Story of My Life: An Unwanted Arrangement [19]

Chapter 19

At the checkout counter, we had quite a few strange items I had never seen before. Some rice wraps that looked like transparent pieces of stiff round paper, some rice noodles, cilantro, cucumber, and a package of pre-cooked shrimp. Adam paid for the food and we got back into the truck.

"So where to now?" I asked, too curious to help myself.

"I hope you don't mind. I thought we would have dinner at my house." Adam said, starting the truck. "My family is out of town and so we have the whole house to make some great food."

A small tsunami of something close to panic rushed through me. Alone? I don't know...

"Okay." I didn't want my voice to give away my nerves, and I tried to not let it show. But he seemed to notice, because he looked over, concerned.

"Is that alright? I mean we can go somewhere else if you don't want to-" he trailed off, looking worried.

"Oh, no it's fine. It'll be fun." I said, forcing a small smile onto my face.

He looked me straight in the eyes. "We won't do it if you're uncomfortable."

Do it? I didn't know what he was talking about. Or didn't want to consider it... I wasn't ready for "it" if that was what he was talking about. But I didn't want to look like a baby, and I trusted him, didn't I?

"No, we should. I'm fine, and completely comfortable." I said, smiling more genuinely this time.

He shrugged and nodded, but didn't look like he believed me. We rode the rest of the way in silence, but it wasn't awkward. Just quiet. I realized just how hungry I was. Whatever we were going to eat, I hoped it was soon.

Finally we pulled into the driveway, and Adam got out quickly to open my door for me. He was such a gentleman. He took my hand, leading me onto the dark porch. He unlocked the door and flicked on a light. His house was definitely larger than mine and had plenty of nice furnishings. We left our shoes on the door mat and he dropped the bag of groceries on the counter.

Adam turned on a radio latched under a cabinet and began to fill a teapot with water. He set it on the stove top, turning on the heat. I sat at the bar, watching curiously. He handed me a cutting board and the cucumber.

"Can you slice this in little spears?" He asked. I nodded, taking the slim kitchen knife and the cucumber.

He chopped up the cilantro, and the fresh smell filled the room. He set out a bowl full of the shrimp and when the teapot whistled, a glass baking pan was half filled with the steaming water. While Adam got out the rice wraps, he had me fill up a bowl with water to let the noodles soak. I found the cupboard with plates and set out two at the bar. He had the pan of water sitting between the two plates, with the small dishes of cilantro, cucumber, and noodles scattered around the plates. Reaching into the stainless steel fridge, he pulled out a bottle of sweet and sour sauce, putting a little on each plate.

"Okay, so this is how to make the perfect spring roll. Not the deep fried US version. I think this is how they are made, Vietnamese style. But not 100% sure. Either way, they are 100% delicious."

"Well then that makes up for it." I said, smiling. I wasn't nearly as uncomfortable as I thought it would be, but the butterflies were still making me jittery.

"First step, take a wrap and put it in the hot water for about 30 seconds or so. It shouldn't get too soft. Then put it on your plate." I watched him, and then did the same. It surprised me how fast the brittle circle became a tortilla type of thing. I set it on my plate, glancing at Adam.

"Okay now what?" I asked.

"Now, you can pick some different things to put in your spring roll. Use a few slices of cucumber, shrimp, noodles, whatever. Then roll it up like a baby-sized burrito."

I followed suit, and the wrap was starting to dry, making it sticky. It rolled right up. I grinned.

"Amy, you're a natural." Adam said, smiling. "Now for the best part. You can try the sauce, just dip it."

I tried it, hesitant. Wow, it actually wasn't bad at all. I smiled, tipping an imaginary hat to Adam.

"I'm not gonna lie, I didn't think this would be that tasty, but I'll admit I was wrong. These are great."

Adam smiled at me. "Yeah, my mom makes them sometimes. They are one of my favorite foods."

Dinner went by fast. And soon I was really full. Adam sighed patting his stomach.

"I am stuffed." He said. I totally agreed.

"Me too. So are we doing dishes now?"

"Do you want to get them out of the way? We really don't have that much to clean up." He said glancing around. It was true, just the plates and dishes, a cutting board, the knife, and the glass pan.

"Sure, I need to digest anyways."

So we did the dishes and listened to the radio. I dried, he washed. When we were done, he led me into the living room. I sat on the couch and yawned, full and comfortable. Adam sat next to me, catching my yawn.

"So, what do you want to do? Watch a movie, play a game, or something else?" Adam asked, his voice hushed.

"I don't really care. We could watch a movie. I might fall asleep though." I said, trying to stifle another yawn. It really couldn't be that late. Maybe 7:30 at the latest. Why was I so tired?

Adam stood up and went to the cabinet next to the entertainment center. He rifled through the DVDs until he found something suitable. "How about the Hulk? The new one?" he asked, holding it up.

"Sure, that's good." Honestly I was planning on falling asleep soon anyways so the choice didn't really matter to me much.

He put in the movie and I grabbed a plush blanket off the back of the couch. He sat next to me and draped the blanket over us. He was sitting on the edge of the couch so I leaned into his shoulder and he put his arm around me. I yawned again, shaking my head at my own exhaustion.

Not fifteen minutes into the movie and I was already out.