Emi woke up early that morning.

She glanced downward at the arm around her waist and she smiled, turning her head to look at Joji's sleeping figure.

He was snuggled closely against her, and she could feel his breath against the back of her neck.

Her face hurt slightly from all of the crying the night before, but she felt rather better after it.

She was still slightly groggy, but after resting there for another minute or two, she remembered that yesterday was his first day back, and she probably made it horrible.

Then she also remembered...

She worked at a place where she baked goods.

George loved almost anything baked.

Emi tried to quietly get up, but was stopped by the grip around her waist being tightened.

George's face was buried deeper into the crook of her neck.

She sighed softly, eyes slightly wide. 

She slowly grabbed his arm, and lifted it enough to get out of his grip.

When she had managed to stand up, he rolled onto his stomach, almost face first into where she had been laying.

He let out a deep breath and Emi watched him for a moment.

She stepped forward, and waved her hand in front of his face, waiting for his eyes to open.

But, they never did.

He lay there, fast asleep.

So, with a bit of a pep in her step, and determination in her mind, she quietly walked out of her own room, and went to the kitchen, listing off what she would need to make cinnamon buns.

~~~

She had just rolled them, and  added all of the cinnamon and sugar, and slid them into the oven, beginning to clean up her mess as she set the timer.

Just as she had finished cleaning and putting away everything that she had used, she heard a door shut.

She waited quietly, frozen in one spot.

Suddenly, she heard the shower turn on, and she quietly stalked back into the bedroom, to see that George was no longer in bed.

She smiled and moved back into the kitchen, sitting on top of the counter as she glanced out the window, which was right above the sink.

It looked like a nice warm day.

She had today off, and then two more days of school before she was out for the summer.

The morning was peaceful, and the smell of cinnamon buns was slowly filling the room.

She kicked her legs out softly, leaning back on her hands as she continued to watch the world.

She was so amazed by the trees and green, that she didn't even hear the soft pattering of feet coming down the hallway, and she didn't notice George with sweatpants and no shirt, drying his hair with a towel as he stepped into the kitchen, his nose leading him completely.

He was practically salivating.

He sniffed and looked at the oven, but then he looked up and saw Emi.

She looked cozy... warm.

Content.

If felt like slow motion as he gazed over her.

He watched in fascination as she blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering as she did so.

He watched as she tilted her head to the side slightly involuntarily.

He watched as her lips would curl up into a smile after hearing a bird outside.

He watched her legs kick out and come back, like a little kid sitting on a wall.

He watched the way her hair fell over her shoulders, just then taking note that it had grown longer since the last time he'd seen her.

He watched her chest rise and fall as she breathed.

He felt almost dizzy as he took in every detail about her that he could, overcome with of beautiful she was in that moment.

For a moment, he forgot who he was.

He forgot that at college, he was Joji.

He forgot that he went clubbing on the weekends.

He forgot about the sex every weekend.

He forgot about the drinking.

He forgot about the smoking.

His whole world was, in that moment, centered on Emi.

She was the world.

He dropped his towel.

She looked over to him.

Her eyes met his.

His lips parted.

He saw the forest in her eyes.

That moment impacted him so greatly, that it almost brought tears to his eyes.

Almost.

The timer rang.

Emi turned away.

George was broken from his trance.

He scrambled to pick up the towel, and place it around his neck.

He took the buns out of the oven, and placed them on the counter.

Then, she bit her lip as she turned to smile at George.

"What'd you bake?" he finally found his voice.

He wanted to hit his head against the wall.

"Cinnamon buns."

She didn't even look down at his chest.

Her eyes had met his and then she looked back to her creations, turning to grab a few plates as she cut them, placing two on a plate and grabbing the frosting.

George moved to sit at the counter in front of Emi, and he watched her as she took a spoon, dipping it into the melted frosting and lifting it, and with a steady hand, she moved it over the bun.

As she began to pour it, drizzling it perfectly over the bun, George couldn't help but let out a fake moan, finding that the pouring of warm white liquid over a hot bun was fairly sexual.

In his mind, anyway.

She laughed and covered her mouth, but her hand remained steady and the movement did not deter her from what she was doing.

George was amazed.

He crossed his arms and leant on the table.

She placed a fork gently on the plate, as she looked at it with pride, and then looked up at George.

"すみませんが私を許してください" ( I'm sorry. Please forgive me. )

It was tradition, that when you apologize, you give the person you  have wronged something.

Whether it be an apple, a baked good, a pencil, anything... It was tradition.

George felt that she didn't do anything to need  to apologize, but she knew that he'd think that.

"私はあなたを許す" ( I forgive you. )

Emi smiled, a brightness coming over her eyes.

She served her own cinnamon buns, and the two ate together at the counter, sharing glances and laughs, but no words.