Eilidh

There was a knock on my door at eight o'clock in the morning. I lifted the eye mask off my face, a bit surprised to have someone outside my door at such an early hour. One robe and slippers later, I approached the door with trepidation. "May I help you?"

"Lee, it's me."

I fumbled with the locks to open the door. I knew Freddie wanted to come over for the weekend, but I didn't realize she wanted to start this early. 

"Freddie?" She held a knapsack, two grocery bags, and a bouquet of flowers. "My word, come in." She made a beeline for the kitchen as soon as she passed my threshold. I closed the door and leaned my head on it. "Did we plan to meet this early?" She wore a plain t-shirt and shorts, but her hair was braided tightly against her head. I'd never seen her wear her hair like that, but it was no less beautiful than her natural style.

"No," she said with a cheery voice. "I wanted to surprise you with breakfast." My kitchen was undoubtedly larger than the one in her apartment. So when I rounded the corner and found the bouquet in a vase and a steaming latte in my favorite mug, I was instantly charmed.

I took my beverage to the island counter and sat down to watch her work. "What did you have planned this morning?"

"How does french toast sound?"

"Divine." I was about to take a sip when I noticed that she wasn't prepping; she had already prepared. There was a small bowl of fresh whipped cream, another bowl with her egg mixture, and another that looked like cinnamon and sugar. Then she pulled out an omelet pan and cut off a chunk of butter from a stick she withdrew from her bag. Then she pulled out a container of challah bread that smelled freshly baked. "How early did you wake up this morning?"

"I didn't." She brought the burner up to temp, and it melted the butter quickly as I watched.

"You didn't sleep?" I looked at her with a bit of surprise. I hadn't known her to not sleep before. Even when we stayed with each other, she slept peacefully.

"I wanted everything to be perfect. I have a whole menu planned for the weekend."

"Menu?"

"All your favorites."

"Really?" I knew I talked about food, but I hadn't expected her to cook the whole weekend. I thought we'd spend time doing other things. "What about watching movies and having sex?"

The question caught her off guard a moment, and she nearly dropped the slice she had just dipped in her egg mixture. "Well, yes, that too. But I wanted to make sure everything was perfect this weekend."

Perfect because it was the last weekend we'd spend together before she went home. I couldn't help but smile. I set down my mug and walked back into the kitchen to wrap my arms around her waist and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "It'll be perfect because we're together. Alright?"

She nodded and turned to give me a proper kiss. "I want us to be able to remember this fondly. I've read that memories are triggered often by sounds and smells. Foods and even sensory input. So I've made a whole menu of tastes, smells, and sounds."

"Well, however it turns out, I know it will be memorable already." She smiled at me as she platted the first few slices of french toast. I went back to my seat and my morning latte. 

A sprinkle of powdered sugar, a dollop of whipped cream, and a few slices of strawberries with a light drizzle of maple syrup, and I was somewhere between orgasmic and ravenous after the first bite. "This…" I pointed at the plate with my fork, "is perfection, Freddie."

"I know." She grinned as she watched me take another bite. 

"Are you going to join me?" She nodded as she quickly made her own plate and sat next to me. At some point, grapefruit juice appeared, and I hadn't even noticed. I didn't even realize she knew I liked grapefruit juice. It was the perfect tartness to counterbalance the sweetness of the breakfast.

We ate in companionable silence, then when we were both finished, she spirited away the plates and gave me a kiss. "I'll take care of this while you do your morning things."

At this rate, I would be too spoiled to even want to date anyone else. Freddie was setting the bar relatively high, and while it was a bit indulgent, it also worried me. Would all this make it harder to say goodbye? I tried not to think about it as I left the kitchen to her and prepared for the day.