soaked shirt.

With a rapid set of blinks, Mint recalled the crying boy she'd let into her house the previous night. Whirling around with wide eyes, she discovered the sleeping bag she'd given Ashley was neatly rolled up next to her bed.

He was nowhere to be found.

Mint quickly pulled on a fresh, dry pair of clothes, hands fumbling as they rushed. She threw open her door and rushed into the hallway, the inviting aroma of breakfast twirling around her nose as she walked towards the kitchen with hasty feet.

She turned the corner, and found Ashley standing over the stove. Mint barely had a moment to process her relief when she saw the plate of bacon. Upon further inspection, she noticed there were eggs sizzling in a pan Ashley was supervising.

"Hope you like eggs over easy," he said cheerfully, cracking another egg to add to the pan.

"What's all this?" Mint asked, pulling a chair out from under the table and sitting down. She hadn't been expecting a meal this morning. It made her smile.

"I just." Ashley poked at an egg as he garnered his thoughts. "I wanted to thank you for taking me in," he said, scooping the finished eggs onto an empty plate. "I hope you weren't saving these for a recipe or anything. I would have gone out and bought things myself but, uh—" Ashley paused as he busied himself with putting the last of the eggs onto the plate. He didn't turn around as he said,"I'd left everything, including my wallet, with Spice."

Mint's smile melted into something more sympathetic.  "Oh no, it's fine," she assured. "We just have things like that just in case, y'know." Mint stood up from her chair. "It smells good," she said as she walked past Ashley, placing a hand on his shoulder on her way towards the sink.

When Ashley figured out Mint's intentions, he shook his head profusely. "Oh, I can clean up my mess, you don't have to!" Ashley said as to not overstep anymore than he already has.

"No, no. It's fine— you're my guest!" Mint reiterated brightly, already running the water.

She'd used that excuse multiple times now, Ashely noted.

"Mint," Plum drawled with a whine, voice raised so as to be heard across the apartment. "Are you cooking breakfast? I smell eggs," he said, voice getting less and less muffled as he grew closer to the kitchen.

Ashley was placing two eggs and slices of bacon on a plate as Plum entered the kitchen. When Plum just stared at Ashley, Ashley pushed the plate towards him encouragingly. Plum was not interested in speaking to Ashley, nor was he interested in eating his food.

"Plum," Mint said. "Join us for breakfast? We've not eaten together since—"

Plum cut off Mint with an irritated, "Since Gene, I know." He returned his gaze to Ashley, and awaited eye contact before screwing up his nose with dislike, then looked back to Mint. "No," he said. "I'm going to Max' soon anyway. I need to shower."

There was something dreadfully close to disappointment curling in Mint's chest as Plum left the room. Once Mint heard the bathroom door click shut, she turned to Ashley.

"I'm sorry about him. He doesn't trust easily, especially after my ex," Mint said, smile twisted with contrite.

Ashley placed the food he had prepared for Plum to the side. "No, it's okay," Ashley said. Growing uncomfortable with the silence circling the sound of running water, Ashley grasped at any attempt at conversation. "So, Gene is your ex, I assume?"

Mint set a wet plate on the strainer and dried her hands on a close dish rag. "Yeah, he used to make breakfast almost every morning. Was nice to wake up to, y'know..." Her sentence faded into silence, and Ashley recognized she didn't want to speak of it.

Ashley offered the plate of food to Mint, and she sat down in the living room to eat. Ashley followed after soaking the dishes he'd used in the sink.

They sat and ate in silence. Surprisingly, neither of them found it uncomfortable. The cozy early morning atmosphere danced in the air above the pair, sun shining through the windows and highlighting the edges of their faces a mellow white.

After finishing their meals, Mint took Ashley's plate and soaked them in the sink alongside the pan.

"I'm headed out!" Plum announced, racing towards the door. There was an obvious effort to avoid looking at Ashley, which was noticed on the latter's part.

"Alright! Be safe!" Mint called. "Love you!" she yelled, but Plum was already out the door.

Mint sighed with a smile, only to straighten her spine with panic. "Oh shoot," she exclaimed, turning to Ashley. "What time is it?"

Ashley glanced down at his phone. "Fifteen till eleven, why?"

Mint slouched in relief, placing a hand over her chest. "I work a shift at twelve," she explained. "I need to shower, I'll be right back."

Ashley didn't have time to reply as Mint ran towards the bathroom. Though once Ashley had heard the water start running, he wandered into the kitchen to clean up his previous mess.

A smile found its way onto Ashley's face as he ran a sponge over the inside of the plate. He savored the moment, and secretly wished it would last forever. Something inside him quivered at such an idea, however, assuring him it would not.