Chapter 5: 4. Cielo

I felt as if I’d barely slept a wink by the time Dominic woke me. I moaned in a desperate appeal for more sleep, which was swiftly ended by a grunt from him. I remained lying on the couch as I listened to him in the kitchen. From the sounds of constant banging and clunking, the man was breaking the whole kitchen while he cooked. For several minutes I allowed myself to drift in the world between waking and sleep, trying to ignore the banging and slamming coming from the next room.

I was aware of a sudden silence and stirred a little to find out what the problem was. A pair of pale blue eyes stared from above me, hovering over the back of the couch. I gave a yelp, flailing away hard enough that I flopped gracelessly onto the rug.

“Good to see you up,” Dominic quipped.

“Why are we awake right now?” I moaned from the floor.

“Because we have a full day ahead of us. Now go have a shower to get you started, I already laid out a towel for you on the sink.”

It was apparently the best answer I was going to get as Dominic returned to the kitchen. I eyed the nearby window, groaning when I saw the barest hint of pink and red in the sky. The madman I was staying with had woken me up at the crack of dawn and expected me to be chipper.

Picking myself up from the floor with another grumble, I stumbled into the hall. The bathroom door had been left ajar, with light spilling out into the hall so I knew where it was. The shower thankfully proved to be simple with its two-dial setup. I was both amused and unsurprised to find Dominic had only shampoo and body wash to bathe with. I hadn’t been expecting a full array of products, but the incredibly simple options seemed to fit my host perfectly.

I was feeling marginally more awake by the time I stumbled back out to the living room where I’d left the rucksack. Aware I was in another’s house, I made sure to dry myself meticulously before walking out to retrieve my clothes. I was pulling a shirt and jean combo free from the rucksack when a thump drew me around.

Dominic stood, clad in jeans and a flannel shirt, gripping a spatula in one hand. “You got a preference for your bacon?”

I almost informed him of the particular diet I was on, but the smell of bacon and eggs was filling the house. The smell made my mouth water, almost as much as the sight of Dominic standing before me, trying not to stare. I didn’t miss the tightness in his jaw, or the way his eyes remained a little too steady on my face. I wasn’t going to tell the generous man no, especially when I could practically feel him brimming with desire.

I smiled. “Floppy and chewy, crispy is for sandwiches.”

Dominic grinned. “Good man.”

With that, he retreated to the kitchen to resume making breakfast. Tamping down the temptation to come up with a teasing comment, I shoved myself into my clothing as fast as possible. I hadn’t wanted to tempt fate any further, and I definitely didn’t need Dominic thinking I was trying to put myself on display.

Any worry I might have had vanished when I entered the dining room. Much like the living room, it was simply furnished. It wasn’t quite spartan in its austerity, but much like the limited supply of bathing products, the simplicity and practicality fit its owner. The table at the center of the room was solid wood, and I thought it probably weighed as much as, if not more than, the marble-topped one Erin’s parent’s owned.

The spread laid out on the table, however, was even more attention grabbing. Again, I wasn’t surprised to see Dominic was a man who enjoyed his meat. Sausage links and bacon were laid upon the same plate in the center of the table. Another plate held eggs, their yolks uncooked and vibrant. Toast lay on a plate beside a tub of what I was sure was genuine butter, with a few condiments as well.

“This looks amazing,” I breathed eagerly, feeling my stomach growl.

Dominic motioned toward it. “Help yourself. I hope you like your coffee black, because I don’t have any cream.”

“My favorite way to have it.”

By the time he returned with two steaming mugs, I had heaped my plate with food. Dominic’s brow rose at the sight of my ample serving, but said nothing as he set a mug down before me and took up his own plate. We ate in silence, and I found it oddly comforting. Every morning for the past several months I’d been around my friends, with their endless chatter and conversation. Dominic didn’t seem the sort to have a lot to say, content to slowly eat his food and watch the sunrise outside the large windows near the table.

I ran my fingers idly over the top of the table as I sipped my coffee. I had eaten more in that one sitting than I could remember eating in quite some time. Contentment was settling into me as I traced the wood. My fingers brushed over a design carved into the wood, and I stopped to lean back and examine it. The design wasn’t a style I recognized, and as I looked, catching small imperfections, I realized it wasn’t a mass-produced product.

I looked up. “Did you… make this table?”

Dominic looked up in surprise. “I… did.”

“How?”

He snorted. “Well, it might be in a short supply around here, but I managed to get my hands on some wood and carve it. Desperate times.”

It was said with such a dry delivery, I might have been willing to believe him if we hadn’t been sitting in the middle of the woods. I was willing to ignore his sarcasm as I traced the figures of capering elves and lush fruit trees. There was something oddly charming about the idea of Dominic, seemingly stoic and practical Dominic, taking the time to carefully work such a small, frivolous detail into the table he’d made himself. I wondered what else around the house had been created by his own hands.

Before I could however, he pushed back from the table, gathering plates. “Better get your shoes and coat on. We need to head into town.”

“The heart of downtown Hilsbury, exciting,” I said with a smile.

“Oh yes, as colorful and exciting as New York City,” came Dominic’s dry response.

★*ﾟ*☆*ﾟ*★*ﾟ*☆*ﾟ*★

A/N: ya'll bacon is a godsend. yum. If you like bacon, how do you usually want it to be cooked?