Morning Tension

The morning started off simple enough, but the energy in the room shifted as soon as Anthony spoke.
“Baby, you want me to make you some breakfast or something?” he asked, half-hopeful, half-playful.

Amber didn’t even look up from her laptop. “No, thank you. I already ate.”

Anthony blinked. “What you mean? You didn’t fix me none?”

Amber sighed. “I had to be up early, jump on these calls, and now I’m sending emails.” She wasn’t annoyed—just tired. Still, the guilt in her voice softened the tension.

“If you want, I can order you something,” she added. “You don’t gotta cook.”

“I have some eggs,” he muttered. “I just want something simple.”

Unexpected News

Trying to shift the morning into something calmer, Amber asked, “So, what are you doing today? I need to plan Kai’s meals out.”

Anthony shrugged. “I don’t have the car today. And besides—Shayla’s going through something.”

Amber raised an eyebrow. “She going through something?”

“Yeah.”

“What is Shayla going through?”

Anthony hesitated only a moment. “Iman broke up with her.”

Amber sat back, surprised but not shocked. “She seems kinda… down.”

“Yep,” Anthony replied. “But I don’t get into none of that. That’s her business. My main concern is Kai.”

Amber tilted her head. “So… you don’t feel sorry for her or anything?”

“Sorry?” he repeated. “Why? People break up all the time. It’s not like they were married. Not even together that long.”

Amber shrugged. “Well, God don’t like ugly, that’s for sure.”

He gave her a side-eye, but she wasn’t done. “There’s a little something that says you reap what you sow. I’m just sayin’.”

The Real Priority

“As long as she behaves when it comes to me seeing Kai,” Anthony said firmly, “she can date whoever she wants. I don’t care.”

“Not even a little bit?” Amber asked.

“Why would I care?” he shot back. “She’s a grown woman. She’ll bounce back. Somebody else will want to date her.”

Amber studied him. “Did she say why they broke up?”

“No,” Anthony said. “I didn’t even ask. I got everything I need right here.” He nodded toward her.

Flirting in the Kitchen

Amber couldn’t help the little smile creeping onto her face. “Boy, you been what?”

“You been going to that class?” he teased. “Doing them squats?”

“I know a little something,” she said, turning slightly, showing off without showing off.

“You look good,” he said. “Like… really good. Turn.”

She did, pretending she wasn’t pleased. “Thank you.”

“You make forty look like the new twenty,” he murmured, moving closer.

Amber laughed. “You nasty. I was sleep.”

“I know you felt me moving closer,” he teased. “You wasn’t sleeping that hard.”

“I was sleeping,” she insisted. “You could’ve just woke me up.”

The Morning Continues

The tension of breakfast, the drama of Shayla’s breakup, and the playful flirting all blended into the rhythm of their morning—a mix of real life, real responsibilities, and real chemistry. They weren’t perfect, but they understood each other, and somehow, that made everything work.