There was no mistaking the aroma of freshly toasted bread.

Much like rain soaked concrete sidewalks, or freshly cut grass, when bread was toasted just right, not burned or charred in any way, it is an undeniably distinctive scent . Arguably, or perhaps even more so than that, it is also one of the basic " soothing " scents known to man.

There is no denying it. It is a fact.

Akin to that the Earth is round.

Or, at least it is for those who've experienced it, which includes virtually everybody on Earth. But, even for them, there's no way to explain exactly why the veritible phenomenon is what it is.

They can only agree on what it does for you: gives you a sudden, and prominent, feelings of hunger, especially for that bread. And, simultaneously, it simply calms you down. Even if only slightly, and/or for a short while.

It simply did.

And, those effects were all amplified, when you could experience it in the morning ( not too early though; that was a given ).

Tani Rey counted herself fortune that all of that was on her side today. Yet again, she was grateful that she was a morning person.

It was a tolerable 8 am, and she had just entered the kitchen of her house. The windows were open, letting the pale light of the heavily overcast sky flood through, and bathe the room. Though the previous day had been brightly lit, with only a scattering of clouds dotting the sky, today, on this morning, the weather had quite obviously taken a turn for the more stormy.

It was arguably inevitable, though. Hawaii, much like Minnesota, cycled through two seasons: the warm and balmy days, where sunlight was plentiful and the temperatures were t-shirt perfect, and then the other: Storms, rains, and general squalls. It was par for the course, for a tropical locale such as the Hawaiian islands.

That was infinitely better that than falling snow and freezing cold. Tani would take virtually any kind of climate over that.

Still, with the kitchen windows open, but with the screens in place, chilled air, hinting at rain to follow, was still entering through . If anything was well suited to chasing away that even slightest of chills, warm toast was the ideal candidate.

Though, if Tani was being honest with herself, the promise of fresh toast alone was enough, no matter the weather.

And judging by the scent of it, some of that toast must be just about ready. Only another few seconds more, or a minute at most.

" Hmm. Don't mind if I do ".

Smirking, she headed toward the far side of the room, where the steel shaded,blue lighted toaster sat, on the granite counter, beneath one of the windows, its burgundy curtains gently buffeting from the breeze.

Leaning over the toaster, Tani found the scent of the imminently reedy bread to be utterly impossible to resist.

If she's even wanted to resist it, and she didn't

She exhaled, sighing with profound satisfaction at both the scent of the bread- which was Rye bread, as she now noticed-, and the warmth of the toaster coils, as they wafted and washed over her.

" Mmmmm. Yes. "

Any second now. Any second, and this toast would be hers.

That delicious, amazing toast. Some folks craved piping hot, black coffee in the morning, but others ( or in some cases, one and the same ), wanted toast.

Tani knew she did. Right now, she wanted toast. Subconsciously, she remembered that she hadn't actually been a longtime fan of toast, for most of her life. English muffins, and bagels had filled the spot of baked good enjoyed hot in the morning for her.

But, none of that seemed to matter right now. What she was aware of, at least, was how badly she wanted some toast.

Right, now.

" Come on ", she muttered, gesturing at the toaster impatiently. " You have to nearly be done. How long can it take ? "

chhh ! Ning !

With a slight rasping sound, and a loud chime, two slices of Rye bread sprang up into view.

" Ha ! Yes. " Tani grinned, feeling quite triumphant.

" Finally ".

Ignoring the fact that she'd only been waiting for less than a minute, Tani immediately reached in- carefully, as the coils were still radiating quite a bit of heat- and pinched one of the slices. It was warm to the point of hot to the touch, and its texture was indeed that of freshly toasted bread: gritty, crisp, and just firm enough to not give way under slight pressure.

Flawless.

It was similar to how steak should be prepared ( which, by the way, is when its been well browned all the way through, no pinkness or redness, and none of that repulsive, rubbery fat ) : just right.

This was easily one of the best ways her day could possibly begin. Tani had no doubt of that, as she carefully pulled the slice completely free.

Well, aside from what had happened the day before.

" Promoted to Captain yesterday. Now, I get toast, praise the lord ".

" Getting better and better. ".

Tani was in a very good mood, as she went over to the cupboards, prying open the wooden door, and removing a small plate. She was just about ready. All she needed now, was some jelly to spread over it.

Preferably peach. Or, failing that, raspberry would suffice.

Setting the plate down on the centrally placed kitchen table, Tani left the first slice of Rye on it, while she returned to the toaster, and removed the second one. Carrying it over to the plate, she put it down beside its twin.

" Allright, just about done. Now, for that jelly ".


When most folks heard the word " delicacy ", toast probably wasn't on the list.

Pate ? Yes. Caviar, fresh from sturgeons native to Lake Baikal ? Yes. Fugu fish, capable of poisoning its eater unless it was prepared according to very strict procedures ?

Yes.

Tani, though, didn't regard any of those to be delicacies in her book.

