Elizabeth
I barely had time to blink before Jesse stepped into the room. “I’m back with a lot of supplies and now I’m going to whip you up something in the kitchen. See you in there in a few?”
“Yeah,” I said with a quick nod, smiling.
With that he was gone and I heard Chance move across the room. “Hey Chance,” I called.
He stopped. “Yeah?”
“Um, thanks for listening.”
“Any time love.” There was a hint of a smirk in his voice. “But I’m not always so gushy, so don’t get used to it,” he said playfully.
I smiled and nodded. “Right.”
Jesse
“Are you actually cooking in here?” El asked as she walked in then slowly made her way through the room, a timid hand out in front of her.
I smiled, walking over and taking her hand. “Yes, I am.” I set her hand down on the island in the middle then pulled a stool out for her.
“Really? Because it would be really easy to lie and just make a lot of noise then hand me something you picked up at a fast food joint down the street.”
I laughed then looked to Chance who had just walked in, motioning to the new cooking utensils I’d bought as well as the food. “Please tell her I’m actually cooking.”
Chance shrugged, looking irritated. “He’s actually cooking.”
I pulled my eyebrows together, giving him a questioning look but he just shrugged me off and looked away, refusing to tell me what was wrong.
“But can you cook?” she asked with a smile.
Chance rolled his eyes. “Oh yeah, he’s a freaking master chief,” he said flatly before turning around. “I’m going to get a drink.”
“Alcohol isn’t good for you!” El called after him.
I half-smiled then leaned toward her a bit. “Not that kind of drink.”
She suddenly straightened up, a surprised look on her face. “Oh.” Was all she said and I could tell she was getting uncomfortable. “Do you need to . . .”
“No,” I said with a smile, turning back to the food. “Unlike him, I make sure I stay full.”
“Why?” she asked curiously, leaning forward on the counter.
I stopped for a moment, tensing slightly, then shook my head as I thought of how to respond. I glanced back at her, about to brush it off, but could tell she’d picked up on my mood change. That girl was just too observant.
“It’s just best,” I finally said, putting some things into a bowl.
She was silent for a moment then cleared her throat. “So what are you making?”
“Pasta,” I replied, shaking the bag of pasta before pouring it into the boiling water, “with some vegetables mixed in.”
“Pasta?” she asked with a laugh.
“What’s wrong with that?” I set some things on the island she was sitting at then started chopping some vegetables.
“Nothing it’s just not what I would have expected.” She leaned back, folding her hands in her lap to get them off the counter. “I would have thought you’d make hamburgers or steak or something that has to be fried or grilled. You know,” she said with a smile, “something macho.”
“I can be ‘macho’ and still make pasta.” I tossed the things I’d already chopped into the water then turned back around. She’d put her arms back on the counter again.
“I guess, I just didn’t figure you for the one to really know how to cook.”
I grinned, leaning over the counter slightly. “I was alive once. Besides,” I leaned back and picked up the knife again. “I’ve cooked for a few people between then and now.”
I started to chop the last few things and noticed that she immediately pulled her arms off the counter, folding them in her lap.
I smirked as I turned and poured the last of it into the water, using the knife to brush it into the pot. “Do you not trust me?” I asked, turning back around.
“What?” she asked with a confused look.
“Nervous I’ll miss and cut you?” I said again as I stepped around the corner of the island, coming up beside her.
She shook her head slowly, starting to smile then froze, straightening up. “Jesse, are you still holding the knife?” She turned her head back and forth slightly, running through the last few minutes in her head, probably trying to think if she heard me set it down or not.
I glanced down at the knife I was still holding and shrugged. “Yes.”
She straightened up, looking nervous, and leaned away a bit. “Why do you still have the knife?”
“I just haven’t set it down yet,” I said, a little of my aggravation coming out in my voice. She didn’t seriously think I’d hurt her, did she?
“Jesse,” she said quietly as I stepped closer to her.
I tossed the knife on the counter, letting it make a loud noise as it landed. She jumped and I sighed. “El, I’m not going to hurt you. I would never hurt you.”
She looked toward the stove. “You’re not overcooking it are you?” I knew she was just trying to get me to move away, but she did have a point.
I walked back over to the stove and drained the water then poured the sauce in the pan, mixed it up, and set it back on the burner. When I turned back around she was standing up.
