Chapter 3: Kayla
I woke up the next morning feeling amazing. I couldn't stop smiling. I went through my morning routine with a little bounce in my step. When I went downstairs to grab some breakfast I found my sister at the kitchen table eating some yogurt and looking her phone. I walked past without acknowledging her. I was in such a good mood that I decided to make myself some french toast. It is my favorite breakfast and I felt like why not start off this beautiful day with something wonderful.
I felt my sister's eyes on me as I got out what I needed. I hummed to myself as I dipped the bread into the egg mixture and then put it in the hot pan. I inhaled deeply, taking in all of the wonderful smells.
When everything was finished I loaded it up my plate and sat across from Kylie. I smothered my french toast in syrup. Kylie watched me as I took a big bite.
"Do you really think you need that?" Kylie asked sounding disgusted.
"Need it?" I replied looking down at my food. "No...want it? Most definitely." I finished looking her straight in the eyes. I then took another big bite. "Yum."
"Ugh," Kylie said rolling her eyes and then returned to her yogurt.
I ignored her as I continued eating my breakfast. When I was about half way through my phone rang.
"Hey James," I answered.
"Hey Baby. What are you up to?"
"I'm just finishing up my breakfast. You?"
"Same. What are you having?"
"French toast," I said before stuffing another bite into my mouth.
"Yum. Will you save me some?" He asked.
"Nope. It's all for me." I said with a smile on my face.
"Is there anything I can do to persuade you to share," He said lowering his voice, presumably to sound seductive.
"Probably not, but I would enjoy watching you try."
Kylie got up and left the room.
"I was thinking we could change things up a bit and I would pick you up," James said.
"Is that even possible? I mean, do you know where I live?" I replied sarcastically.
"I think I've been in the neighborhood a couple times. I have faith in my navigational skills."
"Then I guess that would be okay. What time are you thinking?"
"About half an hour," James said.
"I will try to be presentable by then, but you aren't giving me much time," I said trying to be flirtatious.
"I will just have to lower my standards," James said in a flirty voice.
I laughed out loud. "See you in thirty," I said before hanging up the phone.
It was crazy how quickly we had gone back to our easy conversation. We hadn't been this comfortable with each other since high school started and I had missed that.
I finished up my breakfast and cleaned up. I headed to my bedroom to decide if I was going to change my clothes. I heard Kylie next door in her room on the phone. She was making plans for the day with the girls. I tried to ignore the pang of hurt I felt at her, once again, excluding me. I don't know why I cared, since it had been happening our entire lives. I tried to push that hurt aside and focus on the happy feeling I had when I woke up this morning.
I looked myself over in my mirror, trying to see if there was anything I could do to improve what was staring back at me. This was the same image that I had been looking at all my life, yet somehow this morning it looked different. The hips I had always wished to be a little bit smaller, looked like the sensual curves that I had once envied on others. The face that I had always considered too plain, now looked bright and full of life. The hair that I had always tried to tame, looked wonderfully curly. Was this James' doing? Or stranger still, was it mine? Had these features always been there, and I had just never noticed?
I looked over the jean shorts and t-shirt I was wearing, wondering if I needed to put more effort into my outfit. This was me; James had known me most of my life, and he had never complained about my clothing before. I quickly put my bathing suit on underneath my clothes and headed down the stairs. Just as I reached the bottom step the doorbell rang. I checked to see who it was before opening the door.
"And you said you didn't have time to be presentable," James teased. "You look beautiful." He pulled me into his body and gave me a deep kiss. I melted against him. "Mmmm, I can taste the syrup on your tongue. That's the best way to share."
I swatted at his chest and stepped back from him.
"I see you found the place okay," I teased right back.
"Thanks to GPS," James replied with a smile. "Are you going to invite me in?"