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Why is he so perfect?

He notices that I put his shirt back on, and he throws me an appreciative glance.

“Alright, time for breakfast,” I say. Mortimer jumps off the bed and runs after me.

In the kitchen, I fill his food bowl with kibble, then grab a glass from the cabinet and fill it with water from the fridge. I drain the whole glass before making my way to the coffee machine to prepare coffee. I wonder if I have any breakfast food, but when I search the cabinets, I find nothing. I barely ever have food at home.

I sigh. I guess all I can offer is coffee.

I hear the bathroom door open and Hayden’s footsteps coming down the hallway. He’s shirtless, but he put on a pair of black sweatpants, which must’ve been in his gym bag. I ogle his chest once more, taking in his toned stomach and broad shoulders. While his tattoos cover most of the skin on his arms, he only has a few tattoos on his chest.

“Stop checking me out,” he mutters with a grin on his face, then walks over to kiss me on the forehead.

“I was merely transfixed by the rare sight of a shirtless man in my kitchen,” I say, putting my hands on his chest. “I’m making coffee. It should be ready soon. I’m going to brush my teeth.”

He nods, and I make my way to the bathroom.

When I’m brushing my teeth, I’m startled by a loud knock at the front door. I rinse my mouth and rush out of the bathroom, hurrying to see who’s at the door.

But Hayden beats me to it. I’m only a few feet away when he opens the front door, and I hear a loud gasp from the other side.

I come to an abrupt stop next to Hayden.

A wide-eyed Kora stands in front of us. Her mouth hangs open, and she’s wearing an expression that can only be described as pure delight. A brown paper bag is tucked under her left arm. “Oh. My. God.” Her eyes zoom in on Hayden’s chest and my bare legs. “Good morning to you two,” she singsongs, a big grin on her face.

“Hey,” Hayden says, his voice casual, but I hear the hint of amusement.

“Hi,” I stammer next to him, slightly embarrassed by my lack of clothes.

Hayden puts his arm around me, and I fear my best friend’s grin might grow so big it actually falls off her face.

“Picture this,” she says, speaking in a terrible British accent. “I am at my coffee shop this morning having a cup of bean water on my day off. And I overhear the strangest conversation. And methinks, it cannot be true. Not my sweet, pure, innocent angel of a friend. So, methinks, let me bringeth food to said friend, because said friend never has food at home, to ask her if the rumors are true. Then, I arriveth at her house, and a shirtless man opens the door. I thanketh the universe for this beautiful sight on a Sunday morning,” she continues, waving a hand at Hayden’s chest. He snorts. But once Kora is on a roll, she doesn’t stop, “So, methinks maybe the rumors of my friend’s gala escapades are true, and she got rewardeth with good dick afterwards.”

“Kora,” I say, trying to sound outraged, but I can’t stop laughing.

“Well?” my friend says expectantly.

Hayden answers for me. “She definitely got rewardeth with good dick.” He winces when I elbow him in the stomach. “But the rumors you heard are true. Your sweet and innocent friend told the most influential man in town to shut up and then proceeded to tell everyone in the room what a horrible person he is,” he says, sounding proud.

“There was context,” I insist.

“Oh, I’m sure there was,” Kora says, delighted. “I’d love to hear it. But as curious as I am, I will skedaddle now and come back when I’m not interrupting.” She hands me the bag of food.

“No, wait,” Hayden says. “You guys should catch up. I’m supposed to meet Darlene in an hour anyway.”

I wave Kora inside the house. I put the food on the kitchen counter and then awkwardly tell her, “I’m going to put on pants.”

“You do that,” she says, still beaming.

Hayden follows me into the bedroom, pulling a shirt from his bag and stuffing his suit in his gym bag.

“Doesn’t it get wrinkly like that?” I ask, pulling on a pair of shorts.

He shrugs. “I don’t care. It has to be dry-cleaned anyway. Plus, I can’t see myself wearing a suit again anytime soon.”

“Fair enough.”

We make our way out of the bedroom, and Hayden ditches his gym bag by the front door before following me into the kitchen.