Gabe checked his phone one more time to make sure he wasn’t going to be late. Aaron would freak out if he knew that he was out on the streets this early, but what he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. Her apartment wasn’t that far from his hotel, which meant he hadn’t had to get a car to drive him there. He hiked up the collar of his coat against the cold, wet morning and picked up his pace.

Standing outside of her squat brick building, he rang the buzzer and waited for a response. He sent a message to Alex to let her know that he was downstairs and then kicked himself for sending the message. Playing it cool was not his strong suit. The intercom crackled.

“On my way, Gabe,” said a familiar voice. “The stupid button to buzz you in doesn’t work anymore. I’ll be down in a second.”

Gabe rocked back and forth on his heels, waiting for Alex to appear. She ran down the stairs and pushed through the lobby doors.

“Sorry about that! We’ve been trying to get them to fix these doors for months, but alas, we are stuck with getting a little extra cardio whenever we have a visitor,” she said, slightly out of breath.

“It’s no problem; I’m sure the pancakes will make it all well worth it.” He chuckled as she held the door open for him.

“I sure hope so. I left them unguarded with Jen, so we better get back up there before they’re all gone.”

“So, you’re going to be here for a few weeks finishing the movie, but what comes next? I’ve never known anybody who was in that business,” she said as they climbed the three flights of stairs to her apartment.

“I have to head to LA for a while and do promotions for the movie. It will probably only be a few cities since they don’t think it will do well. Maybe some radio interviews or something like that,” he said as she stopped in front of her apartment door.

“That sounds so fun. It’s going to be a wild ride while it lasts, then. Okay, brace yourself—Jen gets a little territorial when it comes to her pancakes, but she has been warned to be on her best behavior.” She chuckled as she opened the door.

Gabe’s gaze slid around the apartment. It was small, but tidy and smelled faintly like citrus and baking dough, which he attributed to the pancakes. A girl that he assumed must be Jen, Alex’s roommate, was standing at the counter tapping her foot impatiently.

“Hi,” the girl said. “Just so you know, I’m willing to share, but I get the first plate. Rules of hospitality don’t apply on pancake day.” She smiled, but he had the feeling she wasn’t kidding.

She hastily made the introductions before heading back to the griddle.

“Jen!” She admonished, pointing at two sad little lumps of burnt batter. “Did you try to make pancakes while I was away? This is why you’re not allowed near my griddle. Those things don’t even look edible. How are you so bad at pancakes?”

“I don’t know. I was simply trying to help speed this along, so we could all eat a bit sooner,” she grumbled, then plopped down on the dark green couch.

“Right ... hey Gabe, you want to come over here and help me?” she asked, waving him over with her spatula. “Don’t let her get to you; she gets a bit hangry. Once she’s fed and watered, you’ll be out of danger,” she stage-whispered to him.

“I can hear you,” Jen grumbled.

“You were meant to,” Alex sing-songed back. Gabe let out a laugh at the silliness. The doughy-sweet smell was even stronger in the kitchen and his mouth started to water. Homemade food was hard to come by on-set and when on the road, so he was looking forward to it.

“How can I help?”

She stirred the batter and poured two puddles onto the sizzling griddle. “If you grab the bowls out of the fridge, I’ll make some plain ones before we work on the mix-ins.”

Gabe went to the small white fridge that was covered in pictures of Alex and Jen. In most of them, they were horsing around, but there were a few formal pictures, too. He could tell they had known each other for a while. Opening the door, he spotted three bowls—one had chocolate chips, one had blueberries and the last one had some chopped-up bananas.

“Here you go,” he said, placing the bowls next to the griddle.

“Perfect. Do you have a preference?” she asked.

“I would like a big stack with two of each type, including plain,” Jen called out from the living area. Alex rolled her eyes.

“I know what you want. I was asking Gabe,” Alex called back.

“I know! I was only making sure that you remembered my order.”

“It would be hard to forget it in the ten minutes since you told me last,” Alex said, pulling her hair up into a bun and flicking her spatula at Jen. “She’s such a pain; let me get down to business before she tries to eat her own hand. So, what kind do you prefer?” she repeated.

“They all sound pretty good. Let’s start with one of each.”

