The Perfect Spiral

A sudden crash echoed through the apartment. “Shhhh! Damn it, Andy! Could you be any louder?” I heard a muffled voice through the walls of my room.

The sound of the island chair toppling over and hitting the tiled kitchen floor had jolted me awake. The clatter of cutlery being yanked from the drawer and the rummaging of a hand through pots and pans made it frustratingly difficult to drift back to sleep, despite the rhythmic breathing of the man beside me.

A loud groan echoed through the apartment, followed by heavy footsteps stomping towards my door. Without even attempting to open an eye, I snuggled closer to Wes.

The footsteps halted just outside my door, followed by the buzz of a phone and a giggle. I knew it was Andy.

She burst through my door, “Al, can you make me—Oh, hello there.”

I forced my eyes open, struggling against the sensation of them being glued shut. I tried to focus on the clearly hungover and worn-out girl standing at the entrance to my bedroom.

Wiggling her eyebrows suggestively, she greeted, “Hey.” I replied shyly.

Wes began to stir beside me as I continued to watch Andy. She stood with her arms crossed over her chest, clad in pink pajama shorts and a loose navy t-shirt with the words “I’m off to club bed featuring DJ pillow and MC blanky” in faded writing.

She shifted her weight onto her left leg, her hip jutting out and a smug expression on her face. I could feel Wes waking up. As he opened his eyes, I looked up at him.

He caught my gaze and smiled, kissing my forehead. “Hey, sweetheart,” he murmured. Andy cleared her throat.

“No way, Wes! You aren’t stealing my woman,” she declared, smirking at us. Wes returned her smirk with a wide grin.

“By all means, come on in and join us, Andy,” he teased, sending her a wink that made us both laugh.

“You wish, buddy,” she retorted, shaking her head at us. “But I won’t lie, you both look very comfortable right now... So tempting.” She winked back at us and sauntered out the door.

Leaving the door wide open, she returned to the kitchen and called back, “Al, could you make me your special scrambled eggs and bacon? Pleeeaasseee? I’m dying over here!”

A small chuckle escaped my lips. “Yeah, sure. Just give me a few minutes,” I replied, rolling my eyes. I broke my gaze from the door and turned back to Wes, who was staring down at me, his eyes meeting mine.

We were acting like such a couple. I wasn’t ready for that. I didn’t want to dive back into a relationship.

Relax, girl! He just stayed the night to comfort you. Chill! I scolded myself, trying to stop the internal dialogue.

God, he’s sexy in the morning. The bedhead looks amazing on him. Okay, Al, stop staring at him. Now!

“Um, would you like to stay for breakfast? I make really good scrambled eggs and bacon, which is perfect for nursing a hangover,” I offered.

He smiled down at me and chuckled, the low vibration from his chest resonating against mine.

“Sure, Alex. I’m not hungover, but I could use some food. But will you do me a favor?”

“Yeah, sure. What is it?”

“When I am dying from my next hangover, will you come over and nurse me back to life?” he asked, grinning at me.

I returned his grin and nodded before he added, “But you have to come in a sexy nurse outfit too,” he teased, kissing my cheek and then my lips.

“Stop making out, you guys! Geez,” Andy bellowed from the kitchen, causing me to blush and duck my head down. Wes rested his chin on my head and pulled me closer to him.

“Come on, let’s get out of bed before she comes back in and drags us out,” he suggested. We both threw back the covers and swung our legs over the side of the bed.

I wiggled my toes before standing up to grab my phone from the table. I checked the time, noticing the fourteen missed calls from Knox and numerous messages from him and Drew. I sighed out loud, catching Wes’s attention.

“Everything alright?” he asked, his arm wrapping around my shoulder.

“Yeah,” I replied weakly, unable to resist checking out his abs again. Damn, I slept with that. Well, not like that, but you know what I mean.

Andy was mid-gulp of her orange juice when she choked, her eyes widening as she followed her line of sight to none other than... Wes’s torso.

“Holy shit, Wes! If I knew you were that ripped, I would’ve joined you in bed a while ago!” she exclaimed, licking her lips as she stared at his washboard abs.

“Dayum!” she whispered to herself. I heard her, even as I walked by her to get to the stove.

“You can touch them if you want, Andy. They don’t bite,” Wes teased, causing me to laugh out loud. I turned to them, catching Wes’s gaze on my legs. His eyes shot up to meet mine, and he winked at me.

Rolling my eyes, I sauntered over to the fridge to take out the bacon and eggs. I turned on the heat under the pan and a small pot filled with water.

I tried to reach for the glass bowl in the top cabinet, the one I use to whisk the eggs in, but it was just out of reach. As I tried to hoist myself up onto the counter, I felt a hand on the small of my back and another hand brush past mine, reaching up to grab the bowl with ease.

I turned to see Wes standing beside me, a million-dollar smile on his face.