The two slices of Rye, though, that she'd just eaten ? Ones that had been toasted to perfection, and then glazed with a thin blanket of Peach jelly ( the very last of what was left in the jar; she'd have to remind Junior to buy more ) ?

Yes. They qualified.

" Mmmm ! ", She hummed in the way that someone who was very and truly pleased with something tasty they'd just had. " Mmmm. Great. Now I want another. "

She ran a finger over her mouth, scraping a few bits of peach flesh ( left over from the jelly ) and crumbs off, then promptly licked it clean.

Having sat at one the long legged kitchen chairs to enjoy the toast, Tani now leaned back a bit, glancing down at the now empty plate.

And felt a curious mix of sensations: tremendous satisfaction, but also, that same strong desire to have more of it. Right away. Two slices, she'd just found, wasn't really enough, even though she'd thought it would be.

It was, almost like, a craving.

Not that the Captain-as-of-yesterday was consciously aware of that. This was a fine morning, so far, and why not keep it that way, until work called her to leave, with more toast ?

There had to be more of it ? After all, it'd been there, being prepared just for her, when she'd walked in.

Junior. Such a kind soul, this had to be his doing. Just that thought alone, had Tani smiling.

She told herself she'd kiss him as soon as she saw him again.

" Tani ?! "

Speaking of Junior, that was him !

It was a bit out of the blue, but not an unwelcome surprise. He seemed to be calling from further out, near where the front door was.

That fit: When Tani had awoken this morning, blinking and stirring out of her sleep in their Queen sized bed, Junior's side of it had been empty. Tani hadn't been alarmed by that though; as a SEAL, Junior still liked to go for a brief, but intense, morning run daily.

He must've just gotten back.

Pushing back from the table, Tani stood, and set out to greet her fiancee.

" Over here, babe ", she called back.

Stepping past the kitchen entrance, Tani spared a second to adjust her long brunette hair, before Junior appeared.

Sure enough, he was dressed for a run; shorts, and a T shirt. It was an ensemble that was well suited for what he was using it for, but for Tani, she approved of how it showed off Junior's military- sculpted physique.

That's always a welcome sight, she let herself think, as she moved toward him.

" Oh. There you are ! ", Junior exclaimed, smiling broadly as they reached each other.

Smiling right back, Tani saw he was about to kiss her, so she beat him to it; placing a hand on his jawline, she gently drew their mouths together.

Kisses between them would always be one of the highlights of her life, no argument.

"Mmm ".

With a slight hum, Junior gently grasped Tani's hips, holding her in place, before ( reluctantly ) stepping back.

" Morning, beautiful ", he greeted her.

" I was about to say the same thing ".

Junior smirked at that. He knew that Tani was right.

" Sleep well ", the brunette Captain asked.

" Good as usual. "

" So did I ", Tani informed him, mirroring his smirk. " And, I had a great morning as well. Thanks for that toast ".

Junior blinked, in a surprised way.

" Toast ? "

Tipping her head back toward the kitchen, Tani continued, smiling with genuine cheer now:

" The slices I found roasting away when I came in there. You're a a prince, you know, for doing that for me. I had the biggest hankering for them this morning. Can't even say why. "

After a second of silence, Junior spoke:

" Ah, Tani ? That toast was for me, actually. "

He smiled, apologetically, and shrugged.

" Technically, anyway ".

The reveal took only a moment to settle in for Tani, and when it did, she clapped a hand over her mouth, to cover up her gasp.

" Ohh ! Oh, Junior, I didn't- "

He silenced her with a chuckle, and another kiss, given via swiftly leaning in, on her cheek.

" Tani, Tani. Its ok. You didn't know. Besides, we all share the food here, don't we ? "

It was all wrapped up in a bow; his response to what had happened. On some level, Tani wasn't caught off guard, but on the other, she was still grateful he was so understanding.

It also helped with what she had in mind next.

" That's true, I suppose ", Tani admitted, lowering her hands, absent mindedly rubbing them around each other.

" Which means: If I asked you to toast some more for me, you'd do it. "

" Right ? "

She phrased " Right ", as innocently as she could. Some may call it a cheap move, to use one of Junior's weaknesses against him, but Tani and Junior understood each other, after all.

Besides, that hankering for toast she'd mentioned before hadn't gone away. Actually, it was stronger now.

She really wanted more toast, and Junior was a good way to get some of it.

Junior looked at her with both bemusement, and what Tani assumed was curiosity.

" Well, I can't say no to that, can I ? ", he acknowledged.

" Come on. I think there's half a loaf left. "

That was enough to get another broad smile from Tani.

" I knew we had to have ! Come on then ".

She turned back around, sweeping back into the kitchen with a spring in her walk.

Junior followed, but as he did, something popped up in his mind:

Tani, hungry this badly for toast ?

In the moring ?

What-?

He shrugged off the questions, though, deciding they could wait till later.

For now, his woman wanted toast.

And he'd get it for her.