Kate woke to find Caroline had been her pillow much of the night, which explained the kink in her neck and the stiffness in her joints as she tried to move without disturbing her. As she peered at the clock she felt Caroline beginning to stir. She pulled the covers up over them to shield them from the cold early morning air in the bedroom.

Feeling the movement of the duvet as much as that of Kate, Caroline slowly stretched to remove some stiffness of her own as she opened her eyes, which were met by Kate's. They wordlessly settled back into a cuddle with Kate nibbling at her neck in response to Caroline rubbing her feet against Kate's. Although the gestures were playful, neither seemed interested in dialing up the contact at that moment.

It was Kate who broke the silence with a simple, "Morning."

"Hmmm. What a lovely way to wake up. How are you feeling?"

"Loved. Thank you for last night."

"I wish I could wave a magic wand and give your dad a cure. I know how hard it is to watch him slip further and further away."

"It's just that there's no one else who goes to see him. His second wife ditched and ran after his diagnosis and most of his family live down south." Kate rolled onto her back to sit up a little against her pillow as her neck was still feeling a bit stiff. She pulled the covers up with her to cover her bare frame.

Missing the contact, Caroline rolled onto her side and moved up onto her pillow so she could make eye contact. "I didn't know he remarried after your mum."

"April. She was a groupie who was always in the crowd wherever his band played. She was quite a bit younger and a bit of a drunk in the end. When the going got tough for him, she just got going."

"How sad for him. Do you think he remembers her?"

"Not at all anymore. Now when he mentions his wife, it's clear he means my mum."

"Is that tough on you?"

"It doesn't matter. Mum was much happier after their divorce than he was but even as a teenager I knew that marriage was going to end after I went to uni. I know he never cheated on her but she got tired of him gigging all the time and never being home."

Caroline didn't know what to say so she merely reached out to Kate and pulled her into an embrace, kissing Kate's shoulder which was the nearest body part to her mouth. Sensing Kate needed a change of subject, she inquired, "I promised you dinner but we never got that far, did we? Are you hungry?"

"Starved actually."

"Me too. How about I take you out for breakfast?" Caroline looked forward to this ritual on weekends when they were on their own as it was something that had never a part of her routine with John.

About a half hour later, they found themselves in their usual table at the back of the diner being brought steaming cups of coffee by Judy. "Morning ladies. It's a bit chilly out there today, isn't it? This should warm you."

"Morning Judy" they responded in unison.

"So, what'll it be?" Judy, with her pen perched just above her notepad, looked at Caroline first.

"Full English today but skip the black pudding please," Caroline said as she looked up to meet Judy's kind green eyes that were smiling down at her.

"Right. And for you Kate?"

"I'll have what she's having." Kate intentionally flashed Caroline a self-satisfied grin as she spoke, knowing full well Judy caught the subtext, and smiled at the realization that she could no longer make Caroline blush as easily as she was becoming more open with their relationship.

Judy turned to head to the kitchen window to place their order. Once they could no longer see her face, she smiled to herself at the knowledge that Kate seemed so much happier than she did on those mornings not long ago when she would show up alone to eat at the counter with a nothing more than a newspaper for company.

As soon as her coffee had been properly creamed, Caroline set down her spoon and looked across the table at Kate, who still looked tired despite their having slept more than they usually did on sleepovers when the house was empty. She was relieved that she didn't see the same sadness in her eyes that had been there the night before.

They fell into their usual banter about the week that had just ended and the week to come. Kate enjoyed these easy conversations with Caroline, when her phone was tucked away in her purse. Her guess was that the reason it never seemed to ring during breakfast was that her family wasn't fully awake yet to ring or text her.

From her side of the table, Caroline loved how the early morning light reflected in Kate's chocolate eyes and how animated Kate was as she excitedly talked with her hands when retelling tales from choir practice and her 9F class.

Returning with the bill when she saw their empty plates, Judy asked if they had any plans for their day.

"We haven't gotten that far," Caroline confessed.

"Well enjoy your day, ladies, whatever you decide to do," said Judy as she gave them each a little more coffee in case they intended to linger a little longer.

"So, I was thinking," Caroline began just before they stood to leave. "I know it's early days, but I was wondering if you'd put this on your key ring and use it whenever you like." She handed Kate the house key she had pocketed that morning while Kate was in the en-suite getting ready to head out to breakfast.

Kate closed her fingers tightly around the key, clearly moved by the gesture and not quite knowing what to say in response.

"It's just that last night, as I was unlocking the door for you to let yourself in, I thought you needed your own key as I'd like nothing more than for you to be able to come and go as you please." Kate reached out to clasp Caroline's hand in gratitude.

"How about we go back to your place and you pack a few things to leave at mine? I emptied a drawer in the dresser for you."

"Is this the surprise you mentioned over the phone?"