“Thanks, Wes,” I said, watching as he closed the cabinet and made his way to the seat next to Andy, who had been watching us the entire time.

I broke eye contact with her, knowing she was grinning from ear to ear.

As I crack six eggs into a bowl, I glance over to see the water bubbling with a fierce intensity. I begin to whisk the eggs, my wrist moving in a steady rhythm.

“Nice wrist action, Al,” Andy teases from her perch on a chair, a grin playing on her lips. I respond with a playful middle finger before placing the bowl over the steam rising from the water.

I gather pepper, salt, and butter, adding them to the eggs while setting the bacon to sizzle on the pan. As they cook, I arrange three plates across the counter. “Toast?”

Their nods are in sync, and I drop two slices into the toaster, waiting for them to brown before adding another pair.

I stir the eggs, ensuring they don’t stick to the side of the bowl, then serve Andy and Wes their breakfast. Andy takes the initiative to grab the cutlery and set the table.

“So you’re a domestic goddess too, is there anything you can’t do?” Wes whispers, brushing past me to retrieve the milk and orange juice from the fridge.

“No, I’m pretty much perfect actually,” I joke, earning a soft chuckle from him.

“I believe that,” he says, punctuating his words with a firm smack to my ass. “Damn, I shouldn’t have done that. The sound that made...” His voice trails off, and he looks like he’s been sucker-punched.

“You seriously have upped your flirting game. It’s on a whole new level right now,” I tease. He shrugs, leaning against the counter, shirtless. It’s hard not to let my gaze wander.

“Yeah, I should tone it down, but it’s hard when you’re dressed like that,” he says, his eyes raking over my body. “Although, having Knox’s name on the back is kind of a turn-off. Maybe I could get you one of my jerseys to wear with my name on the back.”

I roll my eyes and shake my head, scooping the bacon off the pan and onto the plate. Handing it to Andy and grabbing the scrambled eggs, I nudge Wes towards the table and instruct them to sit.

We eat in comfortable silence, punctuated by the occasional appreciative groan from Andy and Wes. I guess my cooking isn’t too shabby, I think, a smile tugging at my lips.

“These are hands down the best scrambled eggs I’ve ever tasted in my life!” Wes exclaims, closing his eyes and tilting his head back in pleasure. “They just melt in your mouth. How does that even happen?”

I laugh at his enthusiasm.

“They’re orgasmic,” Andy adds, causing me to bury my face in my hands in embarrassment.

The silence returns as we continue eating until we’re stuffed.

“So, are you two going to tell me what happened between you two last night? Or are we just going to sit here and ignore the fact that you two heatedly made out with each other, came home, and slept in the same bed?” Andy asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

Her gaze flickers between Wes and me, but I avoid making eye contact.

After a few moments, Wes finally speaks up, saving me from my discomfort. “We’re going to ignore it,” he grins, scooping the last of his eggs into his mouth.

“Ugh, you two are no fun!” Andy slumps back in her chair, and I chuckle quietly. I glance up to see Wes’s gaze on me, a half-smile on his lips that seems to say, You’re welcome.

I clean up the dishes and load them into the dishwasher. Over my shoulder, I see Wes wiping down the table. He catches me staring and winks, causing me to quickly avert my gaze back to the dishes.

He clears his throat, and when I look at him again, he nods towards Andy and mouths Savannah. I’d forgotten I was supposed to ask her about Thanksgiving.

“Hey, Andy?”

“Mmm?” She doesn’t look up from her phone, which she’s been glued to all morning.

“Are you going back home for Thanksgiving?”

“Nope, I was going to stay here and try to do my assignments. Why?”

“Would you want to come to Savannah with me? Drew was supposed to come, but... you know...” I trail off, and she lifts her head to meet my gaze.

“I don’t know, Al. I don’t want to intrude on your family time—”

“No, no, you won’t. My mom called me early this morning to invite you. She said she’d love to meet you. I can help you with your assignments when we’re down there if you’d like. Plus, Drew booked a flight to come back early, and I was going to stay down there for two more days then fly back. So, you can come back on the early flight if you still want time for your assignments?” I offer, hoping she’ll agree.

“Really? I’d love to meet your family! Yeah, you can help. God knows I’ll need it, even if you’re not studying my course. Plus, it’s free! It’s free, right?” she chuckles.

“Cool! I’ll tell my mom you’re coming and the time we land. We fly out on Wednesday night and land early in the morning, so Eric or Kyle will collect us from the airport. And yes, it’s free. I just have to change your name on the boarding pass,” I respond, grinning widely.

“As in your brother Kyle?” she smirks.

“Yes, as in my brother Kyle,” I smirk back, knowing exactly what she’s implying. They would be kind of cute together, I think. That’s it. I’m going to try and get them together.

Wes laughs at our exchange as he heads into my room.