Page 36 of Shattered Oaths

The sound of my alarm blaring next to me causes me to groan as I roll over in bed and swat at my phone screen. Through squinted eyes I check the time and drop my head back onto my pillow when I see it’s only five-thirty a.m.

I have at least thirty minutes until I absolutely have to drag my ass from this bed and I plan to use every single second of it to my advantage.

Pulling the comforter up to my chin, I relax back into the mattress that basically resembles a cloud, with every intention of falling back into the blissful slumber I was rudely dragged from but just as I close my eyes, there’s a soft knock at my door.

With a sigh, I lift my head. “Go away, Noah.”

He doesn’t go away. Instead, he pushes the door open and pokes his head inside, his face far too happy for this time in the morning. “Wakey wakey, babybell.”

I groan. “What do you want?”

“I made breakfast,” he says proudly and it’s then that I’m hit with the smell of coffee and… syrup?

“Did you burn it again?” I ask through a yawn as I pull myself into a sitting position, resigning to the fact that I’m not going to get that extra half an hour.

“Nope.” He pops the p. “I made pancakes this time.” Noah pushes the door open fully and enters the room, somehow balancing a plate and a coffee mug in the same hand.

He holds the steaming liquid out to me and I take it gratefully, placing it quickly on the nightstand. Once my hands are free, Noah sets the plate down in my lap and to my surprise, three perfectly cooked pancakes are piled on top of each other with a healthy dose of syrup covering them.

“Wow. These actually look good,” I say, cutting into one straight away.

“Hey now. I’m not completely useless in the kitchen.” He clutches his chest like he’s wounded and I roll my eyes at him.

I do a quick scan of his body, noting that he’s dressed for the day, his face is bright with no evidence of sleep anywhere to be seen and I frown. “How long have you been awake?”

Noah checks his watch. “About an hour.”

I almost choke on my pancake. “You got up at four-thirty?”

He nods. “Sure did.”

“Why?” I ask in disbelief.

Shrugging his shoulders, he says, “My body clock is naturally programmed to wake up at that time. In thesummer I like to get out there and get my shit done before the peak heat.”

“And in the winter?” I ask.

Noah shrugs again. “Sometimes I’ll sleep a little later but rarely. I’ll just sit out on the porch with a coffee and watch the sunrise.”

A surprised laugh escapes me. “You are full of surprises.”

He takes a seat in the corner of the room and smirks. “You know me, Bells. I like to keep things interesting.”

I frown at him. “What’re you doing?”

“Sitting down. What does it look like I’m doing?” He asks, confused.

I stare at him. “Don’t you have work?”

“Sure. But I thought I’d have breakfast with you first.” His tone is casual as he makes himself comfortable in the chair and I almost get the urge to pinch myself to double check that I’m awake.

“You don’t have any food,” I say dumbly.

Noah waves me off. “I already ate.”

This is hands down the most confusing conversation I’ve ever had at such an ungodly hour, and I just shake my head, not entirely convinced that this is really happening.

Noah merely watches me silently, his company strange yet oddly comforting as I finish my breakfast in bed and wonder how much life could have possibly taken such a turn in so little time.