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It was too early to be awake. You were comfortable, though. It’d been too long since you’d had properly working heating, and you’d decided never to take that for granted again.
You pulled the covers around you, tucking a cold corner of the pillow under your cheek. Dawn had broken, a little clear light illuminating your room, and you let it wake you slowly.
Vaguely, you could hear Joel moving around in the kitchen downstairs. He was always up before you, making breakfast and cleaning up and, on special occasions, making coffee. Anything to keep him busy. There was no watch to keep anymore, but he made sure you were safe and taken care of in other ways.
You loved him, you knew. Didn’t know when it started, but it was deep in your bones now. It was a slow, syrupy feeling, to be in love with him, but it itched you to not know what he thought of you. He cared for you, though, and you tried to hold that as enough for now.
The stairs creaked with Joel’s slow weight, making the butterflies stir in your stomach.
A knock softly sounded at your door, and you buried your face in the covers.
“Breakfast.”
You ignored him.
He opened the door quietly, and you squeezed your eyes tighter closed.
“You still ‘sleep?”
A smile threatened onto your face, and you clenched your jaw to keep it away.
“I know you ain’t, sugar. I know this game.”
You ignored him again, and he sighed, grumbling something about ‘don’t know why i keep you around’ all the way back down the stairs.
You let the smile onto your face until you heard him coming back up the stairs. He opened the door, not as gentle this time, and set a mug down on the bedside table.
It smelled like the special-occasion coffee.
“Get your ass up, I got plans for us today.”
You made a big show of yawning and stretching before you blinked up at Joel owlishly.
“Oh! Good morning, Joel! I didn’t think you’d be awake yet!”
Joel rolled his eyes, but the grin on his face couldn’t be hid.
“Mm,” he hummed. “I’ll bet.”
You reached for the coffee, but he intercepted your hand, pressing a quick kiss to your knuckles.
“Can’t fool me, sugar. I know you too good.”
He walked off, leaving you smiling like a fool after him.
Maybe he did love you. Just a little bit.