Competing for the Dominant

Fifteen

"That's a big bed," I said, taking a deep breath and whistling slightly.

"King bed for a king," I rolled my eyes at his comment, but he didn't seem to notice, "Thanks for your help. Couldn't have done it without you,"

"You probably could have. But you're welcome. Now, you mentioned food?"

"I have to make it first. You're free to help if you want,"

"What're we making?"

"Shredded barbecue chicken wraps. They're delicious, trust me,"

I followed him into the kitchen and sat on the counter while he got out all the ingredients. He instructed me to measure out everything while he started cooking the chicken.

As the chicken cooked, Daniel grabbed another pan, "Have you ever made latkes before?"

"No? What is it?"

"The best potato dish ever. They're like hash brown potato pancakes. My family makes them around Hanukkah and we always have to make a bunch because we eat them so fast. You interested in learning?"

I nodded. Food was food. And if potatoes were involved, I was involved. Daniel hummed as he pulled out potatoes, onion, oil, and a few spices. He also grabbed a box shredder and a peeler and handed them to me.

"I'll let you do the honors of peeling and shredding the potatoes while I finish the chicken,"

Peeling the potatoes was easy. Grating them: not so much. My arms were completely sore by the time I got to the fourth potato and I was thankful to sit back down again while Daniel mixed the potatoes and the onions. He grabbed a towel and threw the onions and potatoes on it.

"Want to see something gross?" I watched as he twisted the towel. A huge amount of liquid seeped out of the towel and I made a disgusted face, "Yeah. Potatoes are known for being liquidy. We'll have to do this periodically to make sure the latkes don't get too moist,"

I was in charge of throwing them in the oil and then scooping them back out when they were done. Unfortunately, I wasn't very coordinated at first and on more than one occasion, the oil splashed onto my skin. Daniel wiped it off with a wet towel each time and he may or may not have let his touch linger a couple of times.

"Okay. You ready for the best dinner you've ever had?"

I raised my chicken wrap, which he had wrapped in lettuce, and took a bite, "Oh, wow. That is good. The ranch helps too,"

Daniel snorted and grabbed a napkin. I went to take it, but he pushed my hand away and brushed the napkin around my chin, "Can't take you anywhere, can I?"

"Good thing we aren't out in public then," we shared a small smile and went back fo eating. I had to admit, Daniel was right. The chicken and the latkes were delicious and Stella thought so too as she munched on her own dinner, which included a few plain pieces of chicken that had somehow made it into her dish.

🖤

I was standing on his porch, ready to say goodbye, but for some reason, I almost didn't want to leave.

"I had fun today. Thanks again for helping with my mattress and dinner . . ." Daniel scratched the back of his neck and focused his gaze on the ground.

"Yeah. I had fun too. Stella was a great host," I knelt and patted Stella's head. She seemed to grin as she leaned forward. I stood back up and took a step closer to Daniel. I leaned up and kissed him on the cheek, "I also wanted to thank you for respecting my boundaries. When I was living on the streets, people didn't know boundaries, so it's nice to be around people who do,"