Chapter Eleven
Silas
I was the first to wake up that day, and as I puttered around the kitchen, I figured it would be a good idea to finally make Riley something to eat. She had cooked for me often, and every time I had offered, she had turned me down. It was my turn to do something for her even though my cooking wouldn’t be nearly as good as hers. The nice thing about living in such a big house was that you didn’t have to worry too much about making a noise and waking someone up. I looked around, opening up drawers and familiarizing myself with the kitchen. I opened the fridge and peered inside, happy that the staples for a nice big breakfast were all there. I started off by frying the bacon, and I was almost done when a very cute and very sleepy looking Riley walked through the doors. She was still in her robe, but it had opened slightly to reveal a small white tank top and little pale blue shorts. She grinned when she saw me.
“Wow, it smells great here.”
“Did I wake you up? I was trying to be quiet.”
“No, not at all. I’ve been awake for a little while myself. It was the smell that drew me here.”
I smiled. “Take a seat. You’re in luck. I’m making breakfast for us. And no, you cannot help. And no, you can’t even make the coffee. I’ve got it this time. It’s the least I can do for all the times you’ve cooked for me.”
“Wow, this is great service. I had no idea I was staying at Hotel Silas.”
I chuckled. “Oh yeah. One of the best hotels in the world, I’ll have you know. Did you sleep well?”
She took a seat at the counter and smiled gratefully as I handed her a cup of coffee. I poured one for myself and continued with the cooking.
“I slept very well. I always do after a big night at work. I’m always so exhausted that the moment I close my eyes sleep just overcomes me. I’m not one of those people that battle to sleep.”
“You’re lucky. I’m one of those people. I can lie in bed for hours just thinking about everything and nothing at once, and not being able to sleep. It’s so frustrating. I hate it. I have always wished I could just sleep as my head hit the pillow.”
She raised her eyebrows. “Really? Well, there goes my theory then. I thought that it was just because I worked hard. I figured that those people that couldn’t sleep were just people that didn’t work hard enough. But your construction work must leave you so tired. And you do gigs after them sometimes.”
“Yeah, it doesn’t matter how hard I have worked or how exhausted I am; I will still lie there,” I said. I had always been like that. Too much of a thinker. I envied those that could just shut their brains off. I was sure it was because I was worried about not ever reaching my dream of becoming a singer. I barely thought about it during the day, and when I did, I tried to remain as positive as possible. But at night there was nowhere to hide, and my fears suddenly grew legs and came alive.
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Riley said. “And when you do fall asleep, is it at least good sleep?”
“It is,” I said. “Especially here. I’m sleeping better here than I used to in my old place. I can’t believe how quickly I felt comfortable in this place.”
She beamed. “Me too. Listen, are you sure I can’t help you? I feel so bad just sitting here.”
“Don’t. I have it under control. Anyway, I’m almost done,” I said as I spooned the scrambled eggs onto the plate. All that was left to do was the toast, and as soon as that was done, I carried everything to the table.
We chuckled as we took a seat at the long table. We sat opposite each other, but even that felt like we were far apart.
“This table is huge. Imagine if we sat at opposite ends. We’d have to shout to each other just to hear one another.”
She laughed. “I know. This table is crazy. And this food is delicious, by the way. Thank you. I don’t often have such a big breakfast when I wake up. I like it.”
“Yeah. I wish we could do this every day,” I said.
“So, uh, I’m surprised that Paisley wasn’t here this morning,” she said without looking at me.
I looked up in surprise. “Paisley? Why would she be here? Was she supposed to sleep over?”
“No, I mean, it’s just that the two of you got along very well last night. I thought maybe she’d come home with you.”
I laughed. “Seriously? You think I’d just invite her back to my bed despite hardly knowing the girl?”
“Well, maybe. I don’t really know you all that well.”
“Well, you should know that I wouldn’t do something like that. Anyway, she’s not really my type.” I looked up just in time to see a small ghost of smile appear and disappear on her face. Was it just my imagination or was Riley happy that I didn’t want her friend? If so, what did that mean? The thought made me feel excited. Did Riley like me?
“So, what is your type?” she asked at the exact same time as I said, “So, what are you doing today?”
We laughed.
“I’m not sure,” she said when she realized I wasn’t going to answer her question. “I don’t have plans.”
“Why don’t we do something then?”
“Oh yeah? What did you have in mind?” she asked.
“I don’t actually have anything in mind, but I feel like doing something with my day. Oh, actually there’s that concert happening at the park today. Do you want to go? It might be fun.”
She smiled. “That sounds great.”