Love is a game (Love in the air collection)

Cooking Lessons

They begin by bringing all the ingredients for the recipe to the work table. "This recipe is a simple vegetable stir-fry, one of the easiest things to cook. We'll start by chopping all the vegetables."  

P'Phayu carefully shows Rain how to hold the knife so he will not cut his fingers and how to chop the vegetables evenly so they will all cook at the same time. Rain isn’t nearly as quick as the chef but in the end he manages a pile of fairly evenly cut vegetables. Next they measure the spices out and place them in tiny bowls at the ready. P'Phayu shows him how to make a simple sauce using aged soy sauce, honey, and vinegar. 

Rain cleans up while P’Phayu stirs everything into some sesame oil he had heated in a wok. After cleaning Rain watches him in fascination. 

Before now cooking had seemed like such a mystery to Rain but the chef explains it in ways that Rain can easily follow. He's not ready to start his own kitchen but he believes he could easily make this recipe at home some night instead of ordering food to be brought in. 

They serve the stir-fry over jasmine rice that had been cooked earlier. P'Phayu makes them each a plate and they eat sitting on stools placed next to the work table. The simple dish is one of the most delicious things Rain has ever eaten. 

"Oh, where's mine?" P'Pai asks as he walks into the kitchen.

"I ate it." Rain says smugly. "You should have come to pick me up sooner. Why are you so late?" 

P'Pai grins, "I met Sky outside and we talked for a little while." 

Rain rolls his eyes at this, P'Pai is known to flirt with anything that stands still long enough. 

"Ready to go home, Rainy boy?" P'Pai asks him. 

Rain nods, yawning. It had been a long day but he had enjoyed it. "Thank you, P'Phayu. I promise not to be late tomorrow." 

Rain hops down from the stool and goes to the locker where he stashed his things. He changes and tosses his shirt and apron in a half full laundry basket. 

After Pai and Rain leave, Phayu finishes cleaning up the kitchen and washes the last of the dishes. He refuses to leave his kitchen anything but spotless. While he works his mind wanders to Rain. 

The boy had not been anything like Phayu had been expecting. 

When he had accused Rain of being late this morning he had expected either excuses or a temper tantrum from a spoiled star. In actuality he already knew the traffic had been bad that morning and Rain's people had called ahead explaining about the accident. He was just testing the boy's reaction. 

Rain's simple apology and promise to do better had been a revelation about the boy's character that Phayu hadn't been expecting. He also had not been prepared for Rain’s cute looks and adorable smile. 

The attraction to the idol had been almost immediate and so strong Phayu was half prepared to drag him out of the room right then and there. He had also felt extremely possessive of the boy. He didn't want anyone else giving Rain lessons, not even Sky.

Phayu finishes wiping down the counter and turns off all the lights in the kitchen. He climbs the stairs to the apartment over the restaurant. He has a house he shares with his brother but when he works particularly late it's just easier to stay here. 

Rain can’t go to the restaurant everyday, he still has an upcoming concert that he needed to rehearse for with his team and promotions for other projects. He spends as much time there as he can and practices his growing cooking skills at home.  He is determined to do well and  not let P'Phayu down.