Still Choosing You
Book 1 Chapter 5 — Scene 3: WEEKEND BREAKFAST
Saturday morning arrived without alarms.
Sunlight filtered through the curtains.
The apartment felt slower than usual.
Emma woke first.
For a moment, she remained in bed.
Listening.
No phone calls.
No notifications.
No sounds from the office laptop.
Just quiet.
Beside her, Daniel was still asleep.
The sight felt strangely comforting.
Weekdays belonged to work.
Weekends were supposed to belong to them.
Emma slipped out of bed and headed toward the kitchen.
A little later, the smell of coffee filled the apartment.
Eggs cooked in a pan.
Bread warmed in the toaster.
Nothing special.
Just breakfast.
The kind they used to have together.
At eight fifteen, Daniel appeared in the kitchen.
His hair was still messy from sleep.
Emma smiled slightly.
"Morning."
"Morning."
Daniel poured himself coffee.
"Smells good."
Emma placed a plate on the table.
"Sit."
Daniel nodded.
For the first time in days, neither of them seemed rushed.
The apartment felt calm.
Normal.
Daniel sat down and picked up his coffee.
Emma took the chair across from him.
The breakfast table looked complete.
Two plates.
Two mugs.
Two people.
A simple Saturday morning.
Daniel picked up a piece of toast.
"What do you want to do later?"
Emma looked up.
The question surprised her.
Not because it was unusual.
Because she hadn't heard it in a while.
She thought for a moment.
"Maybe groceries."
Daniel nodded.
"Okay."
"And maybe walk around after that."
"Sounds good."
A small smile appeared on Emma's face.
"Okay."
The conversation wasn't remarkable.
That was why it mattered.
The morning felt easy.
For once.
Daniel reached for his coffee.
His phone vibrated.
Both of them heard it.
Neither reacted immediately.
The phone continued vibrating against the table.
Daniel glanced toward it.
Then away.
Then back again.
Emma watched the hesitation.
Finally, Daniel picked it up.
His expression changed almost instantly.
The relaxed look disappeared.
Replaced by concentration.
"What happened?"
Daniel was already reading.
His shoulders tightened.
"A problem with one of the reports."
Emma nodded.
The answer arrived before she could ask anything else.
Daniel placed the coffee down.
Picked up the phone again.
Started typing.
The breakfast remained untouched.
For a few minutes, the only sound was the tapping of his screen.
Emma looked at her eggs.
Then at Daniel.
Then back at her plate.
The sunlight still filled the room.
The coffee still smelled the same.
Nothing about the morning had changed.
Except Daniel.
A moment later, his phone rang.
Daniel answered immediately.
"Hello?"
Emma quietly ate her breakfast.
Across the table, Daniel listened.
Then spoke.
Then listened again.
The conversation continued.
Five minutes.
Then ten.
The eggs cooled.
The toast lost its warmth.
Daniel stood up while still talking.
"I'll need to check something."
Emma nodded.
"Okay."
He headed toward the study.
The call continued.
The door remained slightly open.
Emma could hear pieces of the conversation.
Metrics.
Reports.
Deadlines.
Updates.
Words that had become increasingly familiar.
She finished her breakfast alone.
Again.
Not because Daniel had chosen to leave.
Because work had arrived first.
When she carried her plate to the sink, she glanced toward the study.
Daniel was still talking.
Still working.
Still trying to solve a problem that hadn't existed twenty minutes earlier.
The grocery trip would probably happen later.
The walk might happen later.
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Emma no longer felt disappointed enough to ask.
Experience had taught her to wait and see.
By ten o'clock, Daniel finally emerged from the study.
"I'm sorry."
Emma was rinsing dishes.
She looked over her shoulder.
"It's okay."
And she meant it.
At least partly.
Daniel rubbed the back of his neck.
"We can still go later."
Emma nodded.
"Sure."
Neither mentioned the breakfast.
Neither mentioned the interrupted morning.
The conversation moved on.
But something remained.
A quiet realization.
Weekend plans weren't being cancelled anymore.
They were simply becoming uncertain.
Work could enter at any moment.
And more often than not, it did.
Scene-by-scene release. Continue only when the next scene is ready.