The Price for a Waffle
Ah, how you loved Saturday mornings. No need to wake up early in a foul mood, no need to drowsily part from your bed, and most importantly of all, no need to make breakfast. Snuggling closer to your pillow, you smugly let your lips curve to a smirk. Someone else will be waking up early and making breakfast for you today.
At the commanding growl of your stomach, you practically leapt off your bed and briskly strode out the door while running both hands through your tousled hair, attempting to sort out the knots accumulated through a night of tossing and turning.
Waffles.
That delicious smell hit the roof of your mouth and you could almost taste those mouth-watering Belgian waffles. Too bad it lacked a physical, edible form at the moment. Licking your lips, you clambered halfway down the stairs and peered over the rail.
"Good morning, Riley!" you called cheerfully, reaching down to ruffle the mop of brown hair an arm's length below.
Gently swatting away your hands, the Belgian blinked his sparkling green eyes, flashed a smile and merrily greeted back, "Good morning to you too, bed head."
Snorting at his playful teasing, you bound down the final steps of the stairs and swung around to face Riley. "How's breakfast going?" you eagerly asked.
"Nearly done."
You plopped down on the sofa and turned on the TV. Nonchalantly shifting through the channels, you grudgingly stopped at (channel name), which seemed to be the most interesting thing airing right now. A few minutes later, you heard the clink of sliding eating utensils on a plate and the tap of approaching footsteps.
"Do you want to eat on the sofa today?" Riley asked as he balanced two plates of waffles on his fingertips.
"Why not?" You shrugged and held an outstretched hand for one of Riley's plates. You were about to grasp the edge of a plate before he reeled away, his eyes gleaming mischievously.
"Not yet, (name), not yet!" he chuckled, a crooked grin on his face. "I want something first."
Gah, and you thought you were so close to getting those waffles.
"You want something?" You impatiently wondered what all of this was about. "What do you want?"
"A kiss."
"A kiss?" You spluttered, your heart fluttering at his request. "Why would you want a kiss?"
"It's the price."
"Price of what?"
"Let's see..." He thoughtfully raised his eyes to the ceiling and frowned in concentration. "For getting up extra early in the morning, making the waffles and toppings, and getting everything ready for you on time."
"Riley, are you serious?" you groaned in disbelief on behalf of your complaining stomach.
"Of course I am! And you'd better do this quick before I take them away," he warned. "I know you're willing to die for them."
You glared at Riley, hoping that this was just a joke. A confident little smile played on his lips as he waited for your submission. "Alright." You muttered under your breath, rising to kneel on the couch and twisting around to face Riley. You'd never miss a chance to eat Riley's notorious waffles no matter what the circumstances are. There was a triumphant grin on his face as he leaned towards your lips. Squeezing your eyes shut, you quickly pecked him on the cheek and instantly blushed. Despite the numerous times you've kissed him, you'll find your cheeks pinkish and warm. You also could never acquire enough confidence to meet his exuberant emerald eyes whenever your flustered heart is dancing two times faster in your chest. For some reason, Riley always found these silly but uncontrollable habits of yours as something funny.
"That's more like it." he laughed radiantly, finally handing you one of the plates. After shuffling to the side to make space for Riley on the sofa, you dug into the waffles without a second thought. You could feel Riley's amused gaze on you but you didn't care much about it. In other words... you were already used to him eyeing you like that.
In just under five minutes, you finished everything; waffles, toppings, all of that. Riley was a minute or two behind you, steadily consuming his breakfast at a slower pace than you. While you waited for him to finish, you placed your spotless plate on the table by the sofa and settled back on the pillows with a remote in hand. You carried on your quest to encounter something entertaining on the TV this morning but failing that, you shut off the TV just as Riley was stacking his plate under yours.
Now it was your time to get to work. Regardless of Riley making breakfast on every Saturday, you still had to wash the plates yearound. You were about to get up when an idea popped into your mind. Wheeling around to face Riley, you felt a smile broadening on your face.
"Hey Riley?"
"Hm?"
"Why do you get 'paid' while I don't?"
"Get paid for what?" His eyes brightened as he began to follow your idea.
You raised a hand and began to count the list with your fingers. "For washing the dishes, cleaning the house, making lunch, making dinner, getting the groceries, and… and a whole lot of other things."
"Name your price."
"Ah…" You didn't think that far yet. "I… don't know."
"Better think quickly or I'm deciding for you."
"But I don't know!"
"Three…"
"Riley!" you protested, feeling panic flare in your chest.
"Two…"
"Let me think!"
"I'm letting you think for one second more." The sly smile on his face grew bigger. He probably had an idea in his head already.
"One second's not gonna help." you growled.
"And zero!" A split second later his hands were on your wrists and he pulled you towards him. You would've fallen flat on his chest if you hadn't steadied yourself, but nonetheless your pink-tinged face was only centimeters apart from his."Next time, think before you speak." With the words still hanging in the air, his lips were pressed against yours, soft and sweetened by the chocolate syrup on his waffles. You couldn't twist away; not because of his hands still gripped on your wrists, but you were utterly petrified. Another of your troublesome habits was kicking in again. If you kissed him, you'd blush. If he kissed you, you'd be stunned. It took some good long moments to regain control of your body and the first thing you do was try to scramble away. Riley eventually released your wrists and you immediately scooted to the other end of the sofa, your hands trying to cover up your beet-red face. Riley laughed, loud and exultant, totally ignorant of the fact that it made you flush even deeper.
"Did I pay for everything?" he chuckled, still unable to stifle his glee.
"Y-yes you did." you stammered as you racked your brain for an excuse to slip away from Riley for a minute and calm yourself down. "I'm going to wash the dishes." you said lamely.
"Wait." Riley caught your hands as your rose and yanked you backwards so you stumbled onto his lap. "Who said I was done with you?" he breathed against your reddening ears.
"Wh-what do you mean?"
"You forgot the tip."
And he squarely kissed you once more on the lips.