“One of each coming up.” She worked efficiently, mixing in some batter with the extra ingredients and cooking the first batch to a golden brown on each side. Gabe’s mouth started to water as the aromas of vanilla, cinnamon, chocolate and fruit filled the air. He hadn’t even realized he was moving in closer to Alex until she accidentally elbowed him in the side as she went to flip the first batch of pancakes.

“Not you too,” Alex cried out. “Am I going to have to banish you to the couch along with Jen?”

“Sorry,” Gabe said sheepishly. “They just smell so unbelievable. What in the world do you put in these things?”

“Told you!” Jen called from behind a sketch pad on the couch. “They are so addictive. It’s how Alex keeps me in line. Just the mention of pancakes and I’ll pretty much do anything she asks me to do. Including, but not limited to ex-boyfriend disposal.”

“Don’t mind her,” she said as a plate of the most delicious-smelling pancakes he had ever smelled passed under his nose. She placed them on the counter and Jen vaulted up from the couch and nearly slid into the counter in her haste to get to them. Jen held the plate up to her nose and deeply inhaled the heavenly scent. Alex handed Jen a fork and knife. The bottle of syrup was already on the counter and Jen drowned her pancakes before digging in.

Gabe stared longingly at the plate when another appeared under his nose. He closed his eyes as he inhaled.

“I think you have another addict,” Jen said with her mouth full, before downing half a glass of milk. He turned to her and nodded his head. She stared at him as he took his first bite, waiting for his reaction. He closed his eyes and moaned at the explosion of flavor in his mouth. He got comfortable on the stool next to Jen and dug into the plate of heavenly pancakes with gusto.

After a few more minutes, she finished making the rest of the pancakes and pulled her plate out of the oven, then sat on the stool next to Gabe. He’d been skeptical of Jen’s obsession with Alex’s pancakes when he first walked in, but now he was a devoted convert and was inhaling them almost as fast as Jen was. She nudged him with her elbow and nodded at him.

“I told you,” she said with pancakes practically falling out of her mouth.

“These are literally the most amazing pancakes I’ve ever had in my life,” he said, shoveling in another fork full. “I’m not even joking. I’m completely serious.”

“I’m glad you’re enjoying them,” Alex said with a grin as they finished up. He swore that his stomach would explode, but he didn’t want to waste his last few bites. Jen was collapsed on the couch clutching her stomach.

“So much pain, but it’s so worth it.”

Alex got up from her seat and moved to collect the plates. Gabe placed a hand on top of hers and she looked up at him quizzically.

“You can’t seriously expect me to let you clean up after all that you just did. I’ll get the dishes,” he said and kissed her on the nose. Gabe’s cheeks flamed at the impulsive move and he hoped that he didn’t overstep. She pulled back a little in shock and then a huge grin spread across her face.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it. I liked being able to cook for you.”

“Absolutely feel free anytime you want,” he said, moving toward the sink to begin washing the dishes. “Do you want to visit me on-set tomorrow? Maybe when you get off work?”

“I’d love to,” she said as she leaned up against the counter. Although he told her he would handle the dishes, she picked up a dish towel and helped him dry and put them away. They spent the couple of hours they had before she had to head to the restaurant just chatting. Jen kept lapsing into and out of a food coma. They lost track of time and he got a call from a production assistant who was looking for him.

“Oh shit, I’m late!” he said, jumping up from his chair and starting to put his shoes back on. “Sorry to rush out of here. I had a really great time.”

“No problem, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He paused beside her as she opened the door.

“I had a really great morning,” he said, touching the side of her face, caressing her smooth skin, and running his thumb over her bottom lip.

“I did too,” she said, looking up at him with her deep brown eyes shining. He leaned in and captured her lips. A shiver ran down his body as he delved deeper into the kiss. Her tongue was doing a dance with his own, causing a hardening in his jeans. This woman was driving him crazy.

“Get a room,” Jen grumbled from behind them. They broke apart with a laugh, breathing deeply. Gabe leaned his forehead on hers, heart pumping.

“I’ll send you a message when I get a chance and I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, walking out the door. “Thanks again for breakfast!”

“You’re welcome. See you tomorrow,” Alex said, leaning against the door and watching him walk down the stairs.