How could I be pissed and glad at the same time?
I muttered, "I need coffee."
Anna's brow wrinkled. "But you don't drink coffee."
"I donow." Or, at least, I was gonna try. And hey, it's not like I had to make it myself. There was full pot sitting on the counter.
Normally by now, I'd be grabbing my hiking boots and heading outside. But sometime around 3 a.m., I'd decided to skip today's hike and spend the day somewhere else. Where, I didn't know.
I just knew that I'd be smart to get away from Anna – except now I didn't want to. So instead, I shuffled toward the cupboard and grabbed a mug. As I did, I passed the oven and gave it another wary glance.
From the table, Anna said. "Oh, I also found some bacon."
I muttered, "I don't smell any bacon." Whatever I smelled, it was fishy and not in a good way.
"Well, yeah," she said. "Because it was pre-cooked."
"What?"
"That's why you don't smell it," she said. "I didn't have to cook it." She perked up. "But Idohave some warming in the oven, with your waffles."
Mywaffles?
Not ifIcould help it.
I poured myself some coffee and stared into its murky depths, debating if I should add cream or sugar. Probably, real men drank it black.
I lifted the cup and took a tentative sip. It tasted like burnt coals.How in the hell did people drink this?
On the upside, ithadto taste better than whatever was festering in the oven.
Anna rose from the table and said, "Here, I'll get them out for you."
I gave a sullen scoff. She could get them all she wanted, I wasn't putting my mouth anywhere near those things. Or at least, that was the plan until she said, "…Unless you're not half the manIam."
I lowered my mug. "What?"
"I'm just saying, mine are all gone. But hey, if you're not up to the challenge..."
Fuck.I lifted my mug and took a bigger gulp of the coffee.Yup, still hated it.
And already, Anna was reaching into the oven with hot pads to grab the plate. In a breezy tone, she said, "Oh well, I guess I'll toss these in the trash, since you're a big chicken."
It was the taunt of a grade-schooler.As if I'd fall for something so obvious.
Who did she think she was dealing with, anyway?
I said, "You're not fooling anyone, you know."
She put on her innocent face. "What?"
"You're taunting me."
She gave me a smile that was way too sweet. "Am I?'
Again, I didn't smile back, although –fuck– part of me wanted to.How the hell did she do that?"Yeah," I replied. "You are."
"If you say so." She made a move to turn away.
