Chapter 101: The thrill the morning deserves

The following morning, Stella woke to the smell of food.

For a second she stayed still under the duvet, realizing the quiet of the villa and the empty space beside her. Tom was gone from the bed. The aroma coming from the kitchen was simple; she could perceive eggs, toast, yet it was warm enough to pull her fully out of sleep.

She rose, pulled the discarded sheet around herself loosely, and walked out toward the kitchen.

Tom stood at the counter in the same casual clothes from midnight, the sleeves were pushed up, while he moved with the focus of a man who had already decided the morning needed to start properly. A pan hissed lightly on the stove.

Stella leaned against the doorway and watched him for a moment.

"Should I be disappointed?" she finally spoke up.

Tom glanced over his shoulder. "About what?"

"You’re cooking in actual clothes." Her mouth curved into a mischievous smile as she paused. "I was starting to believe the lace underwear did something important for the process."

A short chuckle left him. "After last night’s salt disaster, I’m not taking chances."

"Responsible of you." Stella chuckled.

"Necessary," he corrected, turning off the burner. "There’s a difference. One is virtue. The other is self-preservation."

"Ah ah, I see." Stella shook her head in pure amusement then walked to the small table and sat down. "And I did enjoy the performance." She said half seriously, half jokingly.

Tom plated the food and set hers down first. "I enjoy results more." he maintained firmly.

"Convenient answer." Stella shot back but not harshly.

"No, true one, actually." He took the chair opposite her with his own plate. "Now, taste the food before you decide whether to keep teasing me."

Stella gave a firm nod then cut into the eggs, took a bite, and gave another small nod of real approval. "All right. This is better."

"I’d hope so." he heaved a breath of relief.

She ate another bite before looking up again.

"Thank you." she said with warmth coating her voice.

Tom met her gaze briefly. "You’re welcome."

Then they ate on in a comfortable silence. The quiet stayed comfortable, broken only by the faint sounds of cutlery. When Stella finally set her fork down, she leaned back in the chair with the appearance of someone whose body had returned to her properly overnight.

"I have something prepared for us," she announced pleasantly.

Tom raised a brow. "What is it?"

"If I tell you now, it’ll ruin it." She stood, gathering the sheet more securely around herself. "Part of the fun is not knowing the shape of it too early."

"That sounds dangerous." Tom said jokingly, peering at her.

"It sounds like a vacation," Stella replied. "Go bathe. I’ll do the same."

He studied her face for a second as if he could tell what she had prepared by mere looking, then nodded. "All right. I’ll meet you after."

"Don’t take too long," she said as she turned away. "I hate waiting when I’m already interested."

"Yes, ma’am." Tom said in a louder voice and she chuckled.

They left the kitchen together and separated toward their rooms. Only when Tom stepped into his and saw the phone on the side table did the unfinished business of midnight return.

Sienna’s call...

He had let the call go unanswered. At the time it had felt fair because Stella had put her own phone away for the vacation, and he had chosen not to split the night in half. Now, in daylight, the missed call sat there like a loose thread.

He picked up the phone and returned it. It rang twice before Sienna answered.

"Hello," Tom said.

There was a slight pause on the line. "Mr Harlow?" Sienna’s voice came out exaggeratedly surprised.

"I saw I missed your call last night."

Another pause, shorter this time. When she spoke again, her voice had already arranged itself into a more smoother surprised tone. "What call?"

Tom frowned faintly. "You called me around midnight."

"I didn’t call you."

The denial was too ready. Not confused, not searching her memory. Just dropped as if she had already decided the midnight version of herself would not be acknowledged in the morning.

Tom’s fingers tightened slightly around the phone. "No?"

"No." Her tone sharpened by a degree. "And I’m busy right now, so unless you called to discuss something real, I’d rather not waste the morning on hallucinations."

"You’re sure you didn’t-"

"I’m sure," Sienna cut in. "If I needed you, I would have left a message. I didn’t. Now if you’ll excuse me, some of us still have a schedule and not idling around on a vacation."

The line clicked off before he could answer.

Tom lowered the phone and stared at the screen for a moment, disbelief and amusement dancing in his eyes.

"Oh, Sienna... What are you doing?" he muttered.

He did not call back. He knew that whatever pride or regret sat under Sienna’s denial, chasing it now would only drag the day sideways. He set the phone down, stripped out of the casual clothes, and went to bathe.

~~~~~~~~~

A few minutes later, Tom was dressed in comfortable clothes and waiting in the living room.

Stella emerged from the hallway with none of the sheet or sleep-softness from earlier. She wore a light see-through long gown that moved easily around her body, and beneath it the lines of lingerie were exposed and unmistakable. Her hair was let loose. Her expression carried that familiar mix of composure and mischief.

She smiled when she saw him. "Ready?"

Tom’s eyes moved over her once. "For what, exactly?"

"For what I planned."

"That’s not an answer."

"It’s the only answer you’re getting." She crossed the room with unhurried confidence. "Unless you’ve suddenly become the type who needs a full itinerary before he follows a woman outside."

Tom squinted slightly, then exhaled through his nose. "Mmh Mhm... No. I’m ready."

"Good."

Stella took his hand without any other word and turned toward the door that opened onto the private outside of the villa.

She led him out of the house and into whatever version of thrill she had decided the morning deserved.