The morning smelled divine—buttery croissants, sizzling bacon, and the sweet aroma of cinnamon pancakes. It was the kind of breakfast that made you wake up smiling before you even opened your eyes.
Emilia stretched, blinking away the last traces of sleep. She rolled over, expecting to find Henry beside her, but instead, all she got was cold sheets. Her lips curled into a sleepy smile.
He's cooking.
The mental image alone made her heart squeeze. Henry, the intimidating CEO, standing in the kitchen, probably in an apron, focused, precise... God, that's attractive.
Wasting no time, she freshened up, brushed her teeth, and grabbed one of Henry's Henley shirts—soft, oversized, and smelling just like him—pairing it with a comfy set of shorts. Quietly, she padded downstairs, drawn to the kitchen like a moth to a flame.
And there he was.
Henry stood at the stove, humming to himself as he flipped pancakes. Sure enough, he was wearing an apron.
But not just any apron.
A pink Hello Kitty apron.
Emilia almost lost it.
Just as she was about to rush forward and wrap her arms around him, something yanked her backward.
She barely had time to gasp before a hand clamped over her mouth.
She turned sharply—only to find Jason, Roxanne, and Lily crouched beside her like they were on a top-secret mission.
Before she could question them, Jason leaned in, his voice dropping into the most ridiculous Nigel Thornberry impression:
"We are in the presence of something spectacular this morning. The Big Bad CEO... is in a kitchen... adorned in a Hello Kitty apron... smashing."
Emilia slapped a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter, her body shaking.
Jason wasn't done. He gestured dramatically toward Henry. "Look at him in his natural habitat. The elusive Henry Kingsley, known for boardroom battles and cold, hard negotiations, has been spotted wielding a spatula. Magnificent!"
Roxanne, stifling a giggle, whispered, "A rare sight indeed."
Lily nodded sagely. "Almost mythical."
"Oh, come on," Emilia whispered, still stifling laughter. "You've never seen your brother cook, Jason?"
Jason shook his head furiously. "No. Henry hates cooking for us."
Emilia gave him a puzzled look. "That's weird. Henry loves cooking for me." She said it sweetly, just to mess with him.
Jason turned to her slowly, pure betrayal on his face. "I beg the man to cook for me, and he tells me to go home."
That did it. The three of them erupted into laughter, barely holding it together.
But this time... it was loud enough for Henry to hear.
Without turning away from the stove, he sighed. "If you all are done now, breakfast is ready."
They froze.
Then—chaos.
Jason immediately pulled out his phone like a paparazzo on the red carpet, snapping rapid-fire photos. "Ohhh, I am never deleting these."
Lily dramatically clutched her chest. "It's... it's beautiful."
Roxanne wiped a fake tear. "I never thought I'd live to see the day."
Emilia, still laughing, ignored them all and strolled toward Henry. Smiling up at him, she whispered, "Good morning, chef."
Henry smirked, voice dropping low as he leaned in. "Good morning, sweetheart. Careful—you keep looking at me like that, and I might just serve you in bed next time."
His gaze dropped to her lips, expectant.
She didn't make him wait.
Leaning up, she kissed him, softly at first, then deeper when he pulled her closer.
Behind them, Jason gagged. "Okay, cool, we get it, romance and all that. Can we eat?"
Henry pulled away just enough to smirk against Emilia's lips.
"Not until Jason says please."
As soon as Henry laid down the condition, Jason threw his arms up in exaggerated agony.
"Please, oh mighty Lord of Breakfast, grant us peasants a taste of your divine cooking." He clasped his hands together like he was praying. "For we are but lowly, starving souls in need of thy mercy."
Lily rolled her eyes. "God, you're so dramatic."
Jason whipped around, offended. "I am an actor, Lily. Let me live."
Henry, completely unfazed, simply nodded toward the plates. "Eat."
Jason dove in so fast that Emilia was convinced he might've forgotten how to breathe.
