Autumn (comic 52)

Autumn awoke to the sound of her alarm blaring on the nightstand. She rolled over wearily and turned it off. She wanted more than anything to stay in bed and go back to sleep as waking up early seemed to be getting more difficult as of late. The door to her apartment opened, and she could see Mike’s silhouette in the darkened entryway. He turned on the bathroom light then walked her way.

“Here you go babe,” he whispered, placing her latte and hot breakfast sandwich on the table next to bed. He leaned in and softly kissed her cheek. “Just one more day to go.”

She sat up a little, stretched her arms and yawned as the wonderful smell of espresso and crispy bacon hit her nose. “Thank you baby, yeah I can’t wait.”

“Okay, gotta run. Have a good day.” He kissed her again, this time on her neck while running his hand over her hip and giving it a squeeze. “I love you.”

She yawned again, gazing at the outline of his face. “I love you too.”

He smiled then went out the door and off to work.

She cuddled with her cat Samson for a few moments then flung her legs over the side of the mattress and turned on a light. After using the restroom, she grabbed her warm beverage and toddled over to the breakfast nook in the kitchen and lit up her first cigarette of the day.

She took a sip of her drink. It was a creamy and delicious 16 ounce triple shot vanilla soy latte. Mike was so sweet. He’d been going to the cafe across the street nearly every morning during the past month and buying her a coffee and a bacon egg and cheddar sandwich. Autumn appreciated it, as she was a big believer that breakfast was the most important meal of the day.

Mike had practically moved in with her by this point, but she enjoyed having him around. She wasn’t the type of girl that needed a man to be happy, but she had to admit living with him was quite nice. When she was single she had to fend for herself and make her own breakfast, usually something like a bowl of oatmeal with yogurt and berries on top.

She flicked ash into the mug on the table and took another sip of her beverage. It was sweet. She hated to think about how many calories it contained, and she kept thinking she should tell Mike to just get her plain soy lattes instead of vanilla, but it tasted so good she kept putting that off.

She sat up straight and tugged downward on her white camisole. The skimpy top was a bit skimpier than it used to be. She placed her hand on her stomach and felt the roll of fat that was protruding over her underwear. She sighed. All that wining and dining with Mike, the stress of working a demanding job, and the complete lack of exercise during the last few months were taking their toll on her figure.

- Autumn (Chapter 6)