“El,” I said softly as I walked back over to her. “I would never hurt you.”
She smiled a little. “I know . . . I just get scared some times. It’s hard to trust people when you can’t read their eyes or body language. You just don’t know what they’re going to do most of the time. It’s all a guess.”
I lightly put a hand on the side of her face. “You can trust me.”
That sweet smile of hers spread across her face as she nodded and I could see that little bit of trust in her eyes.
“You have such beautiful eyes,” I said quietly, staring into them.
She blushed then suddenly looked a little worried and turned, starting to walk away. “I should-“
“El,” I said, catching her arm and slowly pulling her back, “please don’t go.”
She shook her head slightly, leaning back.
“I won’t hurt you,” I whispered, lightly wrapping an arm around her.
I started to lean toward her, smiling as I saw her slowly move my way too, then froze as the timer buzzed loudly.
“Food’s ready,” she said quietly before slipping out of my arms and leaning on the counter. “Could you make me a plate since I can’t see what I’m doing?”
I sighed then walked over and started filling her a plate. Strike two.
“Usually I do pretty good getting my own at home when it’s just me a Jack, maybe Jenna. But I’d be too nervous that I’d do something wrong and make a mess, then I probably would. I’m still not too comfortable around other people with the whole thing and-“
“El,” I said gently, holding out the food then taking her hand and lifting it to plate, “you’re rambling.”
“Right,” she said quietly as she took the plate. “Thanks.” She then turned and walked back to her stool, sitting down and eating slowly.
“Are you going to eat any?” she asked in between her small bites.
I smiled. “No. I don’t eat.”
She blinked then looked down, giving a small smile. “Right, sorry.”
“I could eat if I needed to,” I said, leaning forward on the counter just opposite of her, “but I don’t feel like I need to put up a façade fight now.”
“So you’re just going to stand there and watch me eat?” she asked, sounding a little nervous. Apparently she didn’t like people watching her eat.
“Jesse,” Chance said from the doorway, making El jump.
I looked up calmly, raising my eyebrows slightly in question.
“I need to talk to you out here,” he said, anger coating his words.
I sighed and rolled my eyes then stood up. “Well I suppose not,” I said, answering El’s question, “Just yell if you need anything.”
I lightly touched her shoulder as I walked past then followed Chance down the hall and into one of the sitting rooms.
He had just fed and was still worked up, his eyes were even still glowing, so I knew whatever he wanted to talk to me about wasn’t going to be good.
He turned to face me, growling. “You like her, don’t you?”
I stood there blinking at him for a moment then crossed my arms. “No, but what does that have to do with anything?”
He growled again then shoved me back. “You liar! You do to.”
I narrowed my eyes, regaining my footing. “What are you, five?”
“Just admit it; you have feelings for that girl.”
“Right after you admit it,” I growled back, really starting to get ticked off.
He froze, looking at me in surprise. Come on, even a blind person could see he liked her . . . no offence to blind people . . . like El.
“I don’t like her like that, I barely like her period.”
I smirked, folding my arms again. “If you didn’t like her then you wouldn’t be getting so mad at me for liking her.”
He stood there for a second, staring to the side as he shifted his weight back and forth, thinking it over. He then shrugged, giving in to the accusation, and turned around to glare at me.
“Just stay away from her.”
I laughed, which only made him angrier. “It’s kind of hard since I’m helping watch her.”
“You know what I mean,” he growled moving closer, “Don’t even think about making a move on her.”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Making a move on her? Really? You couldn’t think of something that sounded less . . . I don’t know, high school?”
“I mean it J,” he growled, “don’t even think about it.”
I smirked and he snapped, throwing his fist toward my face as he pushed me back into a wall. My smile dropped as the rage built up inside of me. I quickly caught his arm then spun around grabbing his neck and shoving him hard into the wall.
“You should stay away from her,” I growled low, feeling my control slipping away. “I’ll do anything to keep her safe, you got that? And if you do anything to hurt her, I swear-“
He growled, pulling my hand away from his neck enough to speak. “I’m not the one that’s going to hurt her. Looked in a mirror lately prince of darkness?”
I blinked then let go, dropping him to his feet. I didn’t have to look in the mirror to know my sharp fangs had grown down completely and my eyes were glowing fiercely. He was right; I needed to cool off before I accidentally did something to El.