Sunrise II

She woke up slowly, and looked at her alarm clock. There was still plenty of time. She turned around in bed, and closed her eyes again. A few minutes later she gave up, opened her eyes, and sat up in bed.

Slowly she pulled the covers aside and swung her feet out of the bed. She let out a little gasp as she hit the cold floor, but decided it was worth it. Carefully she ran her fingers along the footboard, and when she finally felt the cool silk of her robe, she grabbed it and headed out the door. Once outside her room she put her robe on, and tied the belt.

Cautiously she stretched her arms out in front of her, and walked slowly towards the stairs. When she found the banister she followed it slowly, gripping tight, while her toes carefully searched for the first step in the dark. When she found it she picked up her pace, but she didn't rush. She had plenty of time, it was still dark.

When she reached the kitchen she lit a candle, she didn't want to turn on the light, it would be too strong, too bright. It would ruin the mood. She turned on the tap to fill the kettle, but the water that exited from the tap came with such force and loudness that it startled her. Quickly she closed the tap so that the water release was at its minimum.

When she'd finally filled the kettle she put it back and flicked the switch. She lifted the candle and searched for the plunger, she knew it was on the counter somewhere. When she had located it she opened the cupboard and searched slowly with her eyes in the dim light.

She could smell it. It was there. Mixed with all the other scents in the cupboard. She inhaled deeply, and smiled. She grabbed the pack, holding it tight, feeling her fingers digging into it. She opened it slowly, and held it up to her nose. She inhaled deeply, savoring every single tingle. The sweetness of the bitter grinds worked its way up through her nostrils and into her brain, making her light headed and relaxed. For every breath she took with her nose in the bag she felt satisfaction spread through her body, tingling in the bottom of her stomach.

One last deep inhalation, and she could feel her toes curl, her entire body pounding, like the aftermath of a climax. She grabbed hold of the counter to steady herself, as she came back to earth.

She grabbed a spoon and dug it slowly into the bag, carefully moving the coffee, one spoon at the time, into the plunger. She felt her hand tremble a little, and she held her breath as she balanced the precious grinds over the bench. She took the kettle and poured the boiling water over the tiny black mountain, and put the plunger on.

She counted the seconds silently, while she waited for the water to mix with the coffee, and the coffee rose to the top. Heavily she placed her hand on top of the plunger, slowly and lightly pressing it down. She placed the candle behind it, and watched the different colours of the layers. The light brown water on the bottom, the black layer of coffee grinds, and the dark, dark brown fluid on top. When she reached the bottom her face broke into a satisfied grin, and she quickly grabbed a mug, and filled it. She threw a quick glance out the window, and noticed that dawn was starting.

She hurried outside with the mug in her hands, but relaxed as she reached the veranda. She could see light shining up from behind the hill in the far paddock. She leaned against the veranda pole, lifted her mug up to her lips, closed her eyes and inhaled the hot steam.
She lifted her chin slightly as she felt the first rays of the sun wash over her face. As the light became more intense she felt her eyelids burning in different shades of orange. She opened her eyes slowly, and let herself get lost in the beauty of the sunrise. She didn't hear him coming up behind her, but she wasn't startled when he placed his head on her shoulder and wrapped his arms around her. Together they watched the sun rise, not making a sound, just enjoying the feeling of contentment and joy.