Page 22 of Mud, Love, and Chemistry

I sniffle, and his head whips up. “Hey, you’re awake!” The excited expression on his face falls the longer he looks at me. “Hey. Hey, what’s wrong?” He walks to the bed, setting the food and drinks on the side table before taking a seat next to me.

I swipe at my dewy lashes as I shake my head. “I thought you left.”

His eyebrows scrunch together in confusion until understanding dawns on him. “Oh, Brynn. How could you think I would? Well, why wouldn’t you?” He squeezes his eyes shut and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry. You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn’t want to wake you, but I thought you’d like something to eat.” When he finally opens his eyes, all I see is remorse.

“It’s okay. I over-thought things. Again.” I shrug, plastering on a big smile to show he’s forgiven. “So, what’s for breakfast?”

He grimaces. “Now, that is something I should apologize for.” Turning to grab the plate, he sets it on the bed between us. “The only thing that even seemed edible were the bagels, but I didn’t know what kind you’d like so I took one of each.”

I stare at the pile of assorted bagels, noting the cinnamon raisin one. “Anything except that one. I’m allergic to cinnamon.”

“Really? I didn’t even know that was possible.”

“Mhm.”

“All right, well then...” Sam proceeds to pull a bagel from the opposite side of the plate. “How about blueberry? It’s the only one the cinnamon bagel didn’t touch.”

I laugh. “I don’t know that I’m that allergic, but thanks.”

Sam almost seems to get lost as he looks at me, because he quickly blinks and clears his throat. “There’s coffee, but again, didn’t know what you like, so I got two cups and all the cream and sugar I could carry.”

I pop a piece of bagel in my mouth. “If you got two cups of coffee, why is there a third cup in the tray?”

“Oh, because as I was pouring the coffee, it struck me that you might be a tea person. So I grabbed a cup of hot water and one of each tea. You know, all four of them.”

Warmth blooms in my chest at his thoughtfulness. “I do like tea sometimes, but coffee is a necessity.” I eye the drink tray as he hands me a cup. “And I’d say you brought just enough cream and sugar for me.”

“You’re going to use all of it?” He gives me an incredulous look.

“Unless you want some.”

“No, I like mine black. Puts hair on your chest.” He pounds his fist against his pec.

I cover my mouth with my hand as I laugh with a mouthful of food. “What about the tea, though?”

“You can take it home. Consider it your consolation prize for having to choke down this award-winning breakfast.”

We share a laugh, but as hungry as we are, we finish the whole plate of bagels. He eats three of the five, including the cinnamon raisin, and I even take a chance that the plain bagel went uncontaminated, even though it touched the cinnamon one. I live through it.

Toward the end of our meal, my phone chimes. As I lean over the side of the bed to fish it out of my shorts, I only take half the blanket with me. It slides down my torso, exposing my breasts. I hear what sounds like Sam choking, then coughing. A huge, flattered grin spreads across my face, but I groan when I read my message.

“Who is it?” Sam chokes out.

“Lisa,” I reply, sitting back up. I purposefully don’t cover myself. “She wants to know if I’m alive and when she’s getting her car back.”

Sam doesn’t say anything, so I glance up from my phone to find his gaze fixed on my chest. I clear my throat, and his head whips up. I arch my eyebrows in question.

“To be fair, they were staring at me first.”

A hearty laugh escapes me, making my whole body shake, and Sam’s gaze drops back down.

“Uh uh, buddy. Up here,” I say, putting my finger under his chin and lifting his head. I pull the blanket up again.

“Shucks.” He snaps his fingers, but his forehead crinkles. “Wait, Lisa wants her car back? It’s not yours?”

I shake my head as I type my response to Lisa. “I don’t own a car. I have a license, and I know how to drive, but I haven’t owned a car in a couple years.”

“Why?”

---