morning,” Bryce said as he worked over the stove.
Arial watched him curiously. “What are you doing?”
“Making breakfast.”
“Aren't you hung over?” she asked.
“Very, but it's the least I can do after everything you did for me last night.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. His green eyes were tired, but he was all smiles anyway. “You slept in your dress.”
She looked down at herself and sure enough, she saw her cocktail dress was a crumpled mess. “I guess I did,” she mumbled while grabbing his blanket and wrapping it around her bare shoulders. For whatever reason, she was awfully self-conscious all of a sudden. Probably because Bryce wasn't taking his eyes off her.
His gaze met her own. “You could have borrowed something more comfortable to sleep in. It's not ruined, is it?”
“Nothing a good dry cleaning and press can't fix.” She stood and stretched. “I wouldn't mind taking you up on the offer of clothes, but do you have anything that'll fit?”
“Sure, give me a minute. If the stove catches on fire, put it out.” He winked and left the kitchen, disappearing into his bedroom. As promised, a minute later he reappeared with a small pile of clothes. “Do you know where the bathroom is?”
Arial snorted softly. “I've been here at least a hundred times, Bryce. You don't need to treat me like a stranger.”
“No, of course not.” He went back to the kitchen.
She watched him resume cooking at the stove and took that as a good opportunity to go change in the bathroom down the hall. The dress wasn't ruined, thankfully. There was a hanger lying on the bathroom floor to hang it on once she got it off. Quickly, she put on the vintage T-shirt he'd brought out for her. It might as well have been a dress. She couldn't help but notice the lingering musk of his cologne on the shirt despite how clean it was. Next in the pile was a pair of flannel, red-plaid pants. She had to roll the waistband down a few inches and tie the string belt tightly to ensure the pants didn't fall off. Thankfully, her hips helped with that, too.
Now she was comfortable and, after giving her hair a quick comb-through with her fingers, also presentable. When she walked out of the bathroom, the smell of hash browns filled her nostrils, and she sighed happily. It'd been a long time since she'd had a true breakfast, and a homemade one at that. Bacon was sizzling as well. The closer she got to the kitchen, the more she could smell. On the table already were green grapes and bananas.
“Have a seat,” he said.
Arial was about to grab a chair from the table to do just that when the all too familiar sounds of her calypso beat ringtone filled the air. With a heavy sigh, she picked it up off the coffee table in the den. Mom and Dad, the caller ID read, and she knew she couldn't avoid them anymore.
“Hey,” she said. Her voice was far more chipper than she felt. Arial loved her whole family and would do anything for them. Some of their requests, however, were not things she particularly looked forward to.
“Ari, honey, you finally picked up.” The delightful Patty Oakley spoke with a voice embodying pure sunshine that softened Arial's heart and always made her smile. Her Southern drawl was equally contagious.
“Ma, I was sleepin',” Arial said. “I am three hours behind you.” She saw Bryce glance over her way when she spoke. She had to wave a hand in front of her to try and distract him away from the conversation.
Patty's laughter tinkled through the phone. “It's late there, too. I'm sure that party kept you up all night long. You didn't do anythin' bad, did you?”
She could feel her cheeks grow hot at just the mention of doing anything on the list of things her mother considered scandalous. “No, Ma, I didn't do anything bad. My lips are still unkissed, and that means the rest of me has been untouched as well.”
She noticed Bryce's eyebrows lift slightly when she spoke. Once again he looked at her, and she shot him a glare. He chuckled quietly and held up his hands in surrender. Arial let out a long breath.
“If you're calling to make sure I am, in fact, flying back home at the end of next week, you shouldn't be so paranoid,” Arial continued. “I promised I would come back for the rest of the summer,