To Hell With Normal

Chapter five

Cooking with Rose was tough. Not because she wasn't helpful, but because she kept distracting me. I attempted to concentrate, but I was quickly proved unsuccessful. She guided my useful arm as I directed her. I explained what ingredients I wanted to use and how to prepare them. The only unfortunate point about her helping me cook was that dinner would not be a surprise. Since we had completely forgotten about lunch, Rose's blood sugar was low.

"Sara..." She mumbled when I took a piece of the bell pepper that she had cut up from her cutting board.

"No eating yet! I'm not done cooking." I scolded her, and she muttered something under her breath.

"Repeat that please."

Her mind was quite foggy because she told me she'd eat me if we wouldn't have dinner soon. "In that case," I took her forearm to keep her from moving away from me. "Maybe I should stop cooking for a bit." Rose's pale face flushed. I could hear her shallow breathing close to my lips. Her hands trembled and her indecisiveness showed, as I gently pushed her against the kitchen counter. "Rose?" I whispered, able to distinguish the difference between each one of her eyelashes.

"Yes?" I could hear the breathlessness in her voice.

"Can I...?" The need for consent in my voice was strong, but not as strong as my obvious desperation. Two seconds passed, yet they felt like hours.

"Yes please." The words were hardly out of her mouth before I kissed her. First kisses are special, the moment that you try to express your feelings to someone through touch. It shows you how strong your connection is. It felt like we'd barely touched each other before she pulled away.

"Rose.." I mumbled breathlessly. Every centimetre of my body that was pressed against her felt like it was on fire. She slowly lifted her hands and cupped my face.

"Yeah, Sara?" I could feel her words on my lips.

"Your eyes are beautiful." She lifted her gaze from my lips to my eyes, and I felt my blue eyes getting lost in her brown irises. I leant forward to kiss her again, but she turned and took a piece of the bell pepper before I reached her. She started laughing when I pushed her against the counter.

"At least you can enjoy my butt." She told me. With my good hand, I squeezed it, listening to her shaky breath before wrapping that arm around her.

"Now what are you going to do?" I whispered my question into her ear, and I could feel the shivers I sent down her spine. After a few seconds, she giggled and the sensual tension broke. I couldn't help but laugh with her.

"I think we could've done that quite a while ago," I told her as I gave her some more space to move.

"You're right but I enjoy teasing girls. Now, will you please hurry up and finish dinner?" She tilted her head, batting her eyelashes at me.

"No more kisses until we've had dinner!" The threat wasn't effective because she was still flirting with me.

But I finished cooking dinner as she fed our new puppy. "What should we call them?" She asked.

"I think it's a boy, maybe we can call him Alex?" I asked.

"Sure! I like that name. Now, are we done with the cooking?" I told her to sit down while I finished up the pasta I made for her. I have no Italian roots but the Irish traditional foods aren't right for a dinner date. I loaded two plates and turned around when I saw Rose sleeping on the couch, her hands wrapped around my jumper. I couldn't help but stare. The moment would've lasted a bit longer if Alex hadn't jumped upon Rose and gave her puppy kisses. Hmm..?" She opened her eyes and sat up, rubbing the sleepiness out of her eyes.

"Time for dinner Rose!" I told her, handing her a plate.

"Thanks, Sara." She shifted so I could sit next to her again, although Alex didn't like it when I tried to take his place next to Rose. He tried to stay seated on her lap, attempting to steady his oversized paws.

"Alex, down buddy." I tested our new puppy, and apparently, he did know that one but he didn't enjoy obeying. With a grumpy face, he laid down at our feet.

"Enjoy!" I told Rose, handing her the chopsticks. I thought her habits were adorable. We ate in peace as I occasionally sneaked glances at Rose.

"So... Are we going to talk about what happened?" I asked her when she placed her plate on the coffee table, leaving some food.

"What do you mean?" Her brown eyes sparkled with a mischievous glint.

"Well, I enjoyed kissing you but was that a one-time thing?" I tried to keep my other questions inside. Was she as into me as I was into her? Was it just physical or were there deeper feelings? Could we possibly continue this?

Keep it down, Lance. It was only a kiss. Don't derail your entire train of thought, maybe she doesn't even like you. Rose had placed her hand on my leg, sending shivers up my spine.

"I mean, I liked it. And I like the way you act. I would enjoy exploring these feelings if you are willing." Oh my god stop talking like a posh siren.

"But are you into me?" I asked before I could stop myself. Stupid, Lance. Rose smiled at me.

"Yes. I just told you I like you, smartass. Keep up!" With my good arm, I grabbed the collar of her shirt and brought my lips very close to her ear.

"You're such a tease. If you want to enjoy your time with me you might want to think about being less of a troublemaker." I kissed her ear after the whispered threats and felt her body shake. This was going to be fun.