Ruth smiles. "What do you want for breakfast?" She asks as she puts the kettle on.
"What do we have time to have?" Harry asks. He spends his entire life wondering how much time he'll have to do anything.
"As long as you don't have an early meeting and we don't have any emergency calls, we have time for a full English, if you want." Ruth says looking into her fridge.
"Oh, a full English sounds great. Normally I grab a piece of toast on my way out the door in the morning. It's nice to have some time in the morning and not be rushed." Harry admits to Ruth.
"Well, if you do the beans, tomatoes, and toast, I will do the sausages and eggs and we'll have breakfast in no time." Ruth says as she bustles around the kitchen.
"Which cupboard are your beans in?" Harry asks as he pulls tomatoes out of the fridge.
"Um, the top one on the left of the stove. The pots are in the bottom cupboard in the right hand corner." Ruth pulls a fry pan from the drawer under the stove. She puts 4 sausages in the pan and browns them.
Harry opens the can of beans and pours them into a pot. He stirs them using a wooden spoon he finds in a canister next to the stove. He loves the domesticity of the situation, though he's still having trouble believing any of this is real. He cuts the tomato and pulls a fry pan out. He turns the heat on and gently sets the tomatoes in the pan.
"You're very handy in the kitchen, Harry. No one would ever believe me that you can actually cook. Don't look at me that way and don't forget to stir the beans. I'd prefer not to have burned beans for breakfast." Ruth teases as she turns the sausages.
Harry looks at the beans and gives them a stir and turns the tomatoes. He finds plates and pops a couple of slices of toast in the toaster and takes the butter out. He sees Ruth pull the sausages out of the pan and deftly crack eggs into the pan. He spoons beans onto the plates before he adds the tomatoes.
"How do you like you eggs, Harry?" Ruth asks as she lifts her eggs out of the pan.
"Hard yolks on mine please." Harry requests as he snatches the hot toast from the toaster and butters it. "It smells good."
Ruth sets a plate full of food and a mug of tea in front of Harry before she gets her breakfast and joins Harry at the kitchen table.
Harry feels Fidget wind his way around Harry's ankles. Harry leans over and pets the cat gently. "You look hungry? Hasn't your mummy fed you yet?" Harry, like Ruth, is an animal lover.
Ruth gets up and grabs a box of cat food and pours some into Fidget's dish. "There you go, Fidge." Ruth scratches Fidget behind the ears before she sits back down at the kitchen table. She watches Harry intently for a few minutes when she knows he's not aware she's watching him.
Harry can feel Ruth's eyes watching him and he wonders why. He pauses his fork halfway to his mouth. He sets his fork down and picks up his coffee mug. "Why are you watching me?"
"I still can't believe this is real. I'm afraid if I look away that you'll disappear. I still am struggling to believe all of this." Ruth says gently.
Harry covers Ruth's hand with his. "I am very real, believe me. I understand why you're having trouble believing all of this. I still don't think my mind has quite caught up with everything yet. I woke up in the middle of the night and I was confused about where I was and what was going on. We just have to give it a little time to sink in and we'll be fine. We already have a solid friendship, so we have good building blocks. I think that we'll be just fine. We just need to take time to process all of this."
Ruth smiles and blushes. She continues to eat and Harry takes some time to observe Ruth. The soft curls of her dark hair fall around her face as she leans forward slightly. He notes that her mug as cats printed on it. Her dressing gown has gaped open to reveal a vast expanse of her porcelain skin across her chest. He finds his breath catching in his throat as he watches Ruth.
Harry sits back in his chair as he finishes his breakfast. He picks up his mug and holds it in his hands. The cup isn't even warm on the outside anymore.