Infinite Cashback: My Wealth Rebate System

The alarm rang out at 6:25 am sharp and Jason’s eyes opened a full second before the sound even registered.

He lay there for a moment adjusting to the weight pressed against his chest. Sarah. She was still asleep and didn’t seem like someone who would be waking up soon. Her breathing slow and even against his skin.

This actually happened.

The thought arrived once again, quiet and steady. Not panicked. Not disbelieving. Just settling in the way facts settled once you’d had enough time to sit with them.

Last night actually happened. She stayed.

He shifted carefully beneath her not wanting to wake her up yet. She stirred slightly and made a small sound of protest before she then settled back into the pillow as he eased himself free and crossed the room to silence the alarm before it could ring a second time.

He stood there for a moment close to his window in the quiet morning light. Looked back at her sleeping form tangled in his sheets. Something in his chest did a slow uneven turn.

So what happens now. He walked toward the kitchen letting the question follow him as he moved

Does this mean we’re actually together properly. Or was last night just where things landed because the moment called for it and neither of us really talked about what comes after.

He filled a glass with water at the sink. Drank half of it standing there.

I want it to mean something. I want to be honest about that at least.

He thought back to everything that had happened over the last two days. The kitchen, when they cleaned it up. The chess and the crazy embarrassing commentary he was forced to make. And the the kiss that broke. The lie she told about the roommate. Her showing up at his door tonight after standing up for him in front of a room full of people who’d never done anything but talk down at him, that was the most impressive one.

That’s not casual behavior. He set the glass down. People don’t do that for something casual.

Still some quiet uncertain part of him held back from fully believing it. He’d been wrong before. Confident before. Convenient before, if you wanted to use the right word. He didn’t want to walk into this assuming anything he hadn’t actually heard her say out loud.

He wandered back toward his room and leaned against the doorframe watching her for a second. She’d rolled onto her back at some point the blanket pooled loosely around her.

One step at a time. He decided. Don’t overthink this before she’s even awake.

He was in the middle of pulling out a pan from the cupboard when he heard movement behind him.

He turned to find Sarah leaning against the bedroom doorway the blanket wrapped around her shoulders. Her hair was a mess and her eyes still heavy with sleep but there was a small lazy smile on her face that hadn’t been there last night.

"Morning," she said her voice rough.

"Morning."

"You left me cold."

"I turned off an alarm. You survived."

"Barely." She padded toward the kitchen slow and unhurried. "You could’ve stayed a little longer you know. Basic decency."

"Noted. I’ll file a formal apology."

She reached him and looped her arms loosely around his neck the blanket slipping slightly at the movement. "You’re in a very good mood for someone running on four hours of sleep."

"I have my reasons."

"Do you now." She tilted her head studying him the same way she used to study the notebook. "Care to share."

"Not particularly."

"Rude." She poked his chest but the smile never left her face.

He glanced down at the blanket barely holding on around her shoulders and crossed to his closet pulling out a plain black shirt. He handed it to her without a word.

She took it raising an eyebrow. "This yours."

"No it’s a stranger’s shirt I keep in my closet for exactly this situation."

"Very funny." She pulled it on letting the blanket drop and the shirt hung loose on her far too big in the shoulders but she looked entirely unbothered by that fact. "This works."

"Glad it meets your standards."

"Everything has to meet my standards. You know this about me." She wandered over to the counter and hopped up onto it legs swinging slightly. "So what are we eating. I’m starving."

"What do you want."

"Pancakes. No wait. Eggs. Actually pancakes." She considered it seriously for a second. "Pancakes. That is my final answer."

"You had two options and somehow you made it complicated."

"I am spontaneous."

He huffed a laugh grabbing his keys off the counter. "I don’t actually have the stuff for pancakes. I’ll go grab it."

"You don’t really have to do that."

"I know but I want to." He said it simply and he was already pulling on his jacket. And besides, He thought privately watching her settle further onto the counter completely at home in his kitchen wearing his shirt.

I will get a rebate for it. Haven’t used that in awhile. My multiplier should be much higher now

"Fine. But make sure you get the good syrup. Not the cheap stuff that you probably have hiding somewhere."

"I don’t have cheap syrup."

"You definitely have cheap syrup."

He didn’t argue the point mostly because she wasn’t wrong. He grabbed his wallet and headed for the door pausing to glance back at her one more time.

"Ten minutes," he said.

"I’ll be here."

He walked towards the door in slow steps and finally reached it. He stretched his hands out and grabbed the handle pulling it in a way that allowed the door to open. Then he stepped out into the hallway and the door shut behind him. He looked towards the direction of the stairs and then started down toward the store letting the quiet satisfaction of the morning settle fully into it’s rhythm.

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