I awoke the next morning to an arm draped over my stomach and a mild headache. I looked over and saw the owner of that arm still sleeping next to me. Almost of its own volition, my hand reached out to lightly touch his cheek. There he was: my boyfriend. A smile crept over my lips and I was planning on just watching him sleep when he stirred and peeked open one eye to look at me.
“Good morning,” I said, turning over onto my side to face him.
“Morning,” he croaked, still not opening his eyes all the way.
“Are you hungry?” He just lightly shook his head and snuggled back into his pillow.
“Don’t tell me you’re a late-sleeper,” I teased, lightly poking a finger into his chest.
“Don’t tell me you’re a morning person,” he said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“I’ve got some bad news for you… I’m totally a morning person,” I smiled. I pushed him onto his back and scooted over to rest my head on his chest. He sighed and pulled me closer.
“Then I’m sorry, this just isn’t going to work.”
“On the contrary. This just means that you can sleep in and I can make you breakfast.” He hesitated a minute before answering.
“You can cook?”
“Quite well, actually.” He placed a kiss to the top of my head.
“Okay… I guess this will work after all, but only if you can make French toast.” I craned my neck to look at him.
“Lucky you. French toast happens to be my specialty.” He pulled me into a hug and I relished in the feeling of his warm skin against mine. It had been so long since I had felt comfortable like this with a guy, and with Zac it felt even better than it had in the past. We were just laying there in silence when all of a sudden his stomach let out a resounding growl.
“I thought you weren’t hungry,” I stated.
“My body is waking up now,” he laughed. I pulled away, bringing the edge of the sheet with me. After pulling on my robe and tying it, I stood and turned to face Zac again.
“So… French toast?” I asked, tossing his boxers to him. He grinned and nodded. As I turned to walk away, I was stopped when he lightly grabbed my wrist and held me in place.
“Hey,” he said, smiling at me and continuing to pull me down towards him.
“Yes?” I asked. As soon as I was close enough, he leaned forward and pressed a kiss to my lips.
“Hello, girlfriend.” He was beaming and I knew that I looked the same way, almost too happy to function.
“Hello, boyfriend,” I replied, kissing him again and then pulling from his grasp before he could pull me back into bed, “I’ll be in the kitchen. The bathroom’s right next door.”
“I’ll be out soon,” he said and with that I was out the door.
The whole time I was getting out the necessary things to make breakfast, I couldn’t stop smiling. Gwen came in a few minutes later and plopped down at the kitchen table.
“Well well well, Esme. How was your night?” I knew that she was unaware of Zac’s presence just down the hall, so I played along with her.
“Not too shabby.”
“Where did you two disappear to? I looked around for you when we were getting ready to leave, but then I gave up and we came back here.”
“Oh… you know,” I smiled as I broke open the eggs into a mixing bowl.
“Details. Now.” I didn’t have to answer because Braeden entered and sat down next to Gwen.
“Mmm. Esme’s making breakfast!” he said, immediately grabbing a napkin out of the holder in the middle of the table.
“Not for you,” I said with a smile.
“Making it all for yourself, then?” he asked.
“No, she’s making it for me,” Zac said from the doorway behind them. Their eyes opened wide and they gaped at me, knowing that Zac couldn’t see their expressions.
“Hey Zac,” Gwen said, trying to keep from smiling. He came over and stood next to me at the counter.
“Do I need to be supervised?” I asked him.
“I want to make sure you’re not poisoning me or anything,” he stated, peeking into the mixing bowl. I turned my head to look at Gwen and Braeden. Braeden was making humping motions in his chair and I shot him a look. “Everything okay?”
“Everything’s perfect,” I said, accepting a kiss.
“Can I do anything to help?” he asked. Gwen shot up from the table and headed straight for the refrigerator.
“Nope, we’ve got it,” she said, immediately getting to work setting the table.
“You just get to stand there and look pretty,” I said, placing four pieces on the griddle.
“Now that’s something I can do. About all I can do in the kitchen, actually.”
“Good thing for you that Esme’s a great cook, then,” Braeden said.
“It sure is,” he smiled, rubbing his hand across my lower back as I continued to cook.
Once we were all seated at the table, it was time for us to dine as a foursome for the first time. I was terrified at what Gwen and Braeden would come up with conversationally.
“So Zac, do you have a criminal record we should know about?” Braeden asked before shoving about half of a piece of French toast in his mouth.
“Well, I got a drinking ticket when I was a senior in high school, but that’s pretty much it,” Zac replied. Braeden looked satisfied with the answer and let the questioning move on to Gwen.
“So, what is your family like?” she asked.
“Two older brothers, two relatively normal parents. But, I want to know more about Esme. Maybe you two can provide me with some details.” Oh no.
“Well, her dad’s a dilf, for one,” Gwen said.
“Ew! That’s my dad!” I cried. I was used to Gwen making comments about my dad, and knew that she only did it to tease me, but it still grossed me out nonetheless.
“Whatever. He’s very sexy in his own little British way.”
“Your dad’s from England?” Zac asked.
“Yeah, he’s a philosophy professor at Northwestern. My mom works as a loan counselor there and that’s how they met.”
“Interesting. Anything else good?”
“Only child, spoiled rotten,” Gwen said teasingly.
“I am so not spoiled. You guys suck. He’s going to think I’m a total freak after this meal is over.”
“Oh, I already think that,” Zac smiled, reaching over to put his arm around me and to kiss my temple. I looked over at Gwen who was smiling at me in that reassuring and approving way that only a best friend can. I knew right then that it was going to work and that we were all going to get along just fine. I couldn’t remember the last time I was that happy, sitting there with my two best friends and my new boyfriend enjoying a lazy Saturday morning.