Chapter 4 3. The Buzz Kill

Natasha woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs cooking.

A smile stretched her lips, thinking it was Carl trying to make peace with his brother, only to come face to face with her sleeping boyfriend upon opening her eyes.

A quick glance to her cell phone told her it was nine am. Oh damn! She thought. She felt ashamed to have slept in even though it was Sunday. She should be the one cooking breakfast for the Davidson's brothers, not Daniel.

She rose to her feet, swiftly went to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, before heading to the kitchen.

"Good morning," she greeted Daniel softly as she neared the stove.

She had been as silent as she could be in her approach, but she had failed to startle him.

"Good morning," he replied evenly, obviously unfazed.

"How did you not jump out of your skin right now?"

She just had to ask. He had scared the hell out of her the night before after all.

"Call it my sixth sense," was the sarcastic response she got. Daniel turned his head to show her a full knowing smirk.

"I'm serious here," she told him while narrowing her eyes at him ever so slightly.

"Okay. Okay," he conceded, "I'll tell you, just because you're pouting. I heard someone enter the bathroom. And seeing as my brother isn't a morning person, I figured it was you," he explained.

And that's how Natasha came to know yet another thing about Carl; he was not a morning person. And the guy had even promised her breakfast in bed. That seemed highly unlikely.

"So, you want them scrambled?" Her spinning thoughts were halted thanks to the unexpected question.

"Uh, yeah," she replied after a brief moment of hesitation, "that would be lovely."

Five minutes later, and the two of them were sitting at the table, eating in a comfortable silence.

Natasha had to admit the food was delicious. As simple as making bacon and an omelet was, it wasn't like any she had had before.

"Did you add something to the eggs?" She asked as she savored her last bite.

"Yes," he replied simply, "Cheese."

"Oh. What cheese?"

"Emmental," was Daniel's immediate response.

"I didn't know there was any in the fridge," she mused out loud, a frown knitting her eyebrows together.

"There wasn't," the talented cook replied, "I went out to buy some when I woke up."

So, not only did he wake up before her, almost as if jet lag didn't affect him at all, but he had also left the flat and returned quietly enough that she didn't wake up.

She was a light sleeper, so one could understand why that amazed her.

"So," she began in a teasing tone, "you're a good architect, a decent cook, and as silent as they go. What else are you good at?"

"Many things," his midnight blue eyes twinkled with both amusement and mischief.

She felt her cheeks turn red at that.

"I... I... I didn't mean it like that," she stumbled on her words in embarrassment.

The guy just chuckled good-humoredly, and she felt her cheeks burn. She dropped her gaze to the now empty plate that sat in front of her, and just fell silent.

"You don't have to feel self-conscious around me," he told her softly while patting her shoulder, "You can speak your mind as much as you'd like."

She shifted her gaze to his face and saw that he was sincere. The heat of her cheeks diminished.

"Not in class though," he added after a few seconds. "That would be troublesome," he winked.

Yeah, she was sure the board of the Southern California Institute of Architecture of Los Angeles would not approve of an atypical teacher-student relationship.

She burst off laughing and was soon joined by him.

"Having the time of your life I see?"

Natasha froze upon hearing Carl. She hated to admit it, but she had completely forgotten about her sleeping boyfriend.

"Just an innocent laugh to start the day," his brother informed him matter-of-factly. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," the younger of the two brothers muttered angrily, "nothing."

"He's such a buzz kill," Daniel rolled his eyes while addressing Natasha.

"I'm not!" Carl denied immediately.

"Whatever floats your boat," was his brother's dismissive answer. "Do you want your eggs scrambled?" He asked as he rose to his feet.

"I don't want your eggs, thank you very much," was the bitter retort he received.

"Well, someone's cranky," Daniel commented, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Don't start with me!" Carl argued right back.

"You're not a morning person. I'm not starting anything," was the nonchalant response he got.

"Just leave me alone," Carl rearranged his hair nervously, itching to fight with his brother. But he knew better than that. He had never won a fight against him before, and he certainly wouldn't now –judging by how fit his brother looked.

Then, looking at his girlfriend, he asked in an accusing tone, "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You were sleeping so soundly, I didn't want to bother you," she replied softly, unfazed by his suspicious demeanor. She had been warned by Daniel already.

"You didn't want to bother me or you didn't want me to bother you?"

Carl's eyes were glaring daggers, and Natasha had to bite back the cheeky answer that was ready to be fired.

Before she could come up with an answer that wouldn't result in a fight, the raven-haired med student received a slap on the back of his head.

"Hey!" He exclaimed, turning his angry gaze to his brother.

"Keep this shit up and I will snatch your girlfriend from you," Daniel told him in his most blasé tone, a smug smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Carl's eyes bulged at that. His brother had never actually snatched any girlfriend from him. It was always the other way around. His girl would go to his brother out of her own accord. "You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh, try me!"

Carl fell silent at that while Daniel went to cook yet another omelet.

And all Natasha could think about after this little tense exchange was that the self-confessed player she was attracted to might be attracted to her as well.

Her heart swelled with hope, and she had to keep herself from observing him, for she knew that would make her boyfriend start another argument, or even worse – a brawl he wouldn't win.