The rest of them took their seats, the kitchen filling with the comforting sounds of forks clinking and contented sighs as they devoured the feast before them. Roxanne was already moaning over the pancakes. "Henry, these are sinful. What did you put in them? Magic? Love? A sacrifice?"
Henry smirked. "Just cinnamon and a little vanilla."
Jason, mid-bite, pointed his fork at Emilia. "You still haven't told me how the hell you got him to cook for you."
Emilia grinned, sipping her orange juice. "It's called being charming."
Jason scoffed. "I am very charming. Henry, am I charming?"
Henry didn't even look up from his plate. "No."
Jason clutched his chest. "I swear to God, you're colder than the ice in my drink."
Emilia giggled, shaking her head as she took another bite of her food.
Then Jason's eyes lit up. "Oh! Speaking of things, I need from you—Em, I still want you to do a cameo in the movie."
Henry's fork stopped mid-air. His head turned to Jason so slowly that Jason actually leaned back.
"What?"
Jason, in a rare act of bravery, held his ground. "She won the game last night, and, unlike you, I honor my commitments. Besides, it's just a tiny role! It's barely a cameo! And also—" He leaned forward with a devilish grin. "I'm having Roxanne audition for a bigger role."
Roxanne, who had been mid-sip of her coffee, nearly choked. "Wait, what?"
Jason nodded smugly. "Yeah. I actually think you'd kill it, Roxy. And don't pretend you're not interested. You've been talking about acting forever."
Roxanne blinked, then smirked. "So, what, you just decided this?"
Jason waved a hand dismissively. "I make great decisions on a whim."
Lily groaned, rubbing her temples. "Ugh, yes, he does this all the time. It's annoying, but somehow it works."
Roxanne turned to Emilia, grinning. "I mean... should we?"
Emilia hesitated. "I don't know..."
Jason clapped his hands together. "No time to think! After breakfast, let's go to the studio. I can set up auditions right now."
Emilia's jaw dropped. "You can't just—" She turned to Lily. "Can he really do that?"
Lily groaned, shoving a piece of bacon into her mouth. "Unfortunately, yes. He's chaotic, but he has pull."
Jason smirked, leaning back in his chair. "Ah, the sweet sound of validation."
Roxanne chuckled, nudging Emilia. "Guess we're auditioning today."
Emilia shook her head with a sigh, but she was already smiling. "This is insane."
Henry, still chewing his toast, finally looked up at Jason. "I hate you."
Jason just grinned, unfazed. "Yeah, yeah. You're driving, though."
Henry pushed back his chair and stood, brushing off his hands. "I need to head to the office." He leveled Jason with a look. "But you better take good care of the girls."
Jason waved a dismissive hand, grinning. "I got this. I've played Prince Charming twice. I can do it again."
Lily let out a dramatic eye roll. "You were the worst Prince Charming in middle school."
Jason gasped, clutching his chest. "Excuse you, my performance was legendary."
"Legendary for the wrong reasons," Lily shot back. "You tripped over your own cape and knocked over Cinderella's throne."
"That was intentional! I was making a bold acting choice."
Henry shook his head, already tuning them out. He turned toward Emilia, who was gathering plates, and lightly touched her waist. "Can I steal you for a second?"
She glanced up, her expression softening as warmth bloomed in her chest. "Of course."
He led her to their bedroom, shutting the door behind them. The moment it clicked shut, his hands found her hips, fingers spreading possessively over the curve of her waist. "Finally alone," he murmured, his voice thick with something deeper than amusement.
Emilia bit her lip, her pulse picking up as he pulled her flush against him. "You act like you won't see me for days. It's just work, Henry."
He hummed, dipping his head to brush his lips along the line of her jaw, the scrape of his stubble sending shivers down her spine. "Still too long."
She exhaled shakily, her hands sliding up the crisp fabric of his dress shirt, feeling the solid warmth of his chest beneath. "You're impossible."
"Mmm." He nipped at her earlobe, his breath hot against her skin. "And you love it."
Her knees nearly buckled as his lips moved lower, tracing the sensitive curve of her neck with languid, open-mouthed kisses. She gripped his tie, twisting it slightly as she struggled to regain some semblance of control. "Henry..." she warned, though her voice lacked any real conviction.
His answering chuckle was pure sin, reverberating against her skin. "What? Just saying goodbye properly."
"You have to leave," she reminded him, though the way her fingers curled into his shirt said otherwise.
Henry exhaled a slow, frustrated breath, pressing one last lingering kiss just beneath her jaw before pulling back slightly. His dark eyes traced over her flushed cheeks, her parted lips, her slightly dazed expression, and he smirked. "I can't wait to be alone with you again."
Her stomach did an embarrassing flip, heat rushing to her face. She scowled to cover it, shoving lightly at his chest. "Go before I make you even later."
Henry groaned, but a wicked grin tugged at his lips as he reluctantly stepped away. "I'm holding you to that."
Emilia laughed, shooing him toward the door. "Just go already!"
With one last lingering look, Henry finally left, and Emilia stood there for a moment, pressing a hand to her warm cheek, shaking her head with a fond, exasperated smile. The moment was short-lived, though, as Jason's voice rang out from the kitchen.
"Alright, ladies! Auditions in an hour, let's go!"
Emilia playfully rolled her eyes as she helped Roxanne touch up her makeup. She even let her borrow some clothes.
"Em, thanks," Roxanne said, glancing down at the outfit. "I'll return these to you."
Emilia just shook her head. "No worries. Take your time. You got this, Rox."
Roxanne gave her a grateful smile, squeezing her hand. Their bond was effortless years of friendship, late-night talks, supporting each other through heartbreaks and victories alike. If anyone deserved this, it was Roxanne, and Emilia was going to be there every step of the way.
_________________________________________
When they arrived at the studio, a line of hopefuls stretched out the door. Emilia's eyes skimmed over the crowd before suddenly stopping—one of the women standing near the entrance was Hallie.
Emilia's expression darkened. Shouldn't she be with Chase? A wave of regret hit her for not stopping Chase last night. She needed to visit him soon—make sure he was okay.
Four hours later, Emilia sat outside the audition room, absently scrolling through wedding ideas on Pinterest. A mixture of excitement and apprehension settled in her stomach as she browsed through dresses and venue ideas. Planning a wedding should have been the happiest moment of her life, but there was a bittersweet edge to it—one she couldn't ignore.
A while ago, she had already been planning a wedding. A different one. A life that no longer existed. Thinking about Chase in that context made something in her chest tighten, a feeling that was hard to describe. But then, she thought of Henry—how he wanted to help, how he made her feel safe, cherished. Loved. In a way she hadn't felt in so long. It was a stronger feeling she has for Henry.
The sudden sound of a door swinging open pulled her from her thoughts. Out, ran Hallie, sobbing uncontrollably, followed closely by Sabrina, who rushed to console her. Neither of them noticed Emilia as they cried in the corner.
Before she could react, the door opened again, and Roxanne stepped out with Lily beside her. Roxanne looked like a thousand bucks, radiating pure confidence.
As soon as she spotted Emilia, she ran forward and threw her arms around her best friend.
"I got it, Em! I got it, and it's all thanks to you! You are seriously the bestest friend ever."
Emilia laughed, hugging her tightly. "I knew you would. You deserve this, Roxy."
Turning to Lily, she smiled. "How are you feeling?"
Lily grinned. "Pretty good. It was a solid audition."
The three girls chatted as they waited for Jason to finish, but Emilia suddenly turned to Lily with a thought. "Hey, do you want to join us for lunch? We can drop you back here after."
Lily hesitated for a moment before nodding. "You know what? Yeah. This would probably take hours, and I don't want to be stuck waiting."
Roxanne grinned. "Great! Let's go find some food."
With that, the trio left the building, ready to celebrate Roxanne's big win.