Chapter 50 - Breakfast ... for me?

Somehow she had to face him. He had saved her, cared for her. She could not hide here for the rest of her life.

But with each passing minute and her own thoughts, she felt more and more like a towel, which was crumpled up, then smoothed back, folded and then crumpled up again.

She pulled the bathrobe tighter around her body. It was quiet. Only her heavy breath hung in the air. Slowly she reached for the cold door handle. It took a second before she pressed it down. Carefully, she opened the door, to peek into the bedroom. Her nerves were tense. What should she say? Should she say anything? How should she ....

"Is everything alright?" She stopped abruptly, hesitated and finally nodded but felt so strangely awkward. There he sat in a white shirt that was negligently buttoned up. Only four buttons in the middle kept it closed. His sleeves were rolled up just past his elbow. His black hair fell wildly in his face. Dark circles were under his eyes. He looked tired.

The traces of yesterday evening were unmistakable. A sharp crack split his right eyebrow. On his cheekbone shone a dark bruise, as well as on his collarbone. His lower lip had burst.

She hesitated. Looked shocked at him. Was that her fault? She bit her lower lip. A dull guilt spread in her chest. "G ... good ... morning ..." she stuttered awkwardly.

He jerked to his feet. Automatically she took a step back.

"Lily?" A worried whisper. He came closer, only an arm's length away from her.

"Your wrist!" His eyes remained on her swollen limb. Hesitantly, she held out her arm to him. He gently took her hand. Examined the swelling while his eyebrows knitted. Before he raised his eyes again. She looked directly into the eyes.

"How are you?" She shrugs, to be honest she did not know it herself. There was chaos in her head, she was aware of that. But that was the only thing she was sure of. The rest ... She decided not to think about it. Why cry over spilled milk?

"Are you hungry?" He looked at her. Somehow his eyes reminded her of Adrien's. Both had the same puppy-eyes. A soft smile formed on her lips. She nodded.

✿

Stiffly she sat down on a chair when Alexandre came into the dining room. A scent of coffee was in the air.

"Is scrambled eggs okay? Unfortunately, I can't do anything else." He smoothly set a plate in front of her with a mountain of golden egg flakes on it. Fresh herbs were distributed on it.

She stared at him. "Did you make that?" He laughed. "Do I really look that untalented. I swear, I can handle one or two dishes really well."

"No ... I ... I didn't mean that ... I ..." She tore herself from her bafflement, waving her hands in front of her face out of embarrassment.

"Of course." A grin crossed his lips before he was putting down a cup of coffee next to her. "Lots of milk, no sugar, right?" Steam curled over the white cup. Hastily, she nodded. Did he know how she liked her coffee?

"Thank you." Lily whispered, then wrap her hands around the cup. The porcelain was hot, she pulled it closer, felt the warmth drifting over to her, so that her cool palms slowly were warming up.

Now and then she sipped of the cup while Alexandre was watching her. His eyes made her nervous. Somehow she felt like a fish in a glass. But she was too cowardly to be the first to break the silence, so she kept quiet and kept sipping the coffee she could not taste.

"Aren't you hungry?"

"No...eh..."

"Don't you trust my cooking skills?" He raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"Eh, no!"

"It's almost twelve o'clock. I know that you are a little glutton. You have to be starving. "

Heat poured into her face. She looked at him wide-eyed. "Don't spare my feelings."

He laughed. "I'm just trying to help you." He snorted derisively, holding out a fork. She stared at the fork for a moment too long, blinking before grabbing it and sinking it into the mountain of scrambled eggs to shovel some egg flakes into her mouth.

They were ... delicious. Soft and fluffy. "Mhhh ... that's delicious!"

"You are a master in trampling my ego."

Lily swallowed another fork. "I didn't mean so!" She protested.

"Your face was saying something else." He shook his head with a theatrical sigh.

"What I wanted to say ..." she hurried to say. "Why did you make breakfast today? You've never done that." She stared expectantly at him.