Sterling stepped out of the bathroom to an empty room. He raised his eyebrows when he noticed how clean it was, then made his way out to the kitchen. Upon seeing Eden, he stepped up behind her silently and set a gentle hand on her shoulder. He didn’t want to scare her by suddenly wrapping his arms around her from behind.
When she felt the hand on her shoulder, Eden whirled around, startled, nearly dropping the eggs she was holding.
“Sterling,” she breathed in relief. “You surprised me. I didn’t hear you come in.”
Sterling chuckled softly and reached out to take the eggs from her. He set them back in the fridge before taking her hand.
“Sorry. I’m just a naturally quiet walker. Ask anyone in my family how many times I’ve accidentally snuck up on them, and they’ll tell you it’s been too many to count,” he said with a smile.
Eden blinked when he set the eggs away.
“I was going to make omelette,” she said to him before looking at his hand holding hers. She smiled softly before lifting her other hand and holding his. She pressed their palms together, chuckling when she saw just how small her hand was compared to his. “I have long fingers, but your hand is still bigger.”
Sterling chuckled with her and leaned forward to kiss her softly. “I like it. It’s cute. Your smallness is cute,” he said, teasing her lightly. “What can I do to help with breakfast?”
Eden rolled her eyes and looped her arms around his neck. “Why are you so tall?” She muttered. “Just kiss me? That would be plenty helpful.”
Sterling kissed her forehead. “I meant with food, beautiful. How can I help with food?” he chuckled softly before connecting their lips again, looping his arms around her waist.
“I know,” Eden’s words were muffled by his mouth, but she paid it no attention. She kissed him back, standing on her toes, fingers pushing into his hair as they kissed softly.
Sterling hummed contentedly into her mouth, enjoying the feel of her fingers in his hair. With one hand holding her waist, he lifted the other to twist her hair around his fingers. He loved kissing her like this, soft and slow. Even if he did want to kiss her harder, to press her up against the wall and kiss her until she remembered nothing but his name… that could wait until she was ready for it.
Eden loved kissing him like this. Slow and soft, gentle like he was with her. Though he wanted to take it a step further, she knew, he still kept it at the pace she could handle. When he twisted her hair around his fingers, she felt a shiver run through her.
She pressed her mouth a little harder against his, stepping closer to him, feeling his heat radiate off of him.
Sterling felt her press closer, press their lips harder together. It made him smile slightly, and he tilted his head for better access to her mouth. He loved the taste of her lips, the feel of her pressed up against him… He never wanted to stop.
Eden hummed, stepping back until the counter touched her back, lips still attached to Sterling’s. It wasn’t a wall, so Eden was sure it wouldn’t trigger her. It was just a counter.
Sterling tried to hold back the growl that slipped from his throat, but it still ended up coming out, though muffled. His hands moved to rest on either side of her, holding her between him and it.
Eden shivered at the growl, tingles running through her body. She took his hands to press them against her cheeks before returning her own to his neck and hair. This was nice. This was really, really nice.
She hadn’t recoiled from the sound… That was good to know. Would she be okay with him deepening the kiss?
He pressed his lips against hers even harder, his thumbs brushing over her cheekbones. After a moment, he gently took her lower lip in his teeth, then let go to give her time to react.
Eden leaned into his touch, letting out a small sigh of content. Then he took her lip between his teeth, and despite everything, Eden flinched. It was a gentle push, but it still sent memories swarming through her.
For that minute, the fact that she was kissing Sterling slipped her mind. She was, once again, trapped in the darkest moments of her life.
“Stop,” she gasped, pulling back and turning her face away, heart hammering wildly in her chest. She slipped from between him and the counter, leaning against it when she was out. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to calm her breathing. This wasn’t Adrien. This was Sterling. He wasn’t hurting her. She was safe. She was safe.
Sterling silently cursed himself, knowing he’d gone too far. He took a step back from Eden and held his hands behind himself.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that,” he whispered softly, his gaze flickering over her.
Eden shook her hear, breathing heavily, eyes squeezed shut.
“It’s okay,” she forced out, her face in one hand while the other lent her support. “I—I get triggered easily. I’m sorry.”
“No, I should have known you wouldn’t be comfortable with that yet. I’m sorry,” Sterling repeated himself. “Do you want to go take a break while I make breakfast?”
But I want to be able to.
“No, I’m fine,” Eden insisted, standing up straight, taking deep breaths. “It’s nothing.”
“Okay…” Sterling murmured, opening his arms for her with a small smile.
Eden looked at him, her expression resembling that of a kicked puppy. She hesitated—just briefly, before she crossed the distance slowly and pressed herself against him.
Sterling wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly. He buried his face in her hair, silently breathing her in for a moment. “I really like you, E…”
Eden gripped his shirt tight in her grip. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes, his words sending a shiver through her. “I really like you, too, Sterling…”
Then Eden felt something brush against her legs and she peered down to see a familiar cloud looking up at her. Razor licked his lips, looking rather expectant. Eden chuckled.
“Hungry, aren’t you?” She murmured. “My Sterling is hungry, too.”
Sterling chuckled softly and looked down at the cat. “Yeah, us boys are hungry. You’ve gotta feed us before we wither away,” he joked, bending down to pet the cat.
“We wouldn’t want that, now would we?” Eden murmured as she stepped away from Sterling. “Razor first, then. You can wait, Sterling.”
She eyed him as he played with Razor, who licked her boyfriend’s hand every time he reached to pet him. She smiled softly, shaking her head and grabbed Razor’s food bowl. She opened the fridge to take out a covered bowl of shredded chicken. There wasn’t a lot left, just the right amount for Razor’s breakfast, and poured it in for him. The cat’s ears twitched as he looked over and padded over to her, rubbing against her leg, looking up at the bowl. Eden rolled her eyes.
“You don’t eat in the kitchen, Razor,” she chided gently, handing the bowl to Sterling. “You make a mess every time. Here, set it near the table.”
Sterling took the bowl and stood, stealing a quick kiss from her lips before starting for the table. “Did you here that, Razor? My girlfriend is so bossy. Gorgeous, but bossy,” he chuckled as he made his way over.
The cat meowed, as if agreeing with Sterling’s words. Eden shot a glare at both of them, feeling her cheeks heat up.
“I’m not in the mood for making omelette anymore,” she called after her boyfriend. “Do you want French toast?”
“That sounds perfect. Will you be eating them, too?” Sterling asked, setting the bowl down for the cat. He ran his hand over Razor’s fuzzy back before standing and walking back to Eden.
Eden had taken out two eggs from the fridge, as well as a carton of milk. Just as she set those on the counter and turned on the heat, Sterling spoke and she froze.
“I don’t… know,” Eden admitted. “I might eat half a slice, but I’m not sure yet.”
She grabbed a bowl from the shelf and poured in a little milk, adding sugar before mixing it up a little with